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Antidepressant Medications for Children and Adolescents: Information for Parents and Caregivers
Depression is a serious disorder that can cause significant problems in mood, thinking, and behavior at home, in school, and with peers. It is estimated that major depressive disorder (MDD) affects about 5 percent of adolescents. Research has shown that, as in adults, depression in children and...
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Social Security Matters – Major Depression and Disability
Many of the people who come to us to obtain Social Security or Private Disability benefits are suffering from depression. In many cases this is their primary impairment; in many more, depression is present along with other disabling conditions. Because of the typically insidious progression of...
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Meeting Families as Far as They Can Go: A Values-Centered Approach to Treating Sexually Abused Children and Their Families
This paper describes a sexual abuse-specific treatment program for children that combines creative art therapy groups for the abused child with concurrent supportive, psychoeducational therapy groups for non-offending parents. This program, led by Northside Center for Child Development’s Project...
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Point of View: Address the Mental Health Needs of People with Dementia and Their Caregivers
Ms. S. began to experience confusion when she was 84. She was a friendly woman and active in local politics. One day when she was on her way to a meeting at her political club, she forgot where she was going and got lost. It happened again and then again. She began to make excuses for not going out...
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Symptoms of Depression and the Role of Traumatic Brain Injury
An elementary school student displays uncooperative behavior, emotional outbursts, social difficulties and learning challenges, and is placed in special education. A young veteran, recently home from active duty, attempts to return to pre-deployment functioning, but is hampered by feelings of...
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The NYSPA Report – Medicaid Redesign and the Public Mental Health System in NYS
In my last piece for Mental Health News I presented an overview of the attack on Medicaid, including mental health services, taking place across the nation. I expressed my belief that given NYS’s expenditures on Medicaid, which are far higher than any other state, reductions were necessary,...
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Understanding and Treating Depression
Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad. But these feelings are usually short-lived and pass within a couple of days. When you have depression, it interferes with daily life and causes pain for both you and those who care about you. Depression is a common but serious illness. Many people with a...
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A Comprehensive Overview of Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy, or “talk therapy,” is a way to treat people with a mental disorder by helping them understand their illness. It teaches people strategies and gives them tools to deal with stress and unhealthy thoughts and behaviors. Psychotherapy helps patients manage their symptoms better and...
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Considerations for Mental Health Data Collection Using Online Methods
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in the year 2009, 68 percent of households in the USA had internet access from their home computer. Since the early 1980’s there has been more than a fivefold increase in the proportion of households with computers. Among family households with income of...
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Many New York City Residents Helped by DOHMH’s Depression and Primary Care Initiatives
The term depression has become pervasive within our culture, from the more common use of the word reflecting a person’s temporary state of unhappiness, to the DSM-IV TR classification used to describe a person’s medical condition involving a prolonged state of sadness, loss of interest in life,...