A 9-Year-Old Was Pepper-Sprayed by Police. Here’s What Should Have Happened Instead
From USA TODAY: To expect a child to be able to overcome a biological stress response for the sake of compliance demonstrates a lack of understanding, said child advocate Deb Rosen.
Surge of Student Suicides Pushes Las Vegas Schools to Reopen
From The New York Times: Firmly linking teen suicides to school closings is difficult, but rising mental health emergencies point to the toll the pandemic lockdown is taking.
Why Some College Dorm Policies Are Driving Students Into Depression
From Forbes: Out of concern for their bottom line, colleges are betraying their students and trapping them in social isolation.
Teenage Hockey Player Working to Destigmatize ‘Mental Health Issues’
From ESPN: "No one with mental health issues should be called a burden," said Morgan Urso. "And that is the stigma I am trying to end."
Hundreds of Children Stuck in IL Psych Hospitals Despite State’s Promises to Find Them...
From ProPublica Illinois: “There’s not a whole lot that tells a kid you don’t matter [more] than keeping them locked up in a psych ward for no reason other than there’s nowhere to place them for months on end."
Is ADHD Diagnosis Flawed? Younger Classmates More Likely to Be Diagnosed
From Sociology Lens: If ADHD is a genetically determined neurobiological disorder, a child’s birthdate, gender and other factors should have no bearing on their chances of ‘having’ it.
Painful Questions: What Happens When Doctors Uncover ACEs?
From The Imprint: Screening for adverse childhood experiences has been met with growing concern among health researchers and child welfare experts, but the California surgeon general says it’s critical not to wait.
Study: Teens Who View Parents as Loving and Supportive Less Likely to Be Cyberbullies
From the Daily Mail (UK): Teenagers who see their mum and dad as loving caregivers are less likely to be cyberbullies than children with...
CDC: One Quarter of Young Adults Contemplated Suicide During Pandemic
From Politico: The toll is falling heaviest on young adults, caregivers, essential workers and minorities.
Worried About a Coronavirus Summer Slump? Boost Kids’ Brainpower With Nature
From National Geographic: Time spent outdoors has been linked with improved attention spans, better memory, and enhanced executive function.
How to Deal With Your Teenager’s Depression
From The Telegraph: Classic signs of teen depression can be tricky to spot now that pyjamas are acceptable daywear and many of our routines have vanished.
Creating a Guide for Parents During Lock Down – by Children
From Dulwich Centre: A number of narrative practitioners have consulted children in their lives to create a guide for parents during lockdown.
The Pandemic Will Haunt Today’s Children Forever
From The Washington Post: Stress during this vulnerable period can be especially damaging to children who already have accumulated trauma in their lives.
Helping Teens Make Room for Uncomfortable Emotions
From The New York Times: Psychological health is not about being free from emotional discomfort, but about having the right feeling at the right time
Class of 2020 Students May Face Traumatic Loss Due to Coronavirus
From The Conversation: Emerging adulthood is a critical developmental stage. Combined with the transition into an uncertain future, existential despair can result.
The Kids Aren’t All Right
From The Atlantic: The youngest among us will bear the larger burdens of trauma and economic fallout from COVID-19.
6-Year-Old Girl Baker Acted Without Parent Consent
From NBC News: The Florida girl was committed for two days to a mental health facility and given anti-psychotic drugs after allegedly throwing a temper tantrum at school.
Are Psychiatric Medications Safe? The FDA’s Answer May Surprise You
From the Inner Compass Initiative: The real responsibility for determining if a drug is "safe enough" or "worth it", said the Deputy Director for Safety at the FDA’s Division of Psychiatry Products, lies with individual physicians and patients.
National Survey: Students’ Feelings About High School Are Mostly Negative
From Yale News: Ask a high school student how he or she typically feels at school, and the answer you’ll likely hear is “tired,” closely followed by “stressed” and “bored.”
5 Things to Know as Calif. Starts Screening Children for Toxic Stress
From California Healthline: Starting this year, routine pediatric visits for millions of California children could involve questions about touchy family topics, such as divorce, unstable housing or a parent who struggles with alcoholism.
Lawsuit Over Teen’s Diagnosis, Treatment Heads to Trial
From AP: The suit was brought against Boston Children's Hospital by the parents of Justina Pelletier, who in 2013 was placed into state custody after a dispute over her diagnosis and put in a psychiatric unit.
Screenings Alone Won’t Prevent ACEs—We Must Address Community Trauma
From California Health Report: Traumatized communities experience a breakdown in connection and trust, which gives rise to hopelessness and makes ACEs more likely to occur.
After Fatal School Shootings, Antidepressant Use Surges Among Survivors
From the Los Angeles Times: "School shootings represent a tiny fraction of gun deaths in America, but they are uniquely potentially traumatizing, and may have much larger indirect costs."
A Dreaded Part of Teachers’ Jobs: Restraining and Secluding Students
From NPR: "There's a tension within me of knowing that if I am to restrain a student, then I'm essentially putting forth a situation that's going to create trauma for that student."
Toxic Schools Worsening Toxic Stress: The Destructive Reign of Standardized Education, Pathology, Medication and...
From HERE This NOW: Advances in science in the last thirty years help us realize the fallacy of "mind over matter," yet we still hold an entrenched belief that children and adults possess 100% conscious control over their behavior.
