Talking to children when the news is frightening
As healthcare providers dedicated to the well-being of children and families, collectively we sit with feelings of anguish and disbelief at the recent violent events in the national spotlight. We know that children are aware, listening and watching closely. They may experience sadness, anxiety, grief, helplessness or anger. The way in which adults in a […]
Best Practices for Treating Refugee and Immigrant Populations
As Illinois prepares to accept Ukrainian Refugees, now is the time to learn more about this population’s unique mental health care needs. Ideally, refugees will have access to a wide array of social, psychiatric, and medical programs when they arrive. But that is rarely the case due to limited resources and other barriers (Rees et al., […]
Addressing Sexual Assault: Raising Awareness About Online Abuse
This month the national Sexual Assault Awareness campaign, “Building Safe Online Spaces Together,” highlights the impact of online sexual abuse. Not only is there a high rate of violence among dating teenagers as discussed in our March e-newsletter, but abusive online experiences and sexual violence are also prevalent. Studies show that 25% of dating teens report having been victimized online […]
The Pandemic Obesity Spike and its Mental Health Implications
Obesity prevalence among children and adolescents was already on the rise pre-pandemic, however a new analysis by the Center for Disease Control found that rates accelerated during the pandemic with an increase in obesity rates from 19% to about 22%. The rise in obesity is especially prevalent among preschool and school-aged children due to widespread […]
Teen Dating Violence: Interventions for Primary Care
This month we turn our attention towards teen dating violence (TDV) as an important public health topic with long-term impacts into adulthood. Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime. Adults who report sexual violence, physical violence or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime are likely to have experienced these or other forms […]
This Holiday Season Try a Little Self-Compassion
Health care professionals have emotionally demanding careers and high rates of emotional exhaustion, compassion fatigue, and burnout (19). They experience exposure to human suffering and death, and interact with challenging patients, families, and co-workers on a regular basis. Simultaneously, they must perform their job tasks efficiently, accurately, and ethically (3, 5,8,14,17). Stress in health care […]
Perinatal Depression in Primary Care
The Condition… 1 in 5 women are affected by perinatal depression which too often goes unrecognized and untreated (Center for Disease Control, 2018). The condition is associated with increased risk of poor prenatal care, maternal substance use, suicide, and multiple poor obstetric outcomes including preterm birth and operative deliveries (Grigoriadis, 2013; Şahingöz 2014). Additionally, […]
Addressing Substance Misuse in Adolescents
Adolescent Substance Misuse remains an important concern in our country. For many young people, the risk factors leading to substance use were magnified during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and continue to have an impact on their biopsychosocial development. Social isolation, breaks in school connection, increased parental substance misuse and family stress […]
Perinatal Mental Health and Suicide
Perinatal Depression is one of the most common complications associated with pregnancy and childbirth (CDC, 2018). However, did you know that suicide and overdose combined are the leading cause of death for women in the first year postpartum (Davis, 2019)? Often suicide is the result of unrecognized and untreated mental health conditions. For this reason, […]
Helping Children Transition to In-Person Learning
The transition back to the classroom for children and back to the workplace for many parents is underway. This presents another major adjustment from what has become the new normal resulting in a variety of reactions including relief as well as increased family stress and mental health difficulties. Remember, while this time of year can […]
