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 [...]
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 [...]
Sleep and Hydroxyzine in the Pediatric Population
Insomnia is a common issue in children and adolescents in primary care settings. Given the difficulties associated with poor sleep, parents often ask providers for rapid solutions. As a result, one of the most prescribed medications is the antihistamine hydroxyzine. Yet randomized control data in children is lacking. There is no clinical efficacy, safety, or [...]
