Publications - Parenting/Caregiver Advice and Support

Pot smoking by parents tied to risk of psychotic episodes in kids, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Aug 2 2018.

“Cannabis use by mothers or fathers during pregnancy, or even only before pregnancy, is associated with an increased risk of psychotic-like episodes in their children, a Dutch study suggests. Because pot use by mothers and fathers carried similar risk, and a mother’s use before pregnancy had the same effect as use during pregnancy, the study team speculates that parental pot use is likely a marker for genetic and environmental vulnerability to psychotic experiences rather than a cause, and could be useful for screening kids at risk for psychosis later in life. ”

Protect Your Children from Health Risks by Building Family Resilience, by Benjamin Samuel Telsey, Military One Source, Jul 30 2018.

“Research has shown that childhood experiences, both positive and negative, have a significant impact on lifelong health and well-being. A major study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente surveyed more than 17,000 Americans to gain a better understanding of how adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, such as divorce, child abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction, might impact individuals as adults. The researchers found that adverse childhood experiences are very common in the general population. Fortunately, a positive figure in a child’s life can help to provide stability and security while also reducing the destructive effects of toxic stress. One of the critical roles of the military community is to raise healthy, resilient children despite the stressors and challenges they face. Service members and their families can take advantage of several support systems in place for parents and children alike. ”

Mind-Body Therapies May Reduce Anxiety in Teens, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jul 27 2018.

“Anxiety affects approximately one in three American teens, with more than eight percent experiencing severe impairment in daily functioning. But according to a new review published in The Nurse Practitioner, mind-body therapies, such as mindfulness, yoga and hypnosis, can play a vital role in reducing the very common problem of adolescent anxiety...The researchers also emphasize the role of pediatric nurse practitioners (NPs) in integrating screening and treatment for adolescents with anxiety. NPs can screen young patients for anxiety at every health visit and help create a personalized plan to treat it. ”

New dads need depression screening, too, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Jul 23 2018.

“Fathers of young children may be almost as likely as new mothers to experience symptoms of depression, a U.S. study suggests. Researchers examined results from depression screenings done for parents during more than 9,500 visits to pediatrics clinics with their children. Overall, 4.4 percent of fathers and five percent of mothers screened positive for depression...Because parental depression can have lasting physical and mental health affects for young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all parents - both mothers and fathers - get screened for depression during well-baby and well-child checkups. ”

App, Brief Intervention May be Lifesaver for Suicidal Teens, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jul 20 2018.

“The first few weeks after a hospital discharge are the most critical for teens who were admitted for suicidal thoughts. A new study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, reveals that participating in an intervention program followed by the use of a personalized app, called BRITE, can significantly reduce suicide attempts in teens after they return home...'This approach merits further study,' Kennard said. 'Focusing on stress tolerance and giving access to positive emotion could be a lifesaving difference for so many patients.' ”

ADHD study links teens' symptoms with digital media use, by Jacqueline Howard, CNN, Jul 17 2018.

“The more teens check social media and stream video, the more likely they might develop symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, a new study suggests. The study, published in the medical journal JAMA on Tuesday, sheds light on how more research is needed to determine whether symptoms of the disorder, commonly called ADHD, are possibly caused by digital media use...After analyzing the self-reported symptoms and digital media survey responses, the researchers found that each additional high-frequency engagement in a digital media activity was associated with higher odds of having ADHD symptoms at each follow-up point. ”

More women may be experiencing depression during pregnancy, by Linda Carroll, Reuters, Jul 13 2018.

“Today’s moms-to-be are more likely than women from their mothers’ generation to become depressed while pregnant, a study suggests...'Our data suggest that the symptoms driving the increase in total scores were those related to feeling overwhelmed and stress and anxiety rather than feelings of being down and unmotivated,' Pearson said. 'This supports theories that it is potentially a consequence of the fast-paced modern world.' ”

Parents with Severe Childhood Trauma More Likely to Have Kids with Behavior Issues, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jul 10 2018.

“Parents who faced severe trauma and stress in their own childhood are more likely to see  behavioral health problems in their children, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics...The findings reveal that the children of parents who themselves had four or more adverse childhood experiences were at double the risk of having attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and were four times more likely to have mental health problems. In addition, a mother’s childhood experiences had a stronger adverse effect on a child’s behavioral health than the father’s experiences. ”

Boosting Folic Acid May Lead to Less Risk of Severe Mental Illness, by Janice Wood, Psych Central, Jul 7 2018.

“Fortifying grain-based foods with folic acid — instituted in the U.S. in the 1990s to prevent neural tube defects in infants — may also reduce the incidence of severe mental illnesses like schizophrenia that initially appear in young adulthood, according to new research.  In a study comparing brain images of school-aged youths born just before the fortification mandate to those of young people born afterwards, a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team found that increased in utero folic acid exposure was associated with changes in later brain development. These brain changes predicted a reduced risk for symptoms of psychosis, according to the scientists. ”

Pilot Study Screens for Postpartum Depression in the ER, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jun 30 2018.

“Although new mothers are supposed to be screened routinely for PPD at postpartum visits with their maternal or pediatric health care providers, these screenings often don’t happen, either because doctors aren’t following the recommendations or parents aren’t attending these visits due to barriers to healthcare access or other issues. According to a new study, providing PPD screening for new moms in the emergency department (ED) could help identify women suffering from the often debilitating disorder...Jarvis and colleagues launched a pilot study in the Children’s ED to screen for PPD. For eight months beginning in June 2015, the researchers invited English- and Spanish-speaking mothers who came to the ED with infants 6 months old or younger with complaints that didn’t necessitate immediate emergency care to take a short questionnaire on a computer tablet..Based on the results of the study, the researchers implemented a range of interventions. All mothers who participated in the study were given an informational booklet from the March of Dimes on PPD. ”

Gaming addiction classified as mental health disorder by WHO, by Kate Kelland, Reuters, Jun 18 2018.

“Many parents already have concerns, but some may now have a new argument for limiting their children’s ‘screen time’ - addiction to video games has been recognised by World Health Organization as a mental health disorder. The WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD), a reference bible of recognised and diagnosable diseases, describes addiction to digital and video gaming as “a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour” that becomes so extensive it “takes precedence over other life interests”. ”

One in 3 Americans Takes Meds That May Cause Depression, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, Jun 14 2018.

“More than one in three Americans may be taking prescription medications that can lead to depression or increase the risk of suicide, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). And since many of these medications are common and not associated with depression — such as hormonal birth control medications, blood pressure and heart medications, proton pump inhibitors, antacids and painkillers — patients and clinicians may be unaware of the risks...'Many may be surprised to learn that their medications, despite having nothing to do with mood or anxiety or any other condition normally associated with depression, can increase their risk of experiencing depressive symptoms, and may lead to a depression diagnosis.' ”

Placenta May Play Key Role in Schizophrenia, Psych Central, May 31 2018.

“A new study suggests that the placenta may factor into the risk for schizophrenia, as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD, autism and Tourette syndrome. The new findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, reveal that schizophrenia genes appear to be 'turned on' during complicated pregnancies, and the more these genes are turned on, the more the placenta shows other signs of stress such as inflammation...'The surprising results of this study make the placenta the centerpiece of a new realm of biological investigation related to how genes and the environment interact to alter the trajectory of human brain development,' said Weinberger. ”

Study: Suicide Rates for Black Kids Under 13 Double That of Whites, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central, May 22 2018.

“Suicide rates among whites have traditionally been higher than for blacks in the United States. However, a new study shows that the racial differences in suicide rates may be age-specific. The findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics, reveal that suicide rates for black children aged 5-12 are approximately double than that for white children of similar ages...'It is important not to lose sight that very young children of all races are at risk of suicide,' said Dr. Joel Greenhouse, a co-author of the study and professor of statistics and data science at Carnegie Mellon University. 'Descriptive studies like this are important for identifying trends in suicide rates. However, they leave open the question as to why there are differences.' ”

Pediatricians urged to warn vulnerable kids away from '13 Reasons Why' Netflix series, by Anne Harding, Reuters, May 18 2018.

“Mental health professionals have raised alarms that the series - which closes with a graphic depiction of the main character killing herself - could push other young people toward suicide...In an article titled, “13 Things Pediatricians Should Know (and do) About 13 Reasons Why,” Dr. Michael B. Pitt and colleagues of the University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis encourage doctors to warn vulnerable young patients - and their parents - away from the show...In reviewing records at their own health system, the authors identified more than 60 documented references to the show by 31 pediatric patients treated in the six months after “13 Reasons” first aired. Three-quarters of the patients were receiving treatment related to a suicide attempt, and more than half of the children’s parents said they feared the show had made their child’s mental health symptoms worse. The authors urge pediatricians to follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’ new guidelines calling for universal depression screening for patients aged 12 and older, and to ask their patients about their media consumption. ”