KIDS & ANXIETY
Kids don't have it as good as we might want to think. They have problems in school when peers tease them, they are the object of bullies, when they find they don't have the ability to do certain schoolwork or sports, when they are disappointed or feel scared and alone. Childhood is a demanding time and, for some children, it is a time of significant anxiety, sufficient enough at times to make them refuse to go to school, to leave the house or play with friends. Studies have told us that children as young as 6 years of age commit suicide. These aren’t accidents while playing, although we may want to believe that; they are actions of desperation when they see no end to their fear and the extreme hopelessness of their young lives. Help a child find their joy and you will have done your work for a lifetime.
DARKEST HOUR (link below)
Release Year: 2007
Duration: 56 min
In “Darkest Hours: The Crisis in Children’s Mental Health Care,” parents, teens, advocates and providers all share their horror stories about the lack of a system for children’s mental health care. While the documentary focuses on Connecticut, this is a national crisis: kids spending night after night in the emergency room because of the lack of psychiatric beds in the state; waits of up to six months to get an appointment with a psychologist because of escalating demand; families dealing with managed care companies that continually deny coverage for necessary treatment. All of this - combined with the raw emotion of accepting the fact that their child is mentally ill and will likely face a lifetime of medication and therapy.
Bullying
Bullying is not a topic to be taken lightly and it couldn’t have been brought to the fore in a stronger way than the deaths in 2010 of two kids who were relentlessly bullied until they killed themselves. Not only is it a topic that requires attention, it mandates that all involved parties be held to a high standard. Anyone with a license has no choice, they must report abuse, so do teachers, school nurses and administrators. No one is exempt.
Seminars, class sessions and assembly meetings on the topic are all fine, but not when the adults involved fail to comply and report suspected abuse. What are the consequences? What are the laws involved and what recourse do parents have in these instances? Nothing will bring these children back, nor wipe away the pain, the anxiety and the sense of hopelessness that led them to think death was the preferable choice.
We sought out a number of resources, but the community must make a resolve to police things, if the schools have fallen short in this regard. Kids deserve to be protected.
Bullying (Am. Acad of Child & Adol. Psychiatry)
Bullying
About Bullying
What is Bullying? (Eng./French)
PTA
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Sertraline, or a Combination in Childhood Anxiety
The Child Anxiety Network
Anxiety (GAD) in Children
The Anxious Child
Anxiety and Stress Disorders in Children
Helping Children Handle Disaster-related Anxiety
Fact Sheets for Families (American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
Stress in Childhood
Anxiety Disorders Among Children
Helping Children Overcome Test Anxiety
Separation Anxiety in Young Children
Anxiety Disorders in Children: A test for parents
Get a Jump on School Anxiety
Elevated Cortisol Levels in Children with Anxiety Disorders
Korean Site with Medical/Psychological Information
Educational Paperback Association
Helping Children Cope with Fear and Anxiety
Parents Dealing with Children's Anxiety
Spence Children's Anxiety Scales
The Worried Child: Recognizing Anxiety in Children and Helping Them Heal (book)
Children's Mental Health Ontario (Canada)
Social Anxiety in Children with Anxiety Disorders (article)
Children's Anxiety Prior to Surgery (Yale article)
Children's Anxiety and Depression Linked to Later Substance Abuse (study)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (Children's Hospital, Boston, MA)
Clowns May Effectively Treat Preoperative Anxiety in Children
Effects of Anxiety Reduction on Children's School Performance
Family Involvement in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety in Children
The Vicious Cycle of Dental Fear
Child Abuse: Types, Signs, Symptoms, Causes and Help
Predicting Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children After Road Traffic Accidents
IQ and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Children Exposed to Interpersonal Violence
Traumatic Stress Syndrome in Children of Battered Women
Predictors of Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in Childhood Cancer Survivors
Treating Sexually Abused Children with Posttraumatic Stress Symtoms (study)
Factsheet 20: Traumatic Stress in Children: for Parents and Teachers
Adolescent Children of Cancer Patients Suffer PTSD Stress Symptoms
Trauma Severe for Iraqui Children
Foster care better for IQ than orphanage, study finds
PROTECTING KIDS' RIGHTS
American Humane Organization
Child Abuse Prevention Network
National Center for Children in Poverty
National Child Care Information Center
National Child Welfare Resource Center for Family-Centered Practice
Children's Rights Inc.
Children's Defense Fund
Child Welfare League of America
Child Welfare Institute
Child Trends, Inc.
Family Support America
National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
Urban Institute
National Fatherhood Initiative
When Hospitals Kept Children From Parents (NY Times article)
An Argument for Preschool Education (Newsweek)
Americans with Disabilities Act
ADA Home Page
US Department of Education
Disability Info on Education
Laws & Regulations
Elementary & Secondary Education Act
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
Find State and Local Education Resources
ADA Hot Links and Documents Center
Ryan White Story
Kids and Bipolar Disorder Controversy
The Bipolar Puzzle - What Does It Mean to Be a Manic-Depressive Child?
Radio Host Has Drug Company Ties
Exposed: Harvard Shrink Gets Rich Labeling Kids Bipolar
Association of Health Care Journalists
Pharma Funding Controversy Hones in on Psychiatry
Defusing the Explosive Child
Drugs, Money & Kids: A Dangerous Mix
Research Center Tied to Drug Company