-
Mental health issues more likely to affect communities of color during the holidays: 'This is the time where people can bottom out'
CHICAGO — For Listiner Martinez, the holiday season never brought feelings of merriment. Coming from an abusive home, she said, she never really celebrated the holidays. Martinez said she tried to move past that feeling when she had children, but sadness around the holidays still lingers.“I typically look forward to when the holidays are over with,” said the West Ridge mom of three who has been diagnosed with depression, anxiety and seasonal affective disorder — a mood disorder that occurs at the same time each year. Diet and exercise are tools Martinez uses in her mental health journey, but s...
Chicago Tribune
-
Living with Children: Avoid this trap
Nearly every time I talk to an adoptive parent, I become saddened, disgusted, angry or each in turn. It recently happened again.The parent in question is the mother of a pre-teen boy who was adopted in early toddlerhood – at least a year before the ability to remember past events develops. Research has established that no matter the intensity of an event occurring before 36 months on average and very rarely before 24 months, a child will not have recall of it. When “memories” of infancy and early toddlerhood are subjected to verification, they seldom pass the test.The parents of this young fel...
Tribune News Service
-
Living with Children: Avoid this trap
Nearly every time I talk to an adoptive parent, I become saddened, disgusted, angry or each in turn. It recently happened again.The parent in question is the mother of a pre-teen boy who was adopted in early toddlerhood – at least a year before the ability to remember past events develops. Research has established that no matter the intensity of an event occurring before 36 months on average and very rarely before 24 months, a child will not have recall of it. When “memories” of infancy and early toddlerhood are subjected to verification, they seldom pass the test.The parents of this young fel...
Tribune News Service
-
From police procedures to outdated laws to systemic racism, experts say the odds are stacked against Pennsylvanians like Walter Wallace Jr.
PHILADELPHIA — Before Walter Wallace Jr. died at the hands of Philadelphia police, his need for mental health services seemed apparent. During his past interactions with the criminal justice system — Wallace had been convicted and jailed for assault and robbery — judges repeatedly tried to get him mental health treatment. His family said that when they called 911 on the afternoon of Oct. 26, they had wanted an ambulance to come.As recently as the previous Friday, Wallace had visited the West Philadelphia Consortium, a mental health crisis response center. Behavioral health experts who worked w...
The Philadelphia Inquirer
-
Living with Children: The cure for 'moodiness'
Living with an emotionally dramatic child is no fun. They throw wet blankets over nearly every family gathering or outing. Little is right in their lives, and attempts to cheer them up generally fail and often result in things getting worse for all concerned. The parents of mini-malcontents don’t really want them around but feel guilty at not wanting them around. They can’t win for losing.Mental health professionals are wont to explain misanthropic kids as suffering biochemical imbalances; or, they describe them as “manipulative.” No one has verified the existence of the former, thus leaving t...
Tribune News Service