Publications on Mental Health Topics

How to Correct Your Anxious Child, by Tamar E. Chansky, Ph.D., Apr 29 2015.

“So the next time your anxious child makes a mistake, take a deep breath, encourage your child to do the same, and by talking it through, give your child the gift of seeing that there is life on the other side of this moment. ”

Helping college students suffering from depression, anxiety and stress, by Springer Science+Business Media, Reuters , Apr 22 2015.

“Is it possible to prevent mental health problems in higher education students? The answer is "yes" according to a team of psychologists who conducted a careful, systematic review of 103 universal interventions involving over 10,000 students enrolled in 2- and 4-year colleges and universities and graduate programs. They conclude that effective programs to prevent emotional distress and promote psychosocial assets warrant more widespread use. ”

8 Tips for Coping with the Death of a Parent, by Nancy Stordahl, Huffington Post, Apr 19 2015.

“Nancy Stordahl discusses how to cope with the natural order of things, or when a parent dies. ”

Kids with ADHD must squirm to learn, study says, by University of Central Florida, ScienceDaily, Apr 17 2015.

“For decades, frustrated parents and teachers have barked at fidgety children with ADHD to "Sit still and concentrate!" But new research conducted at UCF shows that if you want ADHD kids to learn, you have to let them squirm. The foot-tapping, leg-swinging and chair-scooting movements of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are actually vital to how they remember information and work out complex cognitive tasks, according to a study published in an early online release of the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. ”

Divorcees 'have more heart attacks', by James Gallagher, BBC , Apr 15 2015.

“Divorcees are more likely to have a heart attack than their peers who stay married, US research suggests. An analysis of 15,827 people showed women were worst affected, and barely reduced the risk if they remarried. The study, published in the journal Circulation, argued that chronic stress, linked to divorce, had a long-term impact on the body. ”

Bullying by students with disabilities reduced by social-emotional learning, by University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, ScienceDaily , Mar 31 2015.

“Peer victimization -- bullying -- declined 20 percent among students with disabilities who participated in Second Step social-emotional learning curricula, authors of a new study report. More than 120 students with disabilities at two school districts in the Midwest United States participated in the research, which was part of a larger three-year clinical trial of the widely used social-emotional learning curricula Second Step. ”

History of depression puts women at risk for diabetes during pregnancy, study finds, by Loyola University Health System, ScienceDaily , Mar 31 2015.

“A history of depression may put women at risk for developing diabetes during pregnancy, according to research published in the latest issue of the Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing by researchers from Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON). This study also pointed to how common depression is during pregnancy and the need for screening and education. "Women with a history of depression should be aware of their risk for gestational diabetes during pregnancy and raise the issue with their doctor," said Mary Byrn, PhD, RN, study co-author and assistant professor, MNSON. "Health-care providers also should know and understand the prevalence and symptoms of prenatal depression and gestational diabetes and screen and manage these women appropriately." ”

Experts caution against random drug testing in schools, by Kathryn Doyle, Reuters , Mar 30 2015.

“Schools should not be using random drug tests to catch or deter drug abusers, the American Academy of Pediatrics advises in an updated policy statement. The Academy recommends against school-based “suspicionless” drug testing in the new issue of the journal Pediatrics. Identifying kids who use drugs and entering them into treatment programs should be a top priority, but there is little evidence that random drug testing helps accomplish this, said Dr. Sharon Levy, director of the adolescent substance abuse program at Boston Children’s Hospital and lead author of the new policy statement. ”

Suicide Prevention Campaign Approaches Men On Their Own Terms, by Lynn Jolicoeur, WBUR , Mar 26 2015.

“National data shows that the suicide rate for African-Americans has stayed fairly steady and significantly lower than for white Americans, though a recent study shows a suicide increase among black children. There are several diseases referred to as silent epidemics among African-Americans. Parents who have a child who died by suicide in the community, discuss how society has largely avoided a discussion of mental illness and suicide for specific reasons. ”

Childhood trauma linked to early psychosis later in life, by Medical Xpress, Medical Xpress , Mar 18 2015.

“Research showing that patients with early psychosis report high rates of childhood trauma has important implications for clinicians, a University of Queensland psychologist has found. UQ Centre for Clinical Research and Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research psychologist Mr Michael Duhig said more than three-quarters of early psychosis patients reported exposure to childhood trauma, including one or a combination of emotional, physical or sexual abuse or physical neglect. ”

Study: New Mothers May Suffer From Postpartum OCD, by Brian Krans, Healthline News , Mar 6 2015.

“A new mother has plenty to worry about, but some mothers’ fretting may go beyond natural protective instincts and into the realm of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A recent study from Northwestern University found that new mothers are five times more likely than their peers to experience OCD as long as six months after their child is born. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that about three percent of the general population has OCD, an anxiety disorder marked by uncontrollable thoughts and fears and repetitive behaviors. The Northwestern researchers found that 11 percent of new mothers experience significant OCD symptoms, including fear of injuring the baby and worry about proper hygiene and germs. Some of these are normal feelings a woman experiences with a newborn, but researchers said that if the compulsions interfere with a mother’s duties it could indicate a serious mental health issue. ”

Depression is Not a Normal Part of Growing Older, by Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, Mar 5 2015.

“Depression is a true and treatable medical condition, not a normal part of aging. However older adults are at an increased risk for experiencing depression. If you are concerned about a loved one, offer to go with him or her to see a health care provider to be diagnosed and treated. Depression is not just having "the blues" or the emotions we feel when grieving the loss of a loved one. It is a true medical condition that is treatable, like diabetes or hypertension. ”

Juvenile Justice: An Introduction, by Whitehead, J.; Lab, S., Mar 4 2015.

Boys Become Criminals by Talking About It First, by Anthony Biglan, New York Magazine , Feb 25 2015.

“Tom Dishion and his colleagues were trying to learn more about why some kids become delinquent. He and many other behavioral scientists knew that most adolescents who get in trouble do so with other adolescents. Delinquency is a group enterprise. But Dishion took the research a step further. He wanted to see if he could actually observe the social influence processes that motivate kids to defy adult expectations and engage in criminal acts. ”

Skin may help spot Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, by Michelle Roberts, BBC , Feb 25 2015.

“Scientists have proposed a new idea for detecting brain conditions including Alzheimer's - a skin test. Their work, which is at an early stage, found the same abnormal proteins that accumulate in the brain in such disorders can also be found in skin. Early diagnosis is key to preventing the loss of brain tissue in dementia, which can go undetected for years. But experts said even more advanced tests, including ones of spinal fluid, were still not ready for clinic. ”