Teenagers

Healthy Body, Healthy Mind

“When you feel good, you have a much better chance to make good decisions.” – Ming Sun

The divide between mind and body has been debated for centuries. As we learn more about how our physical health influences our mental well-being, this divide becomes harder to find.

9 Ways to Know If Your Child’s Mental Health Clinician Is Right for Them

As parents, we all want the very best for our kids – the best teachers, coaches, and health professionals, among others.

About one in five of our children, teenagers, and young adults will experience a mental health issue and ideally receive mental health care.

Borderline Personality Disorder: A Case of Suffering, Drama and Hope

There’s an understandable tendency to portray Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) in films. Silver Linings Playbook, Fatal Attraction, and Girl Interrupted are just a few. 

It makes sense.

Anxiety to Agency: Empowering Kids to Address Climate Change

Somewhere around last few years, I started fielding questions about climate change in my work as a child psychiatrist. 

“Have you seen the Mad Max movies?” kids would ask. “I mean, that’s where we’re heading.

Q+A: What’s Wrong With Our Daughter’s Mood?

Question: What’s wrong with our daughter Maura? She just told us, “Sometimes I just feel like hurting myself.”

Maura, a 13-year-old girl, came into my office because she told her parents, “Sometimes I just feel like hurting myself…I want to jump out the window or suffocate myself with my pillow.

What Is a Personality Disorder?

I’ve always had a problem with the label “personality disorder,” and so have many of my patients. I think it’s because we typically associate “personality” with a “person,” so the term seems to suggest that there’s something wrong with the human being.

Are ER Visits the Answer to Mental Health Issues at School?

Anyone who works in a school can tell you that mental health concerns are an integral part of their job. After all, students need to be at their emotional best in order to perform at their scholastic best. There may be exceptions, but the general rule of thumb is that healthy kids are the best students.

What Is Family Therapy?

Family therapy emphasizes the idea that a child lives and grows in relationship to others, particularly in relationship to members of his or her own family. There are many different family therapy approaches.

Why Chores Are Important for Kids

Chores.

We all remember them.

Some were associated with allowance, others simply mandatory. For many kids, and I bet for most of us, they were often an intrusion on other more important things to do.

Q+A: How Do I Find a Therapist for My Child?

My child has anxiety and I’m looking for a therapist. How do go about finding a good one?

This is an extremely important question, and while there are no absolute rules, here are some guidelines that can help inform your process:

Word of mouth is often the best source of information.