Category Archives: Health Education

Suicide While Black

September 14, 2020 0 comments Children's Mental Health, Family, Health, Health Education, Mental Health, Racism, Social Justice Dr. Leesha

Sound the alarm Black children are in danger. From trauma to poverty to educational inequality to racism, our children face very real threats to their mental health every day. I distinctly remember being taught during my psychiatric residency training that black people don’t typically die by suicide; but sadly, this just isn’t true. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States and the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10 – 34 years of age. For black youth, suicide is on the rise. In 2015, Jeffrey Bridge et al. discovered that suicide rates among […]

Bullying and Depression

November 19, 2018 8 comments Children's Mental Health, Health Education, Mental Health, Schools Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama, children, Depression, Dr. Leesha, Dr. Leesha Ellis-Cox, Mental Health, Psychiatrist, schools, special education Dr. Leesha

Devastating News A few days ago, I learned that 9-year-old Madison Whitsett from Birmingham, Alabama, committed suicide. I have gleaned 3 facts from major news outlets – Madison was diagnosed with ADHD, she was being bullied at school, and she had recently started new medication. Although Madison’s parents have not divulged the name of the medication, some have stated that suicidal thoughts are listed as one of the side effects. I am profoundly devastated by this news. My heart breaks for this precious baby, her family, and the entire community. I thought long and hard about writing this blog post, […]

The Scoop on Bipolar Disorder

April 30, 2018 2 comments Health Education, Mental Health, Women's Mental Healthl Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama, health, Mental Health, Mental Illness Education, Psychiatrist Dr. Leesha

A few weeks ago, singer Mariah Carey disclosed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. While her initial diagnosis came over 15 years ago, she has only recently decided to divulge details of her psychiatric illness to the public, a secret she kept out of fear and denial as reported in her interview in People Magazine. Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness affecting roughly 3% of US adults. It is a mental illness that is poorly understood and often misconstrued in the media.

The Scoop on Schizophrenia

March 15, 2018 0 comments Health Education, Mental Health Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama, Dr. Leesha, Dr. Leesha Ellis-Cox, Mental Health, Mental Illness Education, Psychiatrist Dr. Leesha

Misunderstood. Feared. Stigmatized. Individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia regularly battle derogatory stereotypes. The media portrays those with schizophrenia as crazy, suffering from split personalities, or as deranged killers that commit mass murders. Others use the term “schizophrenic” to describe erratic weather patterns. But the psychiatric illness that is schizophrenia is none of this. Schizophrenia is a disabling brain disorder that impacts about 1% of the adult population.

HELP! My Child is Struggling in School!

March 7, 2018 0 comments Children's Mental Health, Health Education, Mental Health, Parenting, Schools Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama, children, disruptive behavior, Dr. Leesha, Dr. Leesha Ellis-Cox, education, Mental Illness Education, Psychiatrist, schools, special education Dr. Leesha

From kindergarten through high school, our children spend the bulk of their day at school. Within the school setting, they learn new skills and demonstrate mastery of educational concepts, form new friendships and nurture old ones, solve problems, manage conflicts and disagreements, and grow. Not infrequently, however, children begin to experience symptoms of a psychiatric illness that may greatly interfere with his ability to accomplish these tasks at school. The statistics bear out this very real risk of psychiatric illness.

The Scoop on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

February 11, 2018 0 comments Children's Mental Health, Health Education, Mental Health Autism, Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama, Mental Health, Mental Illness Education, Parenting, Psychiatrist Dr. Leesha

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 68 children has been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism is almost 4.5 times more common among boys (1 in 42) than girls (1 in 189). This neurodevelopmental disorder typically appears in children before the age of 3. While there is no cure for Autism, children make significant gains socially, emotionally, and cognitively through early intervention programs and treatment that targets some of the core symptoms of the disease.

Dr. Leesha | Psychiatrist, Therapist, and Parenting Expert