The Bright Side About Teens

It seems that growing up these days is an increasingly dangerous endeavor according to media reports. A few examples of these concerns include; devastating effects of bullying in schools, drug use among teens, increasing prevalence of cyberbullying and sexting, and rising rates of depression among a lonely generation. Pay attention to the various media headlines…

Encouraging Kids to Be Optimistic

“Everything that I do ends up being bad!” choked out the girl in between sobs. “There, there”, said her mother, “not everything was bad today.” “It was too! Bad things always happen to me”, sobbed the girl. Many parents have had a similar exchange with their children. Most of the time, children are resilient and…

Just Scratching the Surface with Cutting

The mother is concerned when she notices scratches all up and down her teenage daughter’s arm. When asked about them, the daughter said she was wrestling with the cat and was scratched several times. Still, the mother thought the marks were more organized than random scratches. She started becoming concerned there might be more going…

Depression and Anxiety in Kids Predicts Poor Achievement

This episode focuses on how children with emotional problems due academically as they get older. We are featuring a journal article this week titled The relationship between emotional problems and subsequent school attainment. The authors used 26 previous longitudinal studies on children and adolescents to explore the extent that internalizing disorders such as depression and…