Recent natural disasters, mass shootings and international conflicts in the news can have a profound effect on kids. Mental health experts at Akron Children’s offer these tips to help parents handle these difficult conversations and provide reassurance.
7 warning signs your child may be suffering from a mental illness
Being a child isn’t all fun and games. Children are constantly faced with new challenges and social pressures, not to mention their growing bodies are changing rapidly. Once they hit adolescence, the hormonal changes associated with puberty may also cause feelings of sadness or frustration, making kids moody or irritable. For some kids, this moodiness […]
Snapchat: A guide to keeping our teens safe
If you have teens or tweens in your house, you’ve probably heard about Snapchat — the uber-popular social messaging app that users use to exchange pictures and videos (called snaps) that capture life’s everyday moments. But while many parents have heard about Snapchat, most of us can admit we don’t know the ins and outs […]
Why new mom’s mental health matters
Pregnancy is a joyous, celebratory time, but for many new moms, it can also be a very distressing and difficult time. From the moment a woman discovers she’s pregnant, she is often faced with immense biological, emotional, financial and social changes. Then once baby arrives, a woman must recover physically from childbirth and adapt to […]
Help your teen develop healthy romantic relationships and watch for red flags in unhealthy ones
Teen dating violence is no small problem and, sadly, is much more common than many parents believe. It’s estimated 1 in 3 girls in this country is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline. Nearly 1.5 million high-school students nationwide experience physical abuse […]
Family says counseling, open communication key to strong mental health
For Cohen Pierce, it was triggered by the transition to middle school. For his younger sister Lila, it was most apparent the morning of test days. The “its” in both cases were mental health concerns. Cohen’s depression manifested as changes in his personality. He went from his normal happy-go-lucky self to feeling down and negative […]