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Within the past few years, you’ve probably heard more people talking about the issue of mental health– and for good reason. According to the National Mental Health Association, mental health problems affect one in every five young people at any given time. Moreover, an estimated two-thirds of all young people with mental health problems are not receiving…

Mental health is one of those topics that is so broad and so complicated that many parents don’t know where to start when talking to kids. Some parents have family histories and therefore a reference point and example to draw upon when talking, while others must rely on news reports of tragedies. We spoke with…

While last month’s bountiful rains may yet bring flowers (in some places it’s still too cold to tell), May holds many things to be celebrated, not the least of which is its status as Mental Health Awareness Month. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), “Each year millions of Americans face the reality of living with…

Flipping the calendar from March to April may engender visions of springtime … on the doorstep of, gasp, summer! Yet it also happens to be Stress Awareness Month(link is external)for many companies and nonprofit organizations, dragging us back, with intentionality, to the reality of our everyday lives. Stress is real and its origins and consequences not insignificant. Sponsored…

For many graduating, college-bound, high-school seniors, the stressful college test prep, search, application and admission process is about to take its final turn: May 1 is National College Decision Day. Hence, the shelf life of countless college applications is about to expire, the way of so many molding loaves of bread. Ah, the journey one endures.…

A haunting new short film(link is external)produced by McCann Health(link is external) in collaboration with the Center for Adolescent Research and Education(link is external) (CARE) describes in detail – and with no shortage of graphic footage – the real-life implications of the misuse of prescription drugs by young people. They are paying the price, as are their families. What does that picture…

Last Saturday’s “March For Our Lives” rally in Washington, and in cities across the country and around the world, offered a stark counterpoint to the negative narrative that so routinely surrounds the youth of today. In fact, it more accurately calibrated the promise of rising generations to create positive change — in their schools, in…

Theodore Roosevelt reportedly said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” While Teddy was likely speaking of deciding issues far weightier than what to do with high school students during…

Much attention has been paid of late to the trials and tribulations faced by many young people managing the transition from high school to college. And with good reason. A survey(link is external) of first-year college students conducted by The Jed Foundation(link is external), Partnership for Drug-Free Kids(link is external) and the Jordan Porco Foundation(link is external) revealed that the majority of…

Just more than five years after the surprising death by suicide of University of Pennsylvania first-year student Madison Holleran, I traveled to Philadelphia to address family doctors on the epidemic that her demise reflects. I told them about Madison, shared the publication of her story by her parents (who wanted to create greater awareness) and…