(561) 223-6568
Our team presented at the 2018 ADAA Conference on Treatment Resistant Panic Disorder: A Multidisciplinary Multimodality Approach. You can access the audio recording of our session here with the below login credentials.
Username: arosen1980@aol.com
Password: 1667947
We hope you find the recording of our presentation helpful and informative!
It’s only been in the last twenty years or so that young people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ) have become more open about their sexuality. For many of these youths, their fear of not being accepted by their families and peers kept them from telling anyone about their orientation until they were adults. Recently, however, these teens have found more access to support through an increase in social acceptance, internet communities, school diversity programs, and youth groups for LGBTQ adolescents. These resources have allowed them to feel more comfortable with their sexual orientation and helped them come out to others at a younger age than in the past. Even though LGBTQ teens are finding more support, however, they still face unique mental health risks.
Despite the fact that identifying as LGBTQ has become more socially acceptable, a gay teen has a disproportionately higher amount of mental health concerns than their heterosexual counterpart. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that LGBTQ teens have an increased risk of personal violence:
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that sexual minorities, such as LGBTQ teens, face not only chronic stress from their stigmatized identities, but also victimization, prejudice, and discrimination. How much these external stressors affect these youths depends on their own negative internalization of their sexual orientation, their expectation or personal experience with discrimination or rejection, and their ability to cope with these stressors.
Studies have also shown that teens and adolescents who identify as LGBTQ are at greater risk for mental health problems across all developmental stages. Among other things, they have:
Positive parenting behaviors can have a huge impact on an LGBTQ teen’s mental and physical health, both now and in the future. When parents show their child they are valued, their teens have healthier mental and emotional outcomes. Not unsurprisingly, the CDC reports that parental rejection has been linked to drug and alcohol use, risky sexual behavior, and depression in LGBTQ youths.
As a parent, you can support your LGBTQ teen in many ways:
For more information about how you can support your LGBTQ youth, contact the Children’s Center for Psychiatry Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.
Stress surrounds us on a daily basis. From traffic delays to work projects, worries about finances or health, and news reports of world events, the demands of our everyday lives produce both positive and negative stress. Stressors (which are the things that cause your stress) can be physical, emotional, theoretical, or environmental. Even positive events like weddings and job promotions cause stress.
Whether negative or positive, one thing is certain – stress raises the body’s anxiety levels. When we’re under stress, the “fight or flight” response kicks in. It raises your heart rate and your blood pressure. It sometimes causes you to lose sleep or feel like you can’t breathe. While this response generally subsides after the stressor is removed, a prolonged or permanent stress response can develop in someone who is under frequent or constant stress. This is called toxic stress and it can affect children just the same as adults.
The incidence of diabetes, obesity, heart problems, cancer and other diseases increases when a child lives with toxic stress. Additionally, a child’s chances of smoking, depression, substance abuse and dependence, teen pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted disease, suicide and domestic violence escalates. So does their tendency to be more violent or to become a victim of violence.
Studies done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that when a child is subjected to frequent or continual stress from thing like neglect, abuse, dysfunctional families or domestic abuse – and they lack adequate support from adults – their brain architecture is actually altered and their organ systems become weakened. As a result, kids who live with stress risk lifelong social and health problems.
Of the 17,000 people participating in the CDC study, two thirds reported an Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) score of 1 or higher. Of these, 87% had more than one ACE. By measuring and scoring ten types of trauma ranging from neglect or bullying to childhood sexual abuse and even divorce, researchers could assess the chronic disease risk for the study’s mostly white, middle class participants. Their results showed that the problem of toxic stress isn’t limited to children of certain ethnic groups or those who face poverty – children from all walks of life can have high ACE scores which will affect their entire lives.
If you would like to find out your ACE score and what it might mean for you, go here.
Children who are exposed to toxic stress exhibit:
Research on children who face continued toxic stress shows they are more likely to have:
The key to preventing and reducing toxic stress in kids is awareness. Now that we know about the effects of ACEs, many states have conducted their own research. Some cities formed task forces, while others are working with pediatricians, schools, daycare centers and the justice system to set up screening programs that can turn lives around.
Protecting children from toxic stress involves a multi-faceted approach that targets both the caretaker and the child in order to strengthen family stability. Treatment includes intervention and implementation of methods that reduce stressors and reinforce the child or caregiver’s response to stress.
As more programs are formed, researchers have found that children can benefit even when the solutions are solely focused on their caregiver and aren’t aimed at the child. This is most likely because the caregiver’s altered interaction with the child makes the child feel safer. Parenting classes, family-based programs, access to social resources for parents, peer support and telephone support are beneficial. Cognitive behavioral therapy and relaxation methods like yoga and mindfulness are also helpful. Additionally, community-based programs like Head Start have been shown to be effective.
For more information about toxic stress and its effects on child development, contact the Children’s Center for Psychiatry Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.
The first time you hear the term “executive functioning”, you may think it refers to the leaders of a worldwide conglomerate, but nothing could be further from the truth. Executive functioning is actually a life skill we learn in childhood. It forms the basis of the actions we perform every day. From taking a bath and getting dressed, to getting ready for school or doing homework, executive functioning helps us plan things, organize our lives, control our emotions, and learn from our mistakes. It lets us evaluate information, come up with a solution, and carry it out.
Some kids learn executive functioning with ease, but for others, it can be difficult to choose appropriate actions, develop time-management skills, or anticipate the consequences of their actions. Kids who have poor executive functioning often need constant guidance for simple tasks, such as packing their backpacks for school. They may forget to turn in the homework they worked on so diligently the evening before or have difficulty making decisions because they get bogged down in the mental strain of weighing pros and cons. Fortunately, there are ways to help these children acquire organizational skills. Apps, like our Giant Leap app, are great learning tools for, among other things, teaching behavior strategies and generating lists to help kids start and complete tasks.
Executive functioning learning tools help children overcome struggles with organization and follow-through.
Some keys to building executive functioning abilities are:
For children who can’t read (and even those who can), the colorful images on an app can make all the difference. Eye-catching charts and graphics give the child something to focus on. They also make it easier for these kids to understand the bigger picture – for example, by showing when a task needs to be completed or by listing action steps that need to be taken.
Once parents set up their child’s chart, these visual aids help the child see the tasks they need to complete. Additionally, engaging images capture kid’s attention, making it more likely that these visual reminders will instill the routine in the child’s mind.
Some apps, like our Giant Leap app, are customizable. This flexibility allows parents to generate personalized charts with the specific behaviors their child needs to learn. Giant Leap gives children executive functioning issues an easy way to stay organized and can support their unique needs. Additionally, Giant Leap permits parents to update their child’s charts in real time within the app and allows them to print each chart out for daily or weekly use.
Apps encourage consistency and make daily routines easier to set and follow. When a child completes the tasks on their chart, they not only begin to acquire executive functions, they also gain self-confidence. Successfully learning organization skills translates to self-reliant, responsible in kids and gives them the tools they need for future success.
For information about how our Giant Leap app can help your child improve their executive functioning skills, contact the Children’s Center for Psychiatry Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.
The nation has been horrified to hear about another school shooting. For many in South Florida, however, the trauma surrounding school violence has hit particularly hard because this week’s shooting happened right in our own backyard. Many people likely know someone or know of a family with a child who attends the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. Because of this, you might find it challenging to deal with your feelings about the event.
Keep in mind that it is normal to experience strong emotions, such as anger, fear, sadness, grief, and shock – even if you don’t know someone who is personally connected to the shooting. You might also have trouble concentrating or difficulty sleeping and you may even feel numb when talking about the incident with others. All of these reactions are typical responses of trauma psychology.
It will take a while to move past this heartbreaking tragedy, but we have some tips for managing your emotions during this horrific time. Following these guidelines can help you build resilience – the inner strength that you can draw on when you’re exposed to trauma or adversity.
*If you can’t move past this school violence or another traumatic event that has happened in your life, it may be beneficial to seek out a support group or turn to a qualified, licensed mental health professional in order to move forward. It is especially important to do so if you are unable to carry out the daily tasks of living, such as sleeping, eating, and other functions.
Our Children’s Center has specially trained clinicians on staff to help those who need help dealing with the school shooting or other traumatic situations. For more information, contact The Children’s Center for Psychiatry Psychology and Related Services in Delray Beach, Florida or call us today at (561) 223-6568.
