I had not really thought about this until I saw this article from the UK: “For decades, Childline and Samaritans have offered a friendly ear. But how does that work when so many of us would rather text, email or instant message?” Both services are adapting to this by offering text messages and webchat options…
There is a lot to unpack in this article, and I hope you’ll go read all of it, but I wanted to touch on this section specifically. “We really don’t put anything into prevention, and that’s really unfortunate,” Letourneau says. “We have this idea that kids will just know; surely they will know that sex…
The study was of young people, but would it be any different for other groups? “New research released by the mental health anti-stigma campaign, Time to Change, reveals that when asked, 75% of 16-24-year-olds in the East of England would tell friends and family they are ‘fine’, even if struggling with a mental health problem,…
I don’t see the issue either. “Coping methods are personal choices, so I’m going to come out and say it: people need to stop criticizing others for how they cope with mental illness. As long as the coping methods aren’t hurting the people who use them or others, I don’t see the issue. Although I’m…
This is an interesting question, should we treat childhood trauma as a public health crisis? “When public health officials get wind of an outbreak of Hepatitis A or influenza, they spring into action with public awareness campaigns, monitoring and outreach. But should they be acting with equal urgency when it comes to childhood trauma? A…
We’ve talked before about jails being a bad place to treat mental health issues, yet we see so many people ending up there because their conditions spiral without any proper treatment. We’re seeing the same thing with children in emergency rooms as well: An increasing number of children are showing up in U.S. emergency rooms…
