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Awareness

Helping Children’s Mental Health

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children's mental health

By Ashley Barnes   The Current State of Children’s Mental Health. So many of us understand the deep emotional and mental toll that the pandemic and current events have created. Perhaps one of the hardest hit populations are children. Imagine moving through one of the most important periods of life where one’s social and emotional skills are critically important, where the brain is particularly malleable, only to be robbed of this crucial, enriching experience. We are merely starting to uncover the ways in which the pandemic (amongst other world events) have impacted children’s mental health. Even before the pandemic, children’s mental health struggled: According to state data, Suicide rates among Black youth doubled between 2014 and 2020. Incidents of youth deliberately causing self-harm increased 50 percent in California between 2009 and 2018, the state auditor reported.  According to a CalMatters analysis of state data, between 2019 and 2020, opioid-related overdoses …

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International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2022

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children's mental health

By Ashley Barnes   Why International Day of Persons with Disabilities? December 3rd is International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), “promoting the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development, and to raise awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of political, social, economic, and cultural life” (World Health Organization, 2022). IDPD is meant to educate the general public about the extra challenges that persons with disabilities face with the aim to break down such barriers. In a world built to serve the “able-bodied,” it becomes increasingly important to reinforce the rights of persons with disabilities. When referring to those living with a disability, we use the term “persons with disabilities” instead of other, potentially harmful terminology. “Persons with disabilities” is an example of “people-first language,” putting the person before the diagnosis; this defines what a person has rather …

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Coping with Grief During the Holidays

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children's mental health

By Ashley Barnes Recent Events. Grief touches all of us. Many readers are familiar with the recent tragedy at the University of Virginia (UVA). While on a bus returning from a field trip in Washington D.C., three innocent young men lost their lives to gun violence. Headlines like these have become too familiar and the impact of these losses on victims’ loved ones is insurmountable. The Mental Health Center extends our most heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and anyone else who is grieving as we move into the holidays.  What is grief? Though many of us are familiar with grief and the heaviness of emotions that it entails, it can look different for all of us. Hospice Foundation of America describes grief as a reaction to loss, as subjective and varied much like how no snowflake is identical; there is no timetable to grief and we may express our …

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November 13th is World Kindness Day!

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children's mental health

By Ashley Barnes Why World Kindness Day? November 13th has been designated as World Kindness Day, an international holiday founded in 1998 to promote kindness throughout the world. The holiday is observed in many countries aside from the United States including Canada, Japan, and Australia. As part of the larger World Kindness Movement, World Kindness Day allows us the opportunity to consider the positive impact that acts of kindness can impart, both large and small. Kind acts can promote unity, positivity, and make a big difference in someone’s life. How to spread kindness. Though there are countless ways we can be kind to others, here are a few ideas to consider in celebration of World Kindness Day: The simple act of smiling at others can promote a sense of safety and compassion. When we smile at someone, we acknowledge their presence in a way that is warm, kind, and inviting. …

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National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month

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children's mental health

By Ashley Barnes   What is National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month? October is National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month and was created to call attention to the illness of depression on a national level, emphasizing the importance of educating the public about symptoms and effective treatment. Further, screening for mental health issues is essential in the course of effective treatment. Depression. Depression is one of the most common mental health challenges that people experience. According to Harvard Health Publishing, “Research suggests that depression doesn’t spring from simply having too much or too little of certain brain chemicals. Rather, there are many possible causes of depression, including faulty mood regulation by the brain, genetic vulnerability, and stressful life events. It’s believed that several of these forces interact to bring on depression” (2022).  Common symptoms of depression: Depressed mood: feelings of sadness, hopelessness, emptiness. Lack of pleasure: in various …

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