March 2019

Most of us have real anger and suffering living inside us. Perhaps in the past we were oppressed or mistreated, and all that pain is still right there, buried in our store consciousness. We haven’t processed and transformed our relationship with what happened to us and we sit there alone with all that anger, hatred, despair and suffering. If we were abused when were young, every time our thinking mind goes back over that event, it’s like we’re experiencing the abuse all over again. – Thich...

A new study published in Infant and Child Development indicates that complications during birth may increase the risk that children will develop social anxiety by their pre-teen years. For the study, 149 children aged nine to 12 years were screened for behavioral inhibition -- a tendency to exhibit a fearful disposition and withdrawal in unfamiliar contexts and situations -- and assessed for social anxiety symptoms using parent- and child-reports. Investigators found that perinatal...

Mindfulness might offer more than relief from daily stress. Research now suggests it can boost recovery from addiction and trauma. Investigators at USC believe the contemplative practice could represent the next major breakthrough in the treatment of substance use and major mental health issues. "It's a very different way of doing therapy and being in therapy," said Jordan Davis, an assistant professor at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. "But it's like the Wild West right...

Applying and getting the Center for Health Journalism’s 2018 National Fellowship was the easy part. The hard part for myself and partner Jayne O’Donnell was following through with our ambitious project about children and domestic abuse for USA TODAY. We first wanted to do a series on how family court forces children to spend unsupervised time with allegedly abusive parents. But through a series of conversations with our editors, we decided to instead focus first on how new research shows...

WASHINGTON — Some laws can make life exceptionally difficult for homeless and runaway youth. Whether it’s requiring parental consent to receive health care or demanding proof of residency to obtain a photo ID, unfriendly policies have left many service providers feeling frustrated and powerless to help. A small national nonprofit based in Washington is working to change that. SchoolHouse Connection is helping local youth advocates, school liaisons, homeless service providers and other...

On Wednesday , prominent Los Angeles County officials will revisit a trying time in the county’s child protection history. In May of 2013, the violent death of an 8-year-old Antelope Valley boy rocked the county. The first story that appeared in The Los Angeles Times opened with gruesome details that are still as shocking today as when they were first written. “When paramedics arrived at his Palmdale home last week, 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez’s skull was cracked, three ribs were broken and...

According to the 2019 World Happiness Report , negative feelings are rising around the world—and the United States is particularly hard-hit with an “epidemic of addictions.” Tellingly, the report also shows a widening happiness gap, with some people reporting much more well-being and others showing much less within each country. Released annually on the International Day of Happiness, the World Happiness Report ranks countries based on their life satisfaction in the Gallup World Poll.

ACEs, Adversity's Impact Screening for adverse child experiences in primary care Linked: Adverse childhood experiences, health + addiction Adults with childhood traumas 11 times more likely to be involved in drugs and violence, report says Warning of overload in childhood trauma data Mental health issues increased significantly in young adults over last decade New student group to give hope to those with traumatic childhoods How anxiety leads to disruptive behavior Brain and Biology...

For many healthcare providers, it can be challenging to distinguish between behaviors associated with a developmental disability and behaviors resulting from adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). It takes coordination across multiple disciplines to ensure early and accurate diagnosis and treatment of ACEs and/or developmental disabilities. Research has shown that individuals with disabilities are at increased risk for experiencing violence of all types, especially physical violence and...

The Trump administration's practice of tearing apart and incarcerating thousands of migrant families in a cruel attempt to deter them from seeking safety in this country is outrageous. Now, long after a court-ordered reunification deadline in July, hundreds of families that were separated have yet to be reunited. And a recent report revealed that the Trump administration might not have released full child-separation numbers . Thousands more children than were originally reported may have...

While you’re still horrified by the mosque shooting, I’m going to share something very personal. Because that feeling you have right now, where even a small, kindhearted country like New Zealand isn’t safe, won’t last. That fear is how many Muslims feel every time we set foot in a mosque. Islamophobia isn’t as isolated as many want to believe. Violence against religious minorities happens everywhere — just look at the shootings at the Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Sikh temple and the Tree of Life...

The first drug for women suffering postpartum depression received federal approval on Tuesday , a move likely to pave the way for a wave of treatments to address a debilitating condition that is the most common complication of pregnancy. The drug works very quickly, within 48 hours — a significant improvement over currently available antidepressants, which can take two to four weeks to have an effect, if they work at all. Experts say the new treatment will provide immediate relief for...