The statistics are sobering. In the past year, nearly 1 in 3 female teens reports seriously considering suicide. One in 5 teens identifying as LGBTQ+ say they attempted suicide in that time. Between 2009 and 2019, depression rates doubled for all teens. And that was before the COVID-19 pandemic. The question is: Why now? “Our brains, our bodies, and our society have been evolving together to shape human development for millennia… Within the last twenty years, the advent…
It’s normal for teenagers to be moody at times. But when are an adolescent’s mood swings a sign of something more like mental illness? Mental illness is more common in teens than you think, but many types of mental illness are treatable, and it’s just a matter of pinpointing the diagnosis. Teen mental health is often something that cannot be addressed without a parent’s help. Here are 6 facts about mental illness in teens that…
U.S. teens spend more than eight hours a day on screens, and there’s growing concern over how social media and large amounts of screen time per day may be affecting their mental health. Now, a new study published by the American Psychological Association validates what some parents have experienced when their teenagers cut back: they seem to feel better about themselves. Perhaps you’ve seen this in your own kids when they return from summer camp…
If you’ve recently learned that your child has or might have autism, you’re probably wondering and worrying about what comes next. No parent is ever prepared to hear that a child is anything other than happy and healthy, and an ASD (autism spectrum disorder) diagnosis can be particularly frightening. You may be unsure about how to best help your child, or confused by conflicting treatment advice. There are many things you can do to help…
Parenting is far from easy, but parenting a child with autism can be particularly demanding. If you are a parent of a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), you are not alone. Receiving that diagnosis for your child is life-changing, and if there are times that you struggle, you should know you’re not the only one. Here are a few strategies that can help your family. 1. Reframe acting-out behaviors. It can be frustrating to…
Healthy self esteem is one of the most important characteristics of child development. A child’s social, behavioral, and emotional health plays a crucial role in how they handle setbacks, peer pressure, and other challenges throughout life. Positive self esteem is also a factor in mental health, as cultivating confidence contributes to positive social behavior and works as a buffer when your child experiences stress and negative situations. Self esteem basically boils down to how children…
Does your child have difficulty focusing on an activity or seem impulsive in behavior? When symptoms are severe enough and cause ongoing problems in more than one area of your child’s life, it could be a sign of a neurobehavioral disorder, such as ADHD. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is a chronic condition that affects millions of children and often continues into adulthood. ADHD includes a combination of persistent problems, such as difficulty sustaining attention, hyperactivity, and impulsive…
If you are a parent, you’ve probably lost your temper with your kids and have yelled at them at some point. Parents are only human, after all, and kids can sometimes be really good at pushing our buttons and challenging us with behavior problems such as defiance and backtalk. Yelling and losing our cool, in other words, can sometimes happen. But if yelling is an all-too-frequent occurrence in your home, it may be time for…
