When Teens Can’t Sleep
    When Teens Can’t Sleep

    Anxiety (which is often brought on by a stressful event) is probably the most common cause of difficulty falling asleep. This is called "stress-related insomnia." It is a self-limited problem that usu…

    Art: A Window to the Soul
    Art: A Window to the Soul

    Young children's drawings offer valuable clues as to what they are thinking and feeling. Often their artwork tells stories far more clearly than their words. Parents and professionals have long used l…

    Imagination and Fear
    Kid’s Imagination & Fear

    At around age three, most children enter into a magical time where make-believe is the order of the day. Imagination and creativity spring to life. Playtime becomes a setting where wonderful dreams an…

    OCD Contagious?
    OCD Contagious?

    We once thought stress caused ulcers; we now know that bacteria frequently do -- in people that are genetically prone. Similarly, we once thought that obsessive-compulsive disorder was strictly a ment…

    OCD
    OCD

    We once thought that obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was rare in children, but a careful evaluation published in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinics of North America in 1999 found that bet…

    Mental Disorders and Children
    Mental Disorders and Children

    There is a strong link between mental disorders in parents and their children, according to a study in the January 2001 American Journal of Psychiatry. When parents have major depression or a panic di…

    Mental Illness and Children
    Mental Illness and Children

    United States Surgeon General David Satcher released a report in January 2001 describing a mental health crisis in children. Mental illness severe enough to hinder kids from learning or developing app…

    Media Violence is Harmful to Kids!
    Media Violence is Harmful to Kids!

    The "Joint Statement on the Impact of Entertainment Violence on Children," at the August 2000 congressional public health summit, cited well over 1,000 studies that "point overwhelmingly to a causal c…

    AAP Guidelines for Diagnosing ADHD
    AAP Guidelines for Diagnosing ADHD

    Too often, difficult children are incorrectly labeled with ADHD. On the other hand, many children who do have ADHD remain undiagnosed. And in either case, related learning disabilities or mood problem…

    Reducing Psychiatric Symptoms In Children
    Reducing Psychiatric Symptoms In Children

    An interesting Duke University study of 1,422 children found that mental health services are quite effective at reducing psychiatric symptoms of children - if the children receive enough sessions. But…

    Children Deserve Support For Family Alcohol Abuse
    Children Deserve Support For Family Alcohol Abuse

    More than one in four children in the United States now live with a family member who has an alcohol abuse problem, according to a report in the January 2000 issue of the American Journal of Public He…

    Surviving the Nightmare: Major Burn Victims Embrace Life
    Surviving the Nightmare: Major Burn Victims Embrace Life

    With the march of technical progress, it has become possible to save the lives of horribly burned children. Some have argued, though, that the resulting quality of life is so low that we shouldn't int…

    All Natural Does Not Mean Risk Free!
    All Natural Does Not Mean Risk Free!

    Use of St. John's Wort to treat depression has skyrocketed over the last year, increasing by more than 2000%. St. John's Wort has become a multi-billion dollar industry. (more…)…

    Teen Violence
    Teen Violence

    When Joel Alpert, M.D., outgoing President of the American Academy of Pediatrics addressed us, he was wearing the colors of Columbine High School. Violence in our country is off the charts when compar…

    Physical and Emotional Impact of Schoolyard Bullies
    Physical and Emotional Impact of Schoolyard Bullies

    "You big bully!" We all remember it from childhood. Ranging from teasing and name-calling to physical attacks, bullying happens in nearly every school around the globe. (more…)…

    Tips for Helping Young Children Deal with Temporary Separations

    Dr. Greene's tips on helping children handle temporary separations: From the time that we begin to let ourselves believe that a positive pregnancy test could actually mean that we are going to be pare…

    Sad boy. Helping children grieve is not easy.
    Helping Children Grieve

    Losing a loved one is never easy. Having to explain the loss and help a child deal with it can be very difficult. Here are some suggestions for making the grieving process a little easier for you and …