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CDC Report: Why Schools Are Crucial for Youth Suicide Prevention
Our schools have the power to be one of the strongest allies in protecting the mental health of our youth. With growing concerns about suicide prevention, the latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data Summary & Trends Report from the CDC underscores the urgent need for proactive measures. Schools...
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A Decade of Advancements in Behavioral Health Technology for Pennsylvania Students
The year was 2014, and Drexel University, where I was working at the time, partnered with Pennsylvania’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) in submitting and being awarded a 5-year, $736,000 annually Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) grant for youth suicide prevention. Our...
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How to Counter TikTok’s Mental Health Misinformation
KEY POINTS: During the pandemic, TikTok served as a way for teens to connect with others over sharing a mental health illness. Predatory advertising and popularity incentives drove creation of content that promoted self-diagnosis and misinformation. Parents and clinicians can assist...
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Understanding Teenage Self-Harm: Strategies for Prevention and Support
“I needed to cut, the way your lungs scream for air when you swim the length of the pool underwater in one breath. It was a craving so organic it seemed to have risen from my skin itself” (Kettlewell, 2000). This striking yet genuine comment reflects how many teenagers feel when engaging in...
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Anxiety and Psychosomatic Symptoms in Schools
Psychosomatic symptoms are the physical and physiological experiences caused by mental or emotional conflict or distress, such as anxiety. Often, they are dismissed as being imagined or exaggerated, likely because they are part of someone’s internal experience. It is important to note...
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Mental Health: Everyone Has It. Every Day. Breaking the Stigma with ICAN’s Innovative Campaign
Integrated Community Alternatives Network (ICAN) is an innovative human service non-profit providing individualized traditional and non-traditional service and care to the highest-risk individuals and families with social, emotional, mental health, and behavioral challenges. ICAN’s...
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Adolescent Gambling: A Growing Concern
Adolescent gambling has turned into a difficult issue that can have huge negative ramifications for the individual, family, and communities. A representative sample of 2,274 US residents aged 14–21 participated in a random telephone survey. Findings revealed that 68% had engaged in gambling in...
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Addressing Mental Health Challenges for Neurodivergent Youth
Youth mental health is a critically important topic that seems to be having a much-needed moment in the spotlight - like here in New York, where Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a $1 billion investment in a plan that may well transform the future of mental health in this state. Even Hollywood is...
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Reported Drug Use Among Adolescents Continued to Hold Below Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2023
The percentage of adolescents reporting they used any illicit substances in 2023 continued to hold steady below the pre-pandemic levels reported in 2020, with 10.9% of eighth graders, 19.8% of 10th graders, and 31.2% of 12th graders reporting any illicit drug use in the past year, according...
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Suicide in Adolescents: Warning Signs, Risk Factors, and What Parents Can Do to Support Their Teens
Suicidality can affect all age groups, including during the adolescent years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2023). The CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (2023) reported data concerning U.S. high school students’...
