Connection matters more than small behaviors. Loneliness is more damaging to our mental and physical health than small vices, despite the amount of digital space spent talking about what we should and shouldn’t eat, drink, or do with our time. Yet, so many of us make our friendships one of the lowest priorities.
We’re hurting ourselves and each other.
What if the operators on the line do get the necessary training and we make all the improvements we can make as we learn how to do this better, and there is just no system to hand the caller off to? Because I feel like that might be the case for some callers. The call is a door to care, but is the follow-up care available?
I’m willing to bet the reason this is true is that we’ve struggled to define verbal abuse: “Currently, four subtypes are used to categorize child maltreatment: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect. Verbal abuse is noticeably absent. Of those four, a June 2023 study of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among U.S. adults found…
How to Protect Your Mental Health From Stressful News Cycles
Mental Health Myths and Facts: Dispelling Common Misconceptions
The Raw Emotions: Expressing Mental Health Struggles Through Art
Importance of Early Intervention in Mental Health: Do Early Interventions Really Make A Difference?
Writing about mental health with sensitivity in SFFH– I appreciate the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror writers talking about the issue, especially the real research into links between mental health and violence.
It might not seem like much, but the more we learn about depression, the more we might be able to do for more people. That’s why the article linked above gives me some hope. We need more information from research, from professionals, and from those with lived experience if we are going to make a dent in treating depression. Lives are at stake.
Ben points out that the Child Tax Credit was expanded to assist poor families with pandemic-related economic hardships in 2021.
The rate of childhood poverty dropped to historic lows.
Then it went away. And, well, what else would you expect?
According to NPR, “…A year ago, child poverty hit a historic low of 5.2%. The latest figures [a year after the child tax credits expired] put it at 12.4%, the same as the overall poverty rate. The surge happened as record inflation was rising and a lot of pandemic relief was running out, but Census officials and other experts say a key was the child tax credit.”
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