Stress and trauma bombard the human psyche throughout childhood and adulthood. In the 19th century, Sigmund Freud, the father of psychoanalysis, pioneered examining how people develop cognitions to manage stressors. Freud identified that individuals develop various defense mechanisms to protect themselves from further harm using subconscious...
There is increasing concern about levels of anger and violence in our individualistic American society. Increased violence, overt acts, such as mass shootings and violent crime among youth, and less extreme forms, such as bullying, raise public concern. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, youth...
On May 23, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory warning about social media's impact on young people's mental health. "Teens who use social media for more than three hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxiety symptoms, which is...
Mental health diagnoses such as ADHD, depression, conduct disorders, and anxiety are among the most prevalent in our youth. A study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified that 9.4% of children ages 3 to 17 were diagnosed with anxiety between 2016...
Mental health professionals are frequently challenged to make clinical differential diagnoses between personality and mood disorders. As the clinical presentation of these disorders share significant features and frequently co-occurs, it can be arduous to disentangle the cause of the individual's psychopathological symptoms. While mood and...
One benefit that rose from the COVID-19 pandemic is greater innovation, creativity, and a push for virtually-based options in healthcare and behavioral health. Telepsychiatry and telehealth counseling were almost nonexistent before 2020; however, there has been an explosion of services offered via virtual platforms since...
In April of this year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) published a large compilation of research and resources addressing barriers in access to essential mental health care for children. The CDC cites that nearly one in five children experiences symptoms of an emotional or...
Educators and school mental health professionals often are in a frontline position to notice warning signs and symptoms of the onset of a psychiatric illness in youth. These warning signs often will include somatic symptomatology. A 2000 study in Interpersonal and Biological Processes found that somatic complaints...
There is considerable psychology behind introversion personality traits and how they influence mental health in the classroom and socially. Psychologists and educators must consider introverted characteristics when treating and educating students in this group. Personality traits of being introverted versus extroverted are among the oldest...
Parents and parenting styles play an essential role in developing a child's mental health. Limited empirical research exists on the impact of narcissistic mothers on the mental well-being of their children. Narcissism, however, is evidence of a deep emotional wound or trauma that has not...
Emotional expression is a monumental developmental task in childhood and adolescence, and considerable research has shown gender differences. These differences influence the expression of mental health symptoms. To successfully ameliorate symptoms afflicting youth, diagnostic practices, and treatment interventions need to address the influence gender has...