In the midst of tragedy — or an event that causes great suffering and distress — parents have the difficult job of talking to their children about it. While the topic should often be avoided with kids under 7 years of age who are too young to understand tragedy, it…
Signs and symptoms of learning disabilities can change with age; it’s important we understand these differences in presentation among children and teens. Common learning disabilities among children include dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and processing issues. Those who struggle in these areas can struggle with reading, writing, working with numbers, and processing…
Teens suffering with depression struggle to recall certain memories, which affects their performance in school. Read: Back to Basics, Depression 101 A study from the University of Reading found that highly depressed teenagers display poorer working memory than their healthy counterparts. Additionally, depressed teens ruminate more than their classmates. Researchers…
Too much screen time can lead to sleep problems in teens. But reducing screen time and blue light exposure can resolve these problems within a week. Researchers from the Netherlands Institute of Neuroscience investigated the effects of screen time on adolescents and saw that teens who were exposed to screen…
Despite popular belief, screen use does not have a negative effect on teens’ wellbeing. This, from researchers at the Oxford Internet Institute.Read: Back to Basics, Child Therapy Researchers analyzed data from over 17,000 teens, including total screen time per day, depression symptoms, self-esteem, and mood. Researchers relied on self-reported measures…
New research suggests that binge drinking in our teenage years can increase our risk of developing anxiety in adulthood. Furthermore, even stopping this bad habit while still in adolescence can produce the same effect. The researchers wanted to further explore claims that alcohol exposure in adolescence negatively affects the brain…
Kids and teens are more susceptible to mental health problems because their brains are still developing. It’s important that they’re shown continuous love and support as they change physically, mentally, and emotionally. When parents divorce, this balance of love and support can get thrown off and negatively impact the kids….
The teen years are characterized by developmental changes—both physical and mental—that can make this time difficult for teens and parents. Fortunately, parents can make this time a little easier on everybody by parenting their teens with love and logic, according to mental health professionals. Parents should maintain open and honest…
The teen years are difficult enough, but when you factor in the high susceptibility to and prevalence of mental illness, these years become even tougher. Fortunately, parents can help their teens cope with mental health conditions. It all starts with educating oneself and knowing the warning signs pertaining to negative…
It’s often scary to be diagnosed with depression or experience depressive thoughts, but it can be especially frightening for teens. Fortunately, there are helpful resources readily available to teens on their smartphones. Resources include depression discussion guides, crisis text lines, and an app that comes with a depression test and…
Raising a teen isn’t easy—I know this not because I have one, but because I remember all too well what it was like to be one. I was a relatively well-behaved teen and didn’t cause many issues for my parents… but those years were markedly more difficult than the years…
Everybody can benefit from some time spent alone—most even desire some peace and quiet to themselves. Too much alone time, however, can result in feelings of loneliness and negatively impact our mental health, as a healthy and happy life demands we maintain loving interpersonal relationships: with friends, old and new;…