Publications on Mental Health Topics

A Parent’s Guide To Protecting Kids with Intellectual Disabilities from Sexual Abuse, by Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D., Psych Central, 2016.

“Depending on the study, it is estimated that from 60 to 90 percent of women with an intellectual disability will be sexually exploited or abused in the course of their lives, in contrast to 25 percent of the typical female population. Boys aren’t exempt. From 16 to 30 percent also will be sexually abused before they turn 18. As hard as it is to understand or admit, there are bad people in the world who see a person with intellectual disabilities as a sitting duck. Abusers tend to be equal opportunity opportunists. They want sex and see people with intellectual disabilities as unlikely to report the abuse, or, even if they do report, unlikely to be believed. ”

Depression Management, by Health Promotion Research Center, University of Washington, 2016.

“PEARLS is an in-home, brief counseling program that empowers adults to manage depression and improve their quality of life. It teaches three depression management techniques: problem solving, planning social and physical activities, and scheduling pleasant events. In the original PEARLS randomized controlled trial (1999-2003), participants were three times more likely to significantly reduce depressive symptoms or completely eliminate their depression. Participants also improved their functional and emotional well-being. Study results also showed a strong trend toward reduced hospitalization. ”

Grandparenting a Disabled Child, by Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D., Psych Central, 2016.

“Family dynamics always are complicated. They become even more so following the birth of a child with disabilities. As all members of the family work to accept what has happened and to figure out how to manage, old patterns of dependency and responsibility reassert themselves. It is not at all uncommon for the parents of the child to look to the grandparents to lift the burden and make it better.  ”

GIST: The Essence of Raising Life-Ready Kids, by M. Anderson & T. Johanson, MD, Center for Parenting Education, 2016.

The Words Hurt: Helping Children Cope with Verbal Abuse (Let's Talk), by Chris Loftis, 2016.

Brave Like Me, by Barbara Kerley, 2016.

Self-Injury and Recovery Research and Resources, by Cornell University College of Human Ecology, Cornell University College of Human Ecology, 2016.

“Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) is the deliberate, self-inflicted destruction of body tissue resulting in immediate damage, without suicidal intent and for purposes not culturally sanctioned. ”

Somebody Cares: A Guide for Kids Who Have Experienced Neglect, by Susan Farber Straus, PhD, 2016.

Be Kind, Unwind: How Helping Others Can Help Keep Stress In Check , by Vanessa Rancano, NPR, Dec 17 2015.

“The two-week study published this month in Clinical Psychological Science followed 77 adults ages 18 to 44. The results showed that those who helped others more in a day reported higher levels of positive emotion that day. Behavior also had an impact on how they responded to stress. On days when participants reported fewer instances of helping others than their average they had a more negative emotional reaction to stress; when they held elevators and opened doors more than usual, it sheltered them from the negative effects of stress –they reported no decrease in positive emotion that day and lower than their average negative response to stress. ”

Resilience factors may protect teen children of depressed parents, by Kathryn Doyle, Reuters, Dec 16 2015.

“Many teen children of parents with depression also suffer from mental health problems, but about one in five kids show traits or behaviors that seem to protect them, a recent study suggests. Researchers found that among high-risk adolescents, having warm and supportive parents, good quality social relationships, a sense of self-efficacy or getting regular exercise were all tied to a higher likelihood of having good mental health. The more of these factors were present, the greater the protection. ”

When is keeping a secret bad for your health?, by David Martin and Michael Okwu, Aljazeera America, Dec 16 2015.

“Harboring secrets is more than a daily distraction, Pennebaker said. It can be bad for your health. 'We know when people have a traumatic experience and they don’t talk to other people about it, they are at greater risk for a variety of health problems,' he said, including high blood pressure, immune issues, more frequent colds and higher rates or progression of cancer — all markers of bodies under stress. In studying inmates, students and veterans, Pennebaker has found a simple prescription that can be life-changing: “expressive” writing. ”

Drug Cocktails Fuel Massachusetts' Overdose Crisis, by Martha Bebinger, NPR, Dec 9 2015.

“Among 501 overdose deaths assessed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Massachusetts in the first six months of 2014, and analyzed by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the vast majority were caused by heroin or a prescription opioid taken in combination with some other drug or alcohol. Fentanyl, a synthetic opiate that's many times more powerful than heroin, was present in about 37 percent of the deaths, the researchers found. Klonopin, Xanax and other anti-anxiety benzodiazepines showed up in 13 percent of the Massachusetts overdose deaths. ”

More than one in 10 U.S. kids have ADHD as diagnosis rates surge, by Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, Dec 8 2015.

“More than 10 percent of U.S. children have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), reflecting a surge in recent years particularly among girls and minority groups, a new study finds. Spikes in diagnoses among girls, Hispanics and older kids may be the result of better screening and monitoring among previously under diagnosed groups, experts say. Roughly 5.8 million children aged five to 17 years are now diagnosed with ADHD, which is characterized by social and behavioral problems as well as challenges in school, according to the analysis of cases reported by parents from 2003 to 2011. ”

'Eat Up': How Cultural Messages Can Lead To Eating Disorders, by Carmen Cusido, NPR, Dec 7 2015.

“"Eating disorders have the highest mortality of any mental health condition," she says. "We need more research, especially clinical trials with diverse populations, because [right] now we are generalizing all research findings from Caucasians." According to the National Eating Disorders Association, eating disorders affect up to 30 million people in the U.S. — two-thirds of them women. While there is more recognition that eating disorders affect people of all races and ethnicities, Reyes-Rodríguez says racially and ethnically diverse communities don't have equal access to treatments. ”

What Shopping Addiction Really Looks Like — and How to Quit, by Molly Triffin, TIME, Dec 3 2015.

“Maybe you have a lust for shoes or overdid itbuying for your newborn. Many of us have had the occasional shopaholic episode — and gnarly credit card hangover. But for some people, the impulse to whip out the plastic crosses the line from a moment of weakness to a full-fledged addiction. Shopping addiction may sound a bit far-fetched, but researchers say it’s a legitimate issue. “It’s when someone spends so much time, energy, and money buying — or even thinking about buying — that it seriously impairs their life,” April Benson, PhD, author of To Buy or Not to Buy, says. ”