Archive for mental health
To college, or not, this fall?
Whether or not to return to college campus is a question many students and their parents are faced with making in the next few weeks. While some schools have made that decision for families by moving to remote learning only or sending students home, many colleges and universities are leaving the choice up to students ... Read More about To college, or not, this fall?
Racism and children’s health: What providers need to know
It’s easy to feel outdone by racism, especially as the country cycles through stages of tragedy, awareness, and inertia. But with renewed attention to violence against Black people in recent weeks, many health care providers are asking themselves hard questions: Can we create a better world for the next generation?Can the call for racial justice lead ... Read More about Racism and children’s health: What providers need to know
Racism is a health issue: How it affects kids, what parents can do
Racism has once again gained national attention. Following the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, people around the world are taking a stand against race-based inequality and violence. But even after it fades from the news cycle, racism will remain present in the lives of children. How children experience racism Racism can ... Read More about Racism is a health issue: How it affects kids, what parents can do
Burnout from COVID-19: What clinicians should know
Many clinicians are already all too familiar with the extreme exhaustion and stress associated with burnout. According to one recent report, overall rates of physician burnout for 2019 were at 42 percent. While that’s a slight drop from five years ago, these statistics don’t take the current COVID-19 pandemic into account. Although we don’t yet ... Read More about Burnout from COVID-19: What clinicians should know
Teens, social distancing, and anxiety in the time of COVID-19
You’d think teens would be in their sweet spot: minimal school, no extracurriculars, and plenty of time to sleep in, watch Netflix, surf the web, and have video chats. But in reality, many teens are unnerved by COVID-19 and the disruption it has brought. Many struggle with being stuck at home, unable to visit their ... Read More about Teens, social distancing, and anxiety in the time of COVID-19
Common questions about ADHD treatments
If your child is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you may have questions about which treatments will work best. When considering an intervention for your child, we recommend that you ask your clinician if there are any research studies that back it up. Evidence-based interventions are treatments that have been studied using standardized ... Read More about Common questions about ADHD treatments
New treatment guidelines for complex ADHD
Approximately 7.5 percent of children and adolescents in the U.S. have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and about two-thirds of them have one or more co-existing conditions such as learning disorders or mental health problems. Treatment for these more complex forms of ADHD has focused largely on medical interventions. But now, a new clinical guideline ... Read More about New treatment guidelines for complex ADHD
Ava’s mental health journey
Ava remembers filling a small pink notebook with all her worries in just one month when she was 5 years old. Ava’s anxiety would not let her fully experience life, because she was constantly in fear of the world around her. She says, “I was being controlled by my fear rather than my own decisions.” Celebrating ... Read More about Ava’s mental health journey
Give yourself a break with meditation
Do you start the day with anxiety and end it by thinking about how the day’s good intentions went awry? You can rework this cycle through meditation. While meditation can’t hold back all the curve balls thrown into your life, it does offer a way to cope and adjust your perspective. We recently discussed how ... Read More about Give yourself a break with meditation
Answers to six questions about anxiety in children and teens
Between school and social demands, lots of children feel stress, but at what point does anxiety cross the line and become a mental health concern? We sat down with Keneisha Sinclair-McBride, PhD, a clinical psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital, to better understand what separates serious forms of anxiety from normal worrying, ... Read More about Answers to six questions about anxiety in children and teens