Archive for mental health
Teens, anxiety, and depression: How worried should parents be?
Part of the work of being a teenager is making connections outside of the family and becoming attuned to world issues. But add social media, an ongoing pandemic, and academic and extracurricular pressures to the mix, and teens can become vulnerable to mental health issues. “Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health concerns ... Read More
Losing a parent or caregiver to COVID-19: Advice for families
Ed. note: This story was updated on October 7 with new data on COVID-19 deaths. A recent international study estimated that at least 104,884 U.S. children lost one or both parents to COVID-19. And that was as of April 20, 2021, before the highly contagious Delta variant became widespread. A more detailed study of U.S. deaths ... Read More
Not just a physical thing: The psychology of sports injuries and recovery
“Nobody plays sports expecting to get injured, but unfortunately, injuries are part of sports,” says Melissa Christino, MD. As a surgeon in the Sports Medicine Division at Boston Children’s Hospital, Christino helps athletes recover from sports injuries, some of which keep her patients on the sidelines for weeks or months at a time. Key takeaways ... Read More
Back to school in 2021: Three families share their stories
It’s been a long year-and-a-half for students since schools first shut down due to COVID-19. Thrust into a situation none were prepared for, students, parents, and teachers have struggled emotionally and academically. After a long period of untraditional schooling, what can parents and students expect, and how can they gear up for the coming school ... Read More
How to help your child rekindle friendships at any age
A new school year is often full of promise, but a lot hangs in the balance this year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is endorsing a return to full-time in-person learning with proper COVID-19 precautions. Some of the motivation for returning to in-person learning stems from the toll in-home learning may have ... Read More
Practice positivity: Navigating body image with your child
Children receive thousands of messages every day about ‘how the world works’ and the role of kids and adolescents in it. Sometimes they learn things explicitly, but they also receive cues from mass and social media, family and peers. Body image is no exception. In young people, negative messages about bodies and appearances can contribute ... Read More
Providing culturally responsive care to refugee and immigrant families
Refugee and immigrant parents and children have unique care needs. They have left their former lives behind, often due to discrimination, poverty, violence, or even ethnic cleansing operations. They may have witnessed or experienced torture or the death of a loved one. Once resettled in the U.S., parents must navigate and adjust to American culture, ... Read More
A Juneteenth celebration of children’s books featuring Black characters
Books can provide a mirror for kids to understand themselves and a window into the world around them. Yet for many generations, Black characters were almost nonexistent in children’s books. Very often, the few that did appear were limited, with one kind of hair and one skin tone. “Thinking about the books that were popular ... Read More
Suicide prevention in teens: Can we intervene through primary care?
The past year has seen a disturbing rise in suicidal thoughts and attempts among adolescents, with a spike of suicidal teens going to emergency departments (EDs). This adds to a growing trend: From 2007 to 2016, ED visits for deliberate self-harm more than quadrupled nationwide among children age 5 to 17. In a recent review ... Read More
COVID-19 takes its toll on kids’ mental health
As experts warn that increasing behavioral and mental health challenges could represent a “second wave” of the pandemic in kids and teens, a recent study suggests that hospitalizations for self-harm and suicide attempts show no signs of ebbing. According to a study from Boston Children’s Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto, ... Read More