Why Survivors Need Each Other
While childhood abuse is common, open talk about the struggle to live, love, and parent well after being raised in hell is rare. “If I was dissociating, I wouldn’t feel so anxious,” she said. “Or you might, but...
February 2015
Why Are So Many Toddlers Taking Psychiatric Drugs? [Blogs.WSJ.com]
Psychiatric drugs are now being given to infants and toddlers in unprecedented numbers. An analysis of 2013 IMS Data, found that over 274,000 infants (0-1 year olds) and some 370,000 toddlers (1-3 years age) in the U.S. were on antianxiety...
Why Juvenile Justice Should Start—and Stay—at Home [PSMag.com]
In 2007, Texas’ state-run juvenile justice corrections system was plagued by scandal. Investigative reports uncovered evidence of widespread physical and sexual abuse in the correctional facilities, horrifying parents and policymakers...
Adverse Childhood Experiences course [TheAlpenaNews.com]
A course on Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Path from Adversity to Wellness is being offered Feb. 28 from 8:30 a.m.-noon at Alpena Regional Medical Center. Vincent J. Felitti, MD, co-principal investigator of the Adverse Childhood...
5 Tips for Supporting Young Mothers' Road to College [NCFY.ACH.HHS.gov]
When a teen becomes pregnant, college may be the last thing on her mind. Less than two percent of girls who have a baby before age 18 (PDF, 680KB) finish college by age 30, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy....
For Students In Ohio, A Crib Sheet For Interacting With Police [NPR.org]
This article about an initiative in Akron, Ohio to bridge the community and law enforcement concludes with the observation by Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson of Gary, IN., who chairs the U.S. Conference of Mayors Working Group of Mayors and Police Chiefs,...
Empathy, not Expulsion, for Preschoolers at Risk [New York Times]
CHICAGO — A few years ago, a boy here was on the verge of being expelled because his teacher felt he was a danger to his classmates. He was 4 years old, in preschool. This situation is all too common. Preschoolers are expelled at three times...
Science behind commonly used anti-depressants appears to be backwards, researchers say [ScienceDaily.com]
The science behind many anti-depressant medications appears to be backwards, say the authors of a paper that challenges the prevailing ideas about the nature of depression and some of the world's most commonly prescribed medications. The...
Trauma changes everything: Examining the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and serious, violent and chronic juvenile offenders [ScienceDirect.com]
Abstract: Among juvenile offenders, those who commit the greatest number and the most violent offenses are referred to as serious, violent, and chronic (SVC) offenders. However, current practices typically identify SVC offenders only...
New Research: Link Between Childhood Stress and Hunger [CenterForHungerFreeCommunities.com]
The Center for Hunger-Free Communities recently published an article, The Relationship between Child Adversity and Food Insecurity: It's Like a Bird Nesting in Your Head , in Public Health Nutrition. This article describes the...
Bill of Rights for Behaviorally Challenging Kids [LivesInTheBalance.org]
If we don’t start doing right by kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges, we’re going to keep losing them at an astounding rate. Doing the right thing isn’t an option…it’s an imperative. There are lives in...
Expulsions and suspensions decline as schools shift strategies [EdSource.org]
In my 12-plus years as an urban superintendent in California, parents often spent more time talking to me about school safety than about teaching and learning. Perhaps that’s just common-sense recognition that the latter can’t take place...
Detroit tackles suicide taboos head on [TheGuardian.com]
For Dr Doree Ann Espiritu, asking troubled souls about suicidal intent is always a delicate moment. “There’s always a fear that if you ask about suicide, you are giving them [the patients] an idea about what they can do,” the Detroit-based psychiatrist says. “Almost giving them a hint about what they might do. “If you are not used to this type of work, it is something that you dread as a psychiatrist,” Espiritu says. “Either you have already...
Students question mental health task force recommendations [TheDP.com]
Penn’s mental health task force recommendations have provoked students to question whether the administration is taking the right steps to promote mental wellness at all. The recommendations, released on Tuesday and created in the wake of...
South Dade Families Get Help - and a New Look at Life [TheChildrensTrust.org]
What Julio remembers most about the twenty days he spent canoeing and trekking with 10 other at-risk youth in the Florida Everglades were the swarms of mosquitoes. “They were thick, like clouds,” says Julio, speaking in his...