Evidence-based Programs for K-12 Schools and Universities, Primary Care Practices, Healthcare Systems and Professionals, Parents and Children
News Stories of Interest
JAMA Pediatrics: November 25, 2022
Teens: It's Midterm Time: How Do I Destress?
Although teen students face many struggles in school life, one issue is unanimous: stress. For many teens, test anxiety and worries about grades dominate their life. However, it doesn't need to be this way! There are many ways to take a deep breath when it feels like you're drowning in work. With midterms looming around the corner, it's especially important to take care of your mental health. Using these ideas is a great place to start! Although they may not work for everyone, I'm confident that everyone can find their own way to de-stress.
3. Attack Negative Thoughts With Positive Ones
“Often times when we are anxious about a test, we start having thoughts like "I can't do this," or "This test is impossible." Sound familiar? Instead, start saying to yourself, "I can do this," or "I will do my best to get a good grade." As soon as negative thoughts start creeping in, immediately combat them with a positive thought. According to Mayo Clinic, "When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you're better able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way."” https://www.theteenmagazine.com/it-s-midterm-time-how-do...
https://www.physiciansweekly.com/cognitive-behavioral-therapy-may-ease-food-allergy-related-anxiety/
Our interactive 7-Session Teen Online Educational Program is designed to be easily accessible from a computer, laptop, tablet, or WI-Fi-connected smartphone. Skills learned can be used to modify their emotions during their teen and future adult years. The sessions teach techniques for coping with stress and anxiety from common stressors and stress-related symptoms. Empower your teens with the skills and concepts they need to recognize and manage negative emotions and think in more positive ways.
https://www.cope2thrive.com/order-form-online-program
Association of Youth Suicides and County-Level Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas in the US
"In this cross-sectional study of 5034 US youth 5 to 19 years who died by suicide from 2015 to 2016, the suicide rate increased as county levels of mental health professional shortages increased, after adjusting for county demographic and socioeconomic characteristics." https://jamanetwork.com/.../jamape.../fullarticle/2798887... Our interactive 7-Session Teen Online Educational Program is designed to be easily accessible from a computer, laptop, tablet, or Wi-Fi-connected smartphone. Skills learned can be used to modify their emotions during their teen and future adult years. The programs teach techniques for coping with stress and anxiety from common stressors and stress-related symptoms. Empower your teens with the skills and concepts they need to recognize and manage negative emotions and think in more positive ways. The program is perfect for serving rural populations of teens who do not have access to adequate mental healthcare resources. Please forward this to any family and friends that might benefit from our programs
https://www.cope2thrive.com/order-form-online-program
Demand for Mental Health Care Has U.S. Psychologists Overwhelmed: Survey.
https://consumer.healthday.com/outpatient-psychiatric.... "U.S. psychologists are struggling to meet the growing demand for help with mental health issues as the COVID pandemic continues. Young people, especially 13- to 17-year-olds, represented the largest increases in seeking care. Many psychologists also saw a need for more care in kids under 13 and among 18- to 25-year-olds." COPE can help. Our Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-based (CBT) programs are evidence-based and designed to help children, teens and young adults deal with anxiety, stress, and depression by teaching them how to develop the skills needed to stop negative or unhelpful thoughts and start thinking, and feeling and behaving in more positive ways. Over 20 studies support that COPE reduces anxiety, depression, and stress as well as improves self-esteem, healthy behaviors, and academic performance.https://www.cope2thrive.com/
Suicide on campus how the mental health crisis is changing college life
https://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/parenting/aisha-sultan/suicide-on-campus-how-the-mental-health-crisis-is-changing-college-life/article_4db8cf0e-8558-58a5-8d26-90d736bcb5e5.html
Number of children going to ER with suicidal thoughts attempts doubles, study finds
“The number of children and teens in the United States who visited emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts doubled between 2007 and 2015, according to a new analysis.”
“Diagnoses of either condition increased from 580,000 in 2007 to 1.12 million in 2015, according to the study…”
https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/08/health/child-teen-suicide-er-study/index.html
So your child refuses to go to school? Here's how to respond
"Around 1-2% of children experience school refusal: becoming severely distressed at the prospect of going to school and having prolonged absences."
"Interventions to treat school refusal favour cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to encourage relaxation, challenge anxious thoughts and support a gradual exposure to the fear."
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-07-child-school.html
How To Treat the Growing Problem of Childhood Anxiety: New reviews demonstrate the benefits of cognitive-behavioral therapy.
"Research shows that when childhood anxiety is not treated, it is more likely to persist through childhood and increase the risk of adult disorders including anxiety, depression, substance abuse and suicide."
"Two new systematic reviews take a careful look at the treatments for childhood anxiety. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic reviewed 115 studies with a total of more than 7,700 youth and teenagers; their results were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Additionally, researchers from the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, reviewed 206 studies testing treatment for childhood anxiety in nearly 2,500 youth."
"The reviews came to the same conclusions: They found that cognitive-behavioral therapy is the most effective treatment in improving symptoms of anxiety."
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evidence-based-living/201807/how-treat-the-growing-problem-childhood-anxiety
Research results on CBT effectiveness:
"Pediatric anxiety disorders are common psychiatric illnesses, affecting approximately 10 percent of children."
"In one of the largest comparative treatment studies, researchers found that 12 weeks of sertraline and/or cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) were effective in reducing anxiety and improving functioning.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180628105039.htm
There's a severe shortage of mental health professionals in rural areas. Here's why that's a serious problem. (COPE is a great evidence-based solution!)
"A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that a majority of non-metropolitan counties (65%) do not have a psychiatrist and almost half of non-metropolitan counties (47%) do not have a psychologist."
"There is no community (public) mental health care, and often there are no relevant hospital services within a reasonable distance. So, people are just left on their own."
"Of course, the ideal solution is more practices, professionals and programs to alleviate both the need for and stigma surrounding mental health care."
"We need as a country to come together and really recognize that for individuals that have mental health concerns, making it easier for them to access care, and then the providers being able to be reimbursed for that care, that's something that we need to address..."
https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/20/health/mental-health-rural-areas-issues-trnd/index.html
Anxiety disorders on the rise among teens:
Of the afflicted teenagers, 80 percent receive no treatment, even though the typical onset is at age 10 or 11 when most kids start middle school or junior high school and the more complex classroom and social changes that entails, the data show.:
"The good news is that people with anxiety can be treated. Cognitive behavioral therapy is the most common method."
“It’s about facing your fears, helping people with anxiety see things in a different way and enabling them to understand the costs and benefits of change,” said Liza Suarez, director of the Pediatric Stress and Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. “It’s a tried-and-true approach.”
https://chicago.suntimes.com/lifestyles/anxiety-among-tweens-teens-a-complicated-issue-and-growing-concern/
New York first state to require mental health education in schools: "Mental Health Education in New York Schools: A Review of the Legislative History, Intent and Vision for Implementation"
"In the United States, an estimated one in five children — ages 3 to 17 — has a mental illness. That is more than the number of kids with diabetes, cancer, and AIDS combined. This figure, which translates into 15 million kids nationwide, might be a surprising one — but it shouldn’t be. The scientific community has been sounding the alarm on mental illness in youth for decades, urging doctors, parents, and educators to dedicate time and resources to the issue."
"In July, the state will make history as the first to enact legislation requiring all elementary, middle, and high schools to incorporate mental health education into their curricula. Like physical education, mental health education will cover a wide range of areas, striving to reframe mental health as “integral” to overall health and giving students the tools to cope with a disorder in their own lives."
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/new-york-will-first-state-require-mental-health-education-schools-165851365.html
https://mhanys.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MHANYS-2017-Mental-Health-Education-in-Schools-White-Paper-FINAL-2.pdf
Exciting New Kaiser Permanente CBT Study Results:
"Cognitive behavioral therapy (or CBT) delivered in a primary care setting is a cost-effective way to treat adolescents with depression who decline or quickly stop using antidepressants, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published today in the journal Pediatrics."
"Participants who received CBT learned how to modify their behaviors, challenge their unrealistic and negative beliefs, and think more positively. "
"The study, which included 212 adolescents who received care in Kaiser Permanente primary care clinics in Oregon and Washington, showed that a CBT intervention can be brief and still deliver long-term benefits in terms of cost and clinical outcomes. "
https://share.kaiserpermanente.org/article/kaiser-permanente-study-finds-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-cost-effective-teens-decline-antidepressants/
New Missouri Law:
"This act requires each public institution of higher education to develop and implement a policy to advise students and staff on suicide prevention programs available on and off campus that includes, but is not limited to crisis intervention access, mental health program access, multimedia application access, student communication plans, and post intervention plans." http://www.senate.mo.gov/17info/BTS_Web/Bill.aspx?SessionType=R&BillID=57095443
Alarming study results on child suicide rates:
Study Conclusions: "Encounters for suicidality and serious self-harm at 32 U.S. children’s hospitals increased steadily from 2008 to 2015 and accounted for an increasing percentage of all encounters during this period. Increases were noted in all age groups. A consistent seasonal pattern was also observed. Research to understand factors contributing to these trends is urgently needed. Awareness of these trends is also critical for hospital preparedness."
Contributed Comments: "Avital K. Cohen, a licensed psychologist who was not involved in the research, believes that a variety of factors contribute to the rising trend seen in this study. Our expectations of children have changed pretty significantly in the last several decades," Cohen said, although she doesn't have research to support her opinion. Many parents try to protect their children from experiencing failure when they are young; thus, when they experience it later in life, they may not have developed the resources and/or coping skills they need to manage it," she said. A bigger emotional response is triggered, which "might contribute to increases in suicidal expression.""
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/05/health/children-teens-suicide-study/index.html