You are awesome. You probably don’t hear it often, especially if you’re raising teenagers, but it’s true. And there’s no better time to celebrate you than National Parents’ Day. On July 26, 2020, and every year on the fourth Sunday of July, the nation honors the vital role parents serve in their families and communities. National Parents’ Day was created in 1994 by President Bill Clinton to recognize, uplift and
Most teen treatment centers offer art therapy as a supplemental treatment to traditional talk therapies like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This evidence-based treatment often benefits people with trauma – especially childhood trauma. Art is also a productive medium for opening up treatment-resistant teens. It can help them become more comfortable with the concept of therapy. Jennifer Schulman, LMFT, ATR, registered art therapist and staff member
Teens often lie. That’s a fact. Research shows roughly 96 percent of teens lie to their parents at least once in any given year. Teens typically lie to protect themselves or their friends, avoid embarrassment, avoid hurting someone’s feelings, or cover up emotions. But there’s a difference between typical teen lying and compulsive lying. While it’s common to tell a white lie or fudge the truth to avoid getting into trouble
Witnessing your teen going through a psychotic episode can be confusing and scary. You may wonder what the cause of psychosis is, and why your teen developed it. While every teen is different, and everyone’s clinical history and symptoms vary, there are a few common causes of psychosis. We list them here. Teen Mental Illness The most common cause of psychosis is actually a mental health issue. Schizophrenia is the
You’re pretty sure your grandchild has a mental health, behavioral, or a substance use issue. Whether it’s depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), suicidal thoughts, oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), bipolar disorder (BD), or another mental health issue, you’re certain they need treatment, whether it’s at a residential home, a long-term mental health facility, or an intensive outpatient program. The problem is, their parent –
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a leading cause of global disability, with well-defined symptoms characterized largely by persistent mood instability. The classic presentation of the disease includes episodes of extreme elation and severe depression, with periods of relatively stable mood in between. Manic swings may include not only significant elevation in mood, but also related changes in behavior. For many patients, the depressive episodes are more prolonged, and of patients with
Think back to when you were a teen. Did you ever feel deeply uncomfortable in a social setting but were unable to leave without negative social repercussions? It could have been at a party, at a friend’s house, or outside school after the bell rang. Perhaps someone pulled out a bottle of alcohol and suggested a drinking game. Or maybe you were with a potential romantic interest and they got
In 2005, Bebe Moore Campbell, national spokesperson for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-LA), began a collaboration with NAMI peer Linda Wharton-Boyd that led to the launch of the first Minority Mental Health Awareness Month (MMHAM). Here’s how Campbell described the goal and message of the first MMHAM: “We need a national campaign to destigmatize mental illness, especially one targeted toward African Americans. It’s not shameful to have a
Teens in the San Ramon Unified School District took a survey last year to gauge their rates of substance use and mental health issues. This survey, called the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS), asked public school students statewide about a number of different issues in their lives: family connectedness, safety and crime at school, bullying, academics, mental health, substance use, and more. Officials administered this anonymous, confidential survey to students
Suicides are on the rise in LA county. Last year, the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) released the 2019 Suicide Prevention Report to the Community. The following statistics come from that report, as well as the California School Climate, Health and Learning surveys (CalSCHLS): An average of two L.A. County residents dies by suicide every day. This rate is
