As a parent, you want what is best for your children, and you will always put their needs before your own, but that can be difficult when you’re trying to manage your own “high levels of chronic stress, anxiety, and depression.

Bringing a new member into the family, whether through foster care or adoption, can be an adjustment for your children. Your child is most likely used to having his or her parents all to themselves. To help your child adapt to having a new family member, you can discuss their concerns and involve them in the foster/adoption process.

Dealing with negative emotions is a learned exercise, one that needs to be practiced. The video “I had a black dog, his name was depression” allows children to learn about mental illness is an easy and low-stress setting. “Just like a real dog, it needs to be embraced, understood, taught new tricks, and ultimately brought to heel.”3 The video opens up the world of mental health for them in a way that is accessible. It can be a visual aid in understanding that they are not alone in feeling this way and that it does get better with help.

As an adult, we want to look after our youth. We find it our duty to keep them safe and out of harms way. When that harm is not from an outside source, it’s hard to know when you need to reach out. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness,1 “one in five young people ages 13-18 have, or will have, a serious mental illness in their life. Half of all lifetime cases of mental illness start by age 14.” 

Caring for a child is challenging and stressful, and becomes even more taxing when that child struggles with emotional and/or behavioral issues. When this is the case, your family will be working through many worries, fears, and concerns about your child’s future and general wellbeing.

“13 Reasons Why” is a show created by Netflix depicting a high-school student who commits suicide and leaves behind a set of pre-recorded cassette tapes that describe her painful experiences with peer pressure, bullying, and sexual assault. Jay Asher, the author of the book released in 2007, shared in a recent interview, “When we do or say things, we can never know exactly how another person is going to take it because we don’t know what they’ve already dealt with.”

Information about mental health and well-being is more accessible than ever before, but many people are reluctant to admit they are unhappy or unwell. Negative stigma and misperceptions of mental health conditions leave people afraid to ask for help.

Many people think Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) shows itself in non-intrusive behaviors like washing their hands constantly or turning lights on and off a certain number of times.

You can’t avoid the headlines about sexual assault, these days. Many women and men are coming forward to make their abuse known. But sexual assault is just as likely to happen to a child or adolescent.

Social media is a large part of our society today, but is the everyday use of social platforms harming our young kids and teens? According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, families should be aware of the potential negative effects of social media. Here are six key points about how social media may be impacting your child’s mental health.