Returning to the Classroom: How to Prepare Teens for a Successful Transition
Our teens are struggling. Evidence shows rates of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, substance use, and self-harming behavior have increased, with teens and young adults reporting escalating levels of adverse mental health symptoms. In light of this evidence, we’ve prepared some tips on preparing your adolescent for the transition back to school after the summer, including […]
Helping Your Adolescent with ADHD
It’s normal for teens to be impulsive, forgetful, and distracted at times. Their energy levels can fluctuate as well, depending on how much sleep they’re getting and what’s going on at any given moment in their lives. Some teens, unfortunately, struggle on a daily basis with being able to focus, remember everything they need to […]
Suicide Ideation in Adolescence
One of the most heartbreaking losses for any parent is the death of a child. When the cause of death is suicide, the gut-wrenching pain is often more pronounced and excruciating than ever. To add insult to injury, the parents’ pain is inevitably accompanied by a barrage of guilt, unrelenting “what ifs”, and harsh self-judgments. […]
Gender Dysphoria in Teens
Most of us never gave much thought to our gender identity growing up. As we navigated our way through childhood and adolescence, we felt comfortable – for the most part – aligning with the expected behaviors associated with our gender. It was a non-issue. Sadly, however, that’s not the case for some individuals. They never […]
Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Teens
Angry outbursts, acting annoyed by the seemingly smallest things, defying the rules you’ve set, being spiteful, swearing, irritability, and making hurtful remarks when they’re upset. Almost every parent of a teen has observed these frustrating behaviors at least on occasion, and perhaps even numerous times, particularly during periods of high stress. Some degree of non-compliance […]
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) in Teens & Children
What is DMDD? A relatively new psychiatric disorder known as disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, or DMDD for short, may be the proper diagnosis if you’re dealing with a teen with a combination of mood symptoms and highly disruptive and intense behaviors. Frequent anger outbursts combined with persistent, severe, and chronic irritability are the primary symptoms […]
A Parent’s Guide to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for Adolescents
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is gaining more and more exposure as parents and therapists are recognizing its remarkable value in helping teens with emotional dysregulation, self-harming behavior, suicidal ideation, and other mental health and/or behavioral issues. If your child’s counselor or clinician recommended DBT treatment, know that providing this therapy to your teen can be […]
Transgender Teens
Adolescence is a time of radical transformation. Teens develop physically, emotionally, intellectually, and socially. They form their own identities, distinct from their parents. They engage in an evolving, instinctive process of trial and error to learn about themselves and find their place in the world. Through a series of successes, failures, and everything in between, […]
Mood Disorders in Children and Adolescents
What are Mood Disorders? Broadly speaking, a mood disorder is a mental health condition characterized by a significant, prolonged emotional disturbance that affects an individual’s ability to function in their daily life. The emotional disturbance can be low, sad, and depressive, or high-energy, unpredictable, and manic. The type of disturbance depends on the disorder, and […]
Co-Occurring Disorders
What are Co-Occurring Disorders? When a person – child, adolescent, or adult – is diagnosed with a mental health disorder and an alcohol/substance use disorder (AUD/SUD) at the same time, they receive a dual diagnosis. A person with a dual diagnosis has what mental health professionals call co-occurring disorders. Mental health disorders that commonly co-occur […]