Insomnia, characterized by difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or experiencing non-restorative sleep, is a widespread sleep disorder affecting millions of individuals globally. Concurrently, anxiety disorders, a group of mental health conditions characterized by excessive worry and fear, also impact a significant portion of the population....
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a condition that can significantly affect children and adolescents with debilitating effects both in their social relationships and within the school environment. According to the National Institute on Health, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the more common mental illnesses with an...
Imaginary friends can be fascinating for parents, educators, and psychologists, often sparking curiosity and sometimes concern. Popular culture highlights the benefits of imaginary friends to a child's development. The recent movie "If" follows a young girl who creates an imaginary friend, Tommy, to cope with...
There is considerable evidence that there is a mental health crisis currently for our children and adolescents, with the prevalence of mental health disorders impacting children in the United States reaching numbers in the millions. The CDC reports that between the years 2016 to 2019,...
Treating children in therapy encompasses a range of specialized approaches, each tailored to engage young minds and address their specific emotional and behavioral needs. Effective therapy techniques for youth include behavioral methods, narrative strategies, psychoeducational tools, and more experiential forms like play therapy, cognitive behavioral...
The foundation of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) rests in the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Cognitive restructuring (CR) is a technique in CBT in which the therapist helps the client identify negative thoughts that adversely impact their emotional well-being. As these thoughts are generally...
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders in children, characterized by inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016 to 2019), an estimated number of children aged 3–17 years diagnosed with ADHD is 6...
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) poses significant challenges to academic success and is highly prevalent in the United States' school-aged population. A 2023 study estimated the prevalence of an ADHD diagnosis was about 10% among children and adolescents aged 4 to 17 years from 2017...
Sleep is a crucial factor affecting emotional well-being and has been studied extensively. Although the adverse effects of insufficient sleep on mental health are well-known, the relationship between excessive sleep and mental illness is often ignored. By examining sleep patterns and any changes in them,...
Insomnia is a prevalent clinical problem that has significant implications for public health. It is often a symptom or precursor to psychiatric disorders. This sleep disorder is also comorbid with other psychiatric conditions, leading to an increased medical burden and a higher risk of psychiatric...
Educators and school-based mental health professionals are frequently the front line in identifying the initial onset of symptoms of a mental health disorder in youth. According to the International OCD Foundation, Obsessive-compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects 1 out of every 200 children, or about 500,000 youth...
Parenting is a complex and demanding role that requires emotional resilience and adaptability. However, in today's fast-paced and competitive world, many parents struggle with high stress levels, which can significantly affect how parents interact with their children. A relationship exists between highly stressed parents and...
Parenting styles are pivotal in shaping a child's personality and ]how they learn to navigate their emotions into adulthood. The use of harsh and authoritarian verbal discipline has been shown to have adverse effects on a child's emotional and psychological well-being. The long-term effects of...
Phobias in children, characterized by intense and irrational fears of specific objects or situations, impact the success of youth in schools and community settings. The development of phobias is a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors, making it essential for mental health professionals and...
Diagnosing psychiatric illness in children and adolescents is a complex and multifaceted challenge that often leaves clinicians grappling with overlapping symptoms, developmental nuances, and varying perspectives from parents, teachers, and patients. Understanding behavioral healthcare professionals' hurdles in providing accurate diagnoses and effective treatment plans is...
Disruptive disorders in youth, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and conduct disorder (CD), pose significant challenges for accurate diagnosis. Elements such as overlapping symptoms, developmental variation, comorbidity, cultural and socioeconomic influences, gender bias, and a lack of specialized training and awareness among...
In child and adolescent treatment, accurate diagnosing helps to define treatment recommendations and, ultimately, outcomes. Conduct Disorder (CD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) are two mental health conditions with an onset in childhood and adolescence. Both disorders can manifest with defiant behavior toward authority figures,...
Disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs) encompass a group of psychiatric conditions characterized by significant disturbances in behavior, often leading to impairment in various aspects of a youth's functioning. While all children may exhibit occasional disruptive behaviors, DBDs involve severe, prolonged disturbances that necessitate clinical attention. Oppositional...
Conduct Disorder is a distinctive challenge that warrants attention in the treatment of childhood mental health disorders. Typically diagnosed in childhood or adolescence, Conduct Disorder is characterized by a persistent pattern of behaviors that infringe upon the rights of others and disregard societal norms and...
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is a disruptive behavior disorder often observed in childhood and adolescence. Children with ODD exhibit symptoms of consistent defiance, hostility, and disobedience toward authority figures, leading to significant impairment in their social, academic, and familial functioning. The National Institute on Health...
Childhood and adolescence are pivotal times in the development of emotional management skills. Habits learned during this time will establish a foundation for emotional control throughout life. It can be difficult for parents, families, and educators to understand youth feelings and emotional expressions, as executive...
Narcissism is central to our self-esteem and emotions. Healthy narcissism is a balanced and functional expression of self-love and self-esteem considered normal and adaptive in everyday life. It involves having a positive and realistic self-image without crossing into the extremes of grandiosity and entitlement in...
Psychologists must be diligent in their approach when treating individuals diagnosed with narcissism. Differential diagnosis is a crucial tool that can help ensure accurate diagnosis and effective treatment. Narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) is defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR) as...
Narcissism or Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is a personality disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). NPD is characterized by a lack of empathy for others, a strong need for admiration, and a pervasive pattern of grandiosity. In 1991,...
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...
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,...
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...
Defense mechanisms are unconscious psychological responses, defined initially by Sigmund Freud in his psychoanalytic theory. People utilize defense mechanisms to protect themselves from psychological distress, such as trauma, threats to self-esteem, and anxiety. Defense mechanisms manifest in various ways; however, denial and avoidance are commonly...
Learning is essential to acquire new skills, knowledge, and understanding to promote personal and professional growth opportunities. Learning also helps us adapt to problems and challenges that occur in our lives. By gaining knowledge from experiences, we improve our ability to think critically and solve...
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...