By Jack P. Shonkoff — 2022
Excessive adversity activates biological reactions that can lead to lifelong problems in physical and mental well-being
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Of course we want to keep children safe. But exposure to normal stresses and strains is vital for their future wellbeing.
Racism and social inequality don’t just affect adults. Here's why they have a profound impact on the mental health of children of color.
Too many kids show worrying signs of fragility from a very young age. Here’s what we can do about it.
We tend to think of childhood as a time of innocence and joy, but as many as 2 to 3 percent of children from ages 6 to 12 can have serious depression.
In my more than two decades of treating children with mental health problems like ADHD, anxiety, childhood depression, oppositional defiant disorder, ASD, and many other conditions, I have found that making changes in the parenting environment can usually resolve the child’s problem.
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If the threats we encounter are extreme, persistent, or frequent, we become too sensitized, overreacting to minor challenges and sometimes experiencing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD.
In today's culture, weight can be a sensitive subject, especially for children and teens. The desire to be thin is reaching school-aged children, as girls as young as 6 years old express concerns about their body image and gaining weight.
These behaviors are more common than you might think with an estimated range of 6.4% to 30.8% of teens admitting to trying to harm themselves.