Tag Archives: mental health

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new and unprecedented challenges for children—from quarantines and new protocols to illness in families and the loss of loved ones. A U.S. Surgeon General report found that between March and October 2020, the percentage of mental health emergency department visits for children ages 5 to 11 rose by 24%. With the level of adversity that …

Recognizing and treating postpartum mood or anxiety disorders Becoming a mother can be the most magical of times in a woman’s life. It can also be among the most trying of times, especially for moms who struggle with mental health matters as they adapt to their new roles. That’s why mental health care for new moms is critical. Here, Sharon …

  Pediatric neurologist Carl E. Stafstrom remembers his first experience with Moebius syndrome was with a child’s mother. She had the tell-tale signs: a drooping face, eyes that could not glance to the side—and, most importantly, she couldn’t smile. Without such a simple means of communication we often take for granted, he couldn’t help but wonder what challenges she might …

  First, the good news: Mental illness in children and adolescents is often treatable and preventable. Unfortunately, the mental health of our country’s youth is in crisis, according to a recently released advisory from U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. The advisory states that this youth mental health crisis occurred long before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. In Murthy’s introduction, he shares, …

Specialized training helps mental health professionals understand the needs, challenges and experiences of children and their foster, adoptive and kinship families Family relationships can be complicated. Families that come together through foster care, guardianship and adoption often experience added layers of complexity. One constant for all these families is the experience of loss. For some children and their parents and …

An Athlete’s Mental Health is Also Important When it comes to youth and sports, intensity seems to be growing at an alarming rate. Rampant peer pressure, coach and parental pressure and self-imposed pressure, coupled with hectic schedules and little down time for rest and reflection, can create an environment of high stress. As such, the mental health needs of young …

Maryland’s first trauma-informed psychiatric unit for children and teens experiencing mental health crises opened this week at the University of Maryland Children’s Hospital (UMCH) in Baltimore. The 16-bed inpatient unit, a therapeutic environment featuring curved walls and nature themes, is designed to be safe space for patients ages 5-17 who may have experienced traumatic events, such as abuse, neglect or …

We all have mental health. Some days we have more of it and other days less of it. This point is true for our children as well. Establishing a foundation of good mental health affects our children for the rest of their lives. As with many elements that affect children physically, early intervention is the key. We know that early …

Photo: Getty Images / E+ – Artist: franckreporter The colors of spring are making Julie Turner, a nurse and mother of two, happy right now. “Out my front window, I see blooms in pink, fuchsia, lavender, purple, cream, white and green in a beautiful array of shapes and sizes,” says Turner, a Towson resident. For her, the flowers are a …

As a mother and psychotherapist, I always hear that parents want their kids to be physically and psychologically healthy. However, the truth we neglect in this desire is that the psychological health of any child is interdependent on that of their caregivers. Thus, to desire healthy mental health in our children is to also desire it in ourselves. There is …