Making self-care a priority is essential when you work in a healthcare setting. Day in and day out, you help others navigate difficulties in their own lives, but over time, it can take a personal toll. The last several years have brought even more challenges...
Parents, researchers, and front-line mental health providers are all saying the same thing: there is an ongoing mental health crisis among youth in America. Taking action to mitigate these challenges is essential. However, it can be hard to know where to start without the appropriate...
Without good data, it’s hard to get a clear picture of just about anything. But when it comes to mental and behavioral healthcare, it’s non-negotiable. Analyzing information to find trends and patterns gives us a better understanding of mental health conditions, which ultimately leads to...
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, clinical healthcare workers were widely celebrated as the heroes they are – individuals working tirelessly and selflessly on the front lines to provide much-needed care for those who needed it most. While nurses and physicians were recognized for the...
It’s well known by now that many young children and teens have struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic. The situation reached such a critical juncture, that the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a state of emergency due to the intensifying challenges around child and adolescent mental...
Medical professionals and public health officials across the United States are expressing concern about the growing rise of youth behavioral health visits in our nation’s hospitals. While alarming, this trend should come as no surprise given the ongoing youth mental health crisis that the COVID-19...
Mental health clinicians are more familiar than most with the toll trauma can take on physical and behavioral health. Trauma can happen to anyone, regardless of their upbringing, family background, or socioeconomic status. It is pervasive, it can happen at any time, and its effects...
A popular Staples commercial from 1996 reverently termed the few weeks between late August and early September – also known as Back to School season – as “the most wonderful time of the year.” For many, a box of freshly sharpened colored pencils or a...
The Trevor Project is one of this nation’s foremost non-profit organizations focusing on the mental health of the LGBTQ community. Since 1998, The Trevor Project has sought to help LGBTQ individuals through their work in crisis intervention, peer support, advocacy, research, and public education. In addition...
The pandemic especially impacted the lives of our healthcare workers, who were expected to go out when everyone else was expected to stay inside and socially and physically distance themselves from the rest of the world. Most of us attempted to cope with the fear...
For many children and young people, summer is one of the most anticipated times of the year. School is out and schedules are much more free and open. However, this unstructured time isn’t always easy, and may be especially challenging this summer. Many children are coming...
It’s no surprise that pediatric mental health issues have skyrocketed to unrivaled levels as children have been forced to navigate the challenges that have come with the last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. Desperate for ways to address this growing concern, healthcare professionals across...
This year, Mental Health Awareness Month feels especially timely, as scientific publications and news pieces continue to chronicle the ongoing mental health crisis in America. COVID, and its impact across all areas of life has triggered an alarming spike in feelings of loneliness, depression, anxiety,...
Each May, we celebrate National Children’s Mental Health Week to underscore the importance of nurturing positive mental health among our nation’s youth. This year, from May 1st-7th, the awareness week will emphasize the vital importance of building strong emotional health for children’s long-term development and...
On March 28th, the Biden-Harris Administration submitted its presidential budget proposal for the 2023 fiscal year. While this action is just the first step in the lengthy budgetary process, it offers an interesting insight into the White House’s spending and policy priorities moving towards the...
Since the beginning of the pandemic, we’ve been hearing about the devastating impact that COVID-19 has had on our collective mental health. This crisis has become so dire that in his first State of the Union address, President Biden took the time to highlight the...
It is no surprise that children and youth mental health has suffered greatly during the COVID-19 pandemic. With schools forced to switch back and forth between remote learning and in-class education, it has been very difficult for teachers and school personnel to keep up with...
The past couple of years of uncertainty, loss, and change have had a profound impact on our nation’s youth. Even prior to the pandemic, rates of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation among adolescents had been steadily rising for a decade. In 2019, COVID-19’s emergence pushed the...
Part Two in a Series On October 19th, 2021, a variety of leading pediatric organizations including the Children’s Hospital Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in children’s mental health. This emergency was brought on by challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic,...
Part One in a Series More than a year and a half into the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s no surprise that Americans continue to struggle with their mental and behavioral health. Within our families and communities, there have been irreparable changes that continue to affect us, even...
Children across the United States are heading back to school--many for the first time in over a year. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers were seeing more students with emotional trauma, depression, and anxiety. The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and other publications have...
40% of LGBTQ youth have seriously considered suicide in the past year. Over half of transgender and non-binary youth have considered suicide, and 20% have attempted it. The Trevor Project provides evidence-based support for LGBTQ youth through crisis services, peer support, advocacy and education. The organization...
Do you like listening to podcasts? Mental Health New Radio has a new podcast series called “The Self-Care Chronicle with Dr. Marsha Brown – Mental Wellness for the Mental Health Professionals” that’s absolutely worth a listen for anyone working in the field of behavioral healthcare. Self-Care...
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth services have increased significantly. For mental health practitioners, teletherapy has become an essential method for treating patients while keeping all parties safe and healthy. Although the technology was ready and available to easily deliver individual and group...
It's hard to believe we’ve been dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic for a little over a year now, and we’re all still grappling with what we need to do. Many school districts are still using virtual learning or hybrid models, extracurricular activities look nothing like...
Making self-care a priority is essential when you work in behavioral healthcare. Day in and day out, you help others navigate challenges in their own lives – which can take a personal toll on you. In addition to the work you do normally, COVID has...
It's hard to believe it’s been just over a year since the first COVID-19 cases were discovered in the United States. It’s easy to feel like you’re stuck in some sort of time loop, as school districts are still grappling with reopening procedures, and extracurricular...
Though it may be hard to believe, the first US cases of COVID-19 were discovered a little over a year ago. After massive state-mandated shut downs, almost every state and city is now in some form of reopening, however, case counts remain worryingly high, and...
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, suicide was the 10th leading cause of death in the United States. According to data compiled by Mental Health America (MHA), a nonprofit mental health advocacy organization, suicidal ideation has been growing rapidly since the start of the pandemic. Here’s what...
The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the massive stratification of our society. In March 2020, the world seemed to shut down overnight, as stay at home orders were issued and businesses of nearly every type shuttered or moved their operations online. While everyone else was...
COVID-19 swept the United States in the spring of 2020. Seemingly overnight, businesses shuttered, schools closed, and everyone not deemed an “essential worker” began to shelter at home. While the economy is now reopening in an uneven state-by-state, and even city-by-city patchwork, the pandemic is...
Listen in on an incredible conversation with Hersch Wilson, a 30-year veteran volunteer firefighter/EMT, and author of "Firefighter Zen: A Field Guide to Thriving in Tough Times." Hersch offers insightful wisdom to help people thrive during stressful times. He shares his thoughts about how to...
Widespread shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic have put Americans with substance use disorder (SUD) at high risk for relapse. Alcohol misuse and drug overdose are on the rise. People with SUD are often vulnerable and marginalized, and many rely on in-person behavioral healthcare for...
A whirlwind of events over the past few months has added daily stressors to our lives, making it harder to cope, let alone thrive. A healthy approach to nutrition helps us manage external stressors and calibrate our mental health. A well nourished brain allows us...
The COVID-19 pandemic has swept the globe in 2020, hitting the United States especially hard beginning in March. Seemingly overnight, massive shutdowns were implemented, upending family schedules as schools, daycare centers, workplaces, and recreational facilities closed one after another. The pandemic is still going strong...
With the outbreak of Coronavirus, everyday life has become difficult for millions of people across the globe. The disease, also known as COVID-19, is highly infectious and can have varying effects on different people. According to the World Health Organization, the virus primarily spreads through...