Publications on Mental Health Topics

Majority of Doctors Do Not Follow Treatment Guidelines for ADHD, by Alexandra Sifferlin, Time , May 6 2013.

“More than 90% of pediatric specialists who diagnose and manage attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschoolers do not follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) clinical-treatment guidelines. That's the conclusion of researchers from the Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York, which sent the Preschool ADHD Treatment Questionnaire to a random sample of 3,000 physicians who specialize in diagnosing and treating neurobehavioral conditions nationwide. The doctors reported on how often they recommended strategies such as training parents in behavioral management of ADHD, how often they relied on medication as a first- or second-line treatment, as well as which drugs they prescribed most often. ”

How Autism Is Different in Girls vs. Boys, by Shirley Wang, Wall St. Journal , May 6 2013.

“A growing consensus is arguing that sex differences exist in genetic susceptibility, brain development and social learning in autism-and they are meaningful to our understanding of the disorder and how it will be treated. ”

Study Finds Learning Disabilities Often Bundled, Fairly Common, by Rick Nauert, Ph.D, Apr 29 2013.

“Researchers found children are frequently affected by more than one learning disability and that specific learning disabilities co-occur more often than expected. ”

Teens with Learning Disabilities Benefit from Closer Relationships, by Rick Nauert, Ph.D, Psych Central , Apr 29 2013.

“Many kids with learning disabilities also face social and emotional challenges, which in adolescence can lead to depression, anxiety and isolation. ”

Societal Expectations Help Shape Grief, by Rick Nauert, Psych Central , Apr 22 2013.

“New research suggests the way society relates to people who have suffered a loss is important to the way the grieving process is managed. University of Haifa scientists propose that people who have never suffered the loss of a loved one tend to believe that the bereavement process has a far more destructive and devastating effect on a person compared to those who have actually suffered such a loss in the past. ”

How Therapy Can Help in the Golden Years, by Abby Ellin, New York Times , Apr 22 2013.

“Marvin Tolkin was 83 when he decided that the unexamined life wasn't worth living. Until then, it had never occurred to him that there might be emotional "issues" he wanted to explore with a counselor. Though he wasn't clinically depressed, Mr. Tolkin did suffer from migraines and "struggled through a lot of things in my life"--the demise of a long-term business partnership, the sudden death of his first wife 18 years ago. He worried about his children and grandchildren, and his relationship with his current wife, Carole. ”

New Research Says Up to 10 Percent of Children Affected by Learning Disabilities, by Janice Wood, Psych Central , Apr 19 2013.

“Up to 10 percent of the population is affected by specific learning disabilities, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia and autism, which translates to two or three students in every classroom, according to new research. Researchers at University College London and Goldsmiths University of London also found that children are frequently affected by more than one learning disability. ”

Talking to Children About the Bombings, by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Apr 16 2013.

“The recent bombings evoke many emotions—shock, fear, anger, helplessness, anxiety, grief, and sadness. Children struggling with their thoughts and feelings about the stories and images of the bombings will turn to adults for comfort and answers. Children need to hear that their parents/caregivers will keep them safe. ”

How Terror Hijacks the Brain, by Maia Szalavitz, Time Magazine , Apr 16 2013.

“"When people are terrorized, the smartest parts of our brain tend to shut down" says Dr. Bruce Perry, Senior Fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy. (Disclosure: he and I have written books together). When the brain is under severe threat, it immediately changes the way it processes information, and starts to prioritize rapid responses. ”

Gay Parents As Good As Straight Ones, by Rich Barlow, BU Today , Apr 11 2013.

“When the Supreme Court took up the issue of gay marriage last month, Justice Antonin Scalia claimed that experts debate whether same-sex parents are bad for children. “There’s considerable disagreement among sociologists as to what the consequences are of raising a child in a…single-sex family, whether that is harmful to the child or not,” Scalia declared.   ”

A.D.H.D. Seen in 11% of U.S. Children as Diagnoses Rise, by Alan Schwarz, New York Times , Mar 31 2013.

“Nearly one in five high school age boys in the United States and 11 percent of school-age children over all have received a medical diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, according to new data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These rates reflect a marked rise over the last decade and could fuel growing concern among many doctors that the A.D.H.D. diagnosis and its medication are overused in American children. ”

Autism Risk Unrelated to Total Vaccine Exposure in Early Childhood, by National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute of Mental Health , Mar 29 2013.

“A child’s risk for developing an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not increased by receiving “too many vaccines too soon,” according to a new study published in The Journal of Pediatrics. ”

Early On, Schizophrenia Marked By Worse Cognitive Problems Than Bipolar, by Traci Pedersen, Psych Central , Mar 23 2013.

“Although patients with bipolar disorder, bipolar psychosis, and schizophrenia share several early risk factors, patients with schizophrenia often have more severe cognitive problems during childhood than those with bipolar disorder, according to a new study. Bipolar disorder and schizophrenia share several elements including age of onset, family history patterns, as well as similar symptoms leading up to the disorder. Patients who develop bipolar psychosis have even more in common with those who develop schizophrenia. ”

Media Coverage of Gun Violence May Further Stigmatize Mental Illness, by Rick Nauert, PhD, Psych Central , Mar 22 2013.

“Investigators are concerned that negative media coverage may increase public bias against mental illness and discourage people with mental illness from seeking care. For the report, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health researchers compared public perception among people who did not read media accounts, to people who did read media reports of a mass shooting. The discovered reading a news article describing a mass shooting raised readers' support for both gun restrictions for persons with serious mental illness, and for a ban on large-capacity ammunition magazines. ”

How do you talk to your son about rape?, by Rosalind Wiseman, CNN, Mar 22 2013.

“With pressure on parents to talk to their children about issues as sensitive as rape, this article presents ideas about starting the conversation, especially with your son. ”