Bullying and Depression
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 […]
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Jesus, Therapy, & Prozac: Pastors Need Help Too
I had never heard his name until just a few days ago, but I now I can’t get his name or his heartbreaking story out […]
Read MoreThe Scoop on Bipolar Disorder
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.
Read More3 Tips For When Your Child Worries
Honestly, these last 2 weeks have been pretty tough for the Cox family of five. Between my husband hosting the 2017 – 2018 NCAA Division III Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship at Birmingham Southern College, my son’s weekly baseball practices and games, the daily grind of work and school, and threats of severe weather, we have been stretched thin. On top of that, there have now been 3 school shootings as of this writing – Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on February 14, Huffman High School In Birmingham, AL on March 7, AL, and Great Mills High School in Great Hills, Maryland on March 20. Each shooting, tragic, and occurring within weeks of the other, my own anxiety escalated. But, this time my oldest was deeply impacted.
Read MoreThe Scoop on Schizophrenia
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.
Read MoreHELP! My Child is Struggling in School!
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.
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