Mental Health Screening: What Is It And Does My Teen Need It?
What is Mental Health Screening? A mental health screening is an exam of your emotional health. It helps find out if you have a mental disorder. Mental illnesses are more common than people think! They affect more than half of all Americans at some point in their lives. There are many types of mental disorders that […]
Spring Has Sprung For Your Teen, and So Has Their Anxiety
It absolutely feels terrific that the weather has turned nice, we aren’t wearing masks (for the most part), and we are planning our summer vacations. However, for your teen, they are coming to the end of this school year. That means taking tests that can create stress, anxiety, and depression. Also, for seniors, it means the […]
Does Valentine’s Day Affect Teen Depression?
It’s February, and this means Valentine’s Day has come and gone. For adults, it’s the month of love, Hallmark, dinner out on the 14th, a bottle of wine or champagne, and perhaps a piece of jewelry. For teens, however, it may be the month that temperatures are a bit colder, skies a bit grayer, and […]
September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
Yes, the CDC saw a 51 percent increase in suicide attempts by adolescent girls during the pandemic. Yes, emergency department mental health visits were up 31 percent among adolescents during the same period, driven by higher incidents of crises among young girls. Yet, we cannot blame all of this on the COVID-19 pandemic. Last week, […]
“Man Up!” The phenomenon that affects young men across America
“You aren’t man enough.” “Man up!” “Come on, don’t be a ______.” What do these phrases have in common? You guessed it: They all reinforce toxic masculinity. Toxic masculinity is one explanation for male violence and sexism. This term distinguishes “toxic” traits, like aggression and self-entitlement, from “healthy” masculinity. It has grown to the point […]
11 Real Issues that Teens Face Every Day
“What a relief! My teen is back at school, finally, and everything is good again. No more Zoom classes and complaining.” Does this sound familiar? Now that public health officials have deemed it safe to return to school, your teen must unlearn what they were conditioned to believe for almost 270 days — to keep […]
Why do people cut themselves? Understanding teen self-harm
Many teens struggle with anxiety and depression. Some turn to self-harm to deal with their intense feelings. Self-harm and self-injury describe a group of behaviors in which you deliberately hurt yourself — not as a suicide attempt, but as a way to release painful emotions. Cutting is one of the most common ways that teens […]
“My Teen plays sports. No reason to worry now…”
I had always believed that if my children played competitive sports, then the endorphins would kick in and they would generally be happy and protected from feelings of depression. Most parents believe this. Boy was I wrong! My youngest son played on two ice hockey teams at college, went to the gym on a […]
Independence Day and Your Teen
Take a moment to step back and think: What were you doing on July 4th, 2020? In our family, I recall we were dealing with a lot of uncertainty. Our twins were living in separate states halfway across the country, the future of our economy was up in the air, and every day, it seemed […]
Eating Disorders: Signs, Symptoms, and Tips for Managing ED
Weight obsession affects millions of teenagers today, especially girls. Gen Z faces an onslaught of body image messages from peers, social media influencers, mass media, and even clothing store mannequins that depict an “ideal” version of what the ideal body should look like. So, it’s no wonder that according to a 2009 Youth Risk Behavior […]
