Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple

The teen years can be a time for experimenting with alcohol and other drugs. But a recent CDC study found the reason why teens use substances today isn’t just for experimentation, but also to stop worrying about problems, and even to help with depression or anxiety. Today, Gene and Khadijah discuss how to approach your teen if you’ve discovered they are using alcohol, marijuana, or a prescription or over-the-counter drug, and what health risks to know about for each of these.These are hard conversations to have. We hope that ours will help you to have yours.Media ListWhen to Worry, What to Do PDF Library (MGH Clay Center)CDC Report Indicates Teens are Seeking to Escape Worries and Stress Through Drug Use (HuffPost)Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health (US Dept of Health & Human Services)Alcohol & Adolescents, featuring John F. Kelly, PhD, ABPP (Podcast) Alcohol - Conversation Starters with Dr. Gene Beresin (YouTube)Asking Adolescents About Alcohol

Many of us have heard of dog therapy and pet therapy. But what exactly is equine therapy?Special guest Janice Gilman of BINA Farm Center joins Gene and Khadijah to help us learn about the many different kinds of equine therapy for kids. What make horses so unique when it comes to therapeutic treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, anxiety, and more? Plus, tune in until the end to hear everyone's favorite horse films and TV shows!Media ListFollow along with the conversation.Who We Are (BINA Farm Center)How Much Does a Horse Weigh? (PetMD)Equine-Facilitated Psychotherapy: Facing Trauma With a horse by Their Side (McLean Hospital)Very fashionable Angel! (BINA Farm, Instagram)Hippotherapy (Nationwide Children’s Hospital)Effect of animal assisted interactions on activity and stress response in children in acute care settings (Comprehensive Psychoneuroendicrinology)How Horses Read Human Emotions (EQUUS)Therapeutic horseback riding for at-risk adolescents in residential care (Child and Adolescent Psy

To address the youth mental health crisis, we need to approach it from different angles – including access, education, and legislation. So, what are states doing to make a difference?Today, Gene and Khadijah are joined by special guest Senator John C. Velis of Massachusetts. Senator Velis shines light on current efforts in Massachusetts to better utilize schools for prevention and early intervention, to help increase the behavioral health workforce, and more. He also generously shares some of his personal mental health journey.Read the episode transcript.Media ListFollow along with the conversation.Senator John C. Velis (malegislature.gov)A Good Day on Beacon Hill (Instagram, MGH Clay Center)Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery (malegislature.gov)Sen. John Velis faces alcoholism one day at a time (CommonWealth Beacon)Could your Honor Student Have an Addiction? feat. Marty Walsh (YouTube, MGH Clay Center)Regional roadmap seeks to address youth mental health ‘crisis’ (Daily Hampshire Gaz

Very special guest Senator John C. Velis of Massachusetts joins Gene and Khadijah to discuss legislative opportunities to address the youth mental health crisis. He says a big focus needs to be on schools, for both intervention and prevention.Be sure to tune in next week on the THIRD Thursday of the month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What role should prescription stimulant medication play in a child’s ADHD treatment plan? Today, Gene and Khadijah are joined by Tony Rostain, MD, MA, chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Cooper University Health Care, to discuss this and more.How do you talk to your child about stimulants? What side effects should you watch out for? How do you manage after-school rebound? If you’re a parent trying to navigate the stimulant shortage, Dr. Rostain has advice on that, too. PLUS, some cool info on the history of stimulants.Read the episode transcript here.Media ListFollow along with the conversationAnthony Rostain, MD, MA (Cooper University Health Care)What’s behind the ADHD drug shortage? (WBUR On Point)Stimulant Abuse: Pharmacology, Cocaine, Methamphetamine, Treatment, Attempts at Pharmacotherapy (Primary Care via PubMed Central)Ask Ellen: How to Help Your Child Develop Executive Function Skills (MGH Clay Center on YouTube)Is It Safe to Use Stimulants to Treat ADHD? (MGH Clay Center)Understanding t

Special guest Anthony Rostain, MD, MA joins us this month to discuss all things stimulants - myths, misconceptions, and managing the shortage. If you have a young person in your life with ADHD, or have ADHD yourself, you don't want to miss this episode!See you back here on December 21st - the THIRD Thursday of the month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent national surveys show that a significant proportion of college students report having felt overwhelmed, anxious, and lonely during college. If college is supposed to be the “best years of your life” then why are so many students lonely? That’s what Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins dive into today: what’s contributing to feelings of loneliness, when should we worry about it, and what can we do to help? They share tips for parents and caregivers, and college students themselves.Media ListFollow along with the conversation.New Surgeon General Raises Alarm About the Devastating Impact of the Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation in the United States (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)Our Epidemic of Loneliness: Implementing the Surgeon General’s recommendations for parents and caregivers (Psychology Today)’22-’23 Student Lifestyle Survey (Sodexo)Publications and Reports: ACHA-NCHA III (Spring 2023) (American College Health Association)Why Is College So Lonely? (The Sophian)The Chal

All of us have fears – kids and adults alike. Many of us even enjoy a good scare now and again (there’s a reason why horror movies do so well). Most fears – real or imagined – eventually respond to reassurance, emotional calming, or distraction. But when a fear persists, resisting rational or emotional soothing and creating obstacles in daily life, it becomes a phobia.Just in time for Halloween, we’re kicking off our new season with a look at specific phobias in kids. We’re joined by special guest Susan Sprich, PhD of Massachusetts General Hospital to learn more about fears and phobias, and to discuss what treatments work best and what parents can do to help.Media ListSusan Sprich, PhD (Massachusetts General Hospital)Cognitive Behavior Therapy, featuring Susan Sprich, PhD (Spotify)Could You Have Samhainophobia or the Fear of Halloween? (VeryWell)Types of Specific Phobia (Perlman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania)Fear of the Dark? 16 Ways to Help Your Child (MGH Clay Center)Nature Vs. Nurture, fea

Transcript:Hi, this is Gene Beresin, co-host of Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple. We’ll have all new episodes for you beginning next month – on the THIRD THURSDAY of every month. We’ve got some great topics lined up for this season: the stimulant shortage, phobias in kids and teens, the benefits on animal therapy, and so much more. Do stay tuned, and we'll see you soon. Subscribe wherever you stream - new episodes every THIRD THURSDAY of the month. Like what you hear? Leave us a review! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With increasing gun violence and constant media coverage, many kids are scared to go to concerts, to malls, to school. Many adults are feeling the same. Today, special guest Gretchen Felopulos, PhD, the education and training lead for the Center for Gun Violence Prevention at MGH, joins Gene and Khadijah to help us learn more about gun safety, youth suicide, best practices for lockdown drills, talking about guns to those with opposing views, and so much more. Be sure to see the resources, below.Media ListFollow along with the conversation.Gretchen Felopulos, PhD (LinkedIn)Center for Gun Violence Prevention (Massachusetts General Hospital)Twitter, TikTok, and Siloization (The Medium)Firearm suicide among America’s youth has hit its highest rate in 20 years, report finds (CBS News)Talking to Kids About Fear and Violence (Mental Health America)Can Community Programs Help Slow the Rise in Violence? (ProPublica)Are active shooter drills worth it? (Vox)Active Shooter Situations: Threat Assessment Teams (TAT) (REMS

The transition to college can be huge for all kids, but for young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) there's even more to consider in making it a smooth transition. As parents, how do we best support them? How involved should we be? Special guest Dr. Chris Keary of the MGH Lurie Center for Autism Center joins Gene and Khadijah with helpful advice and answers to these questions and more. Media ListFollow along with the conversation.Christopher Keary, MD (Massachusetts General Hospital)MGH Fellowship Program in Autism Spectrum Disorder (Lurie Center for Autism)What is Autism Spectrum? (MGH Clay Center)Transition Planning Requirements of IDEA 2004 (Learning Disabilities Association of America)Autism Resource Central (HMEA)**What are a public or private college-university’s responsibilities to students with disabilities? (ADA National Network)First-of-its-kind law improves college access for students with autism, intellectual disabilities (The Boston Globe)Autism Disclosure and College (Asperger/Autism Ne

We’ve reached a point in time where most of our kids have grown up with digital media as a way of life. Social media, instant viral news, e-learning, digital surveillance – it’s all here to stay. And it’s not all bad. But there are some legitimate concerns about how it’s impacting the mental health and safety of young people.In this episode of Shrinking It Down, we revisit some of the most helpful conversations we’ve had about digital media’s impact on our kids and teens. From issues related to body image and gaming disorder, to ways we can help our young digital natives become more digitally vigilant, Gene, Khadijah, and other experts share practical advice for every caring adult. To hear to any of the previous episodes in full or see the resources shared in their write ups, check out our media list, below. Media ListUnsettled About Instagram?Body Image and Young People, feat. Holly Peek, MD, MPHGaming Disorder, with Steven Schlozman, MDMedia Literacy and Mental Health, fea

Anxiety. It's rising in our kids and teens. What can we do to help? Today, Gene and Khadijah are joined by very special guest Dr. Kevin Simon, Chief Behavioral Health Officer for the City of Boston. Dr. Simon draws on his experience in child & adolescent psychiatry, addiction medicine, health policy, and more, to help us talk through childhood anxiety. What’s the right way to respond to a child with anxiety? Why can parental accommodation make things worse? How do we reassure kids whose anxiety stems from legitimate concerns, like community violence or discrimination? What’s the role of mental health education in supporting families?Tune in and share with a friend. And be sure to check out the additional resources below.Media List Kevin M. Simon, MD, LLCDr. Kevin Simon Appointed First Chief Behavioral Health Officer (City of Boston)St. Peter Claver RC Church (Place Matters)YRBS Data Summary & Trends Report, 2011-2021 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)What If My Child Has Anxiety? (PDF – MGH

We often hear about how stigma can prevent treatment for mental disorders and promote feelings of shame or low self-worth among those struggling. Did you know the same is true for obesity? Obesity is a complex disease, and stigma stems from a misunderstanding of what it is, what contributes, and how it can be treated.Today, we're joined by Angela Fitch, MD, a leader in the field of obesity medicine, to help us learn more about what we can all do to support kids who are struggling with obesity and shift the culture around weight bias. We discuss personal biases, effective treatment, and the mental health toll obesity stigma can take on our kids who need us to step up on this issue.Tune in & share with someone you know.Media ListAngela Fitch, MD, FACP, FOMA (Obesity Medicine Association)More About Knownwell (Knownwell.co)Consensus Statement on Obesity (The Obesity Society)What Is Body Composition? (WebMD)BMI ≠ Obesity = Excess Adiposity (ConscienHealth)Adipose Tissue (Body Fat) (Cleveland Clinic)Study: BMI

From challenges with hair pulling to supporting a child through a regression in toilet training, Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins answer real parent questions in this episode. For each question, they offer clinical insight to help parents better understand what might be going on, and suggestions for next steps and ways to support the child. We think all caring adults will be interested in this discussion. Be sure to tune in.Follow along with the media list below, and if this episode sparks another question, write to us! We’ll include it in a future episode. Like what you hear? Leave us a review!Media ListDr. J. Stuart Ablon: Kids Lack Skills, Not Will to Do Well (YouTube-AccuTrain)Question #1: How to Help With Hair Pulling (01:40)Hair Pulling (Trichotillomania) (AACAP)What If My Child Has Obsessive Compuslive Disorder (OCD)? (MGH Clay Center)Cognitive Behavior Therapy: A Closer Look (MGH Clay Center)What If My Child Is Prescribed an SSRI? (MGH Clay Center)Question #2: How to Help My Teenager wi

We're kicking off 2023 with a special episode of Shrinking It Down featuring *you* our listeners. What questions do you have about the mental health of a child or teen in your life?Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins will answer them on January 19!E-mail your questions: gene@mghclaycenter.orgMessage us your questions: Instagram (instagram.com/mghclaycenter) or Facebook (facebook.com/massgeneralclaycenter)Leave a voice mail with your questions: (617) 643-1590 (press # to skip the message)We'll see you back here on January 19, and the Third Thursday of every month: Be There, or Be Square (TikTok). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do social issues intersect with youth sports? Tune in to this bonus episode of Shrinking It Down, featuring Dr. Jonathan Jenkins of the Sport Psychology Program at Mass General, for a thoughtful conversation on how societal concerns, including systemic racism, continue to impact our all of our young athletes. Media ListJonathan Jenkins, Psy.D, CMPC (LinkedIn)The NBA took a stand against police violence. But a second message quickly became clear (CNN)Our Definition of Social Justice (John Lewis Institute for Social Justice)Dr. Chester Pierce (MGH Global Psychiatry)10 Important Steps for Parenting Young Athletes (MGH Clay Center)Inside the lack of racial diversity in lacrosse (The Daily Orange)Title IX 50 year later: Why female athletes are still fighting for equality (On Point, WBUR) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sports can be such a positive space for young people to let off steam, learn important life skills, and build long lasting relationships. There are times, though, when it can be too much, injury strikes, or someone doesn’t make the team they were hoping to.Dr. Jonathan Jenkins joins Gene and Khadijah to discuss all things sports psychology and how best to support our young people in an important area of their lives. Whether your child dreams of being a professional or just likes to play for fun, tune in to learn how parents can promote a healthy mindset around sports and physical activity. Media ListFollow along with the conversation. Dr. Jonathan Jenkins, Psy.D CMPC (Ruderman Foundation)Ted Lasso (YouTube)MGH Sport Psychology (Mass General Hospital)Getting to the Finish Line: Will You Choose Endurance or Resilience? (MGH Clay Center)Unorganized Youth Sports Is Missing From Society (T-Ball America)How to Support Youth Athletes When a Sports Injury Derails Their Season (MGH Clay Center)10 Important Steps

*Content Warning: This episode contains segments of discussion that may be difficult for some audience members to hear. Content such as descriptions of self-harm methods are included.Self-harm is a rising mental health concern that tends to begin in the teenage years. But what are some of the causes and what can we do to help our kids who are struggling? In this episode, very special guest Dr. Blaise Aguirre of McLean Hospital joins Gene and Khadijah to unpack why some kids engage in self-injury, what some of the warning signs are to look out for, and what parents can do at home to manage if their child is self-harming.Media ListFollow along with the conversation.Blaise Aguirre, MD (McLean Hospital)3East Continuum of Care (McLean Hospital)Dialectical Behavior Therapy – DBT (Cleveland Clinic)'DBT For Dummies' Offers Insights On Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (MSNBC)Brain Changes Found in Self-Injuring Teen Girls (Ohio State University News)Children Who Cut Themselves (MGH Clay Center)Borderline Personality Dis

As Dr. Gene Beresin always says, music is a universal language. To kick off our new podcast season, and in honor of Gene’s new book, Music, today we’ll look into the ways music can help us heal. Special guest Marisabelle Díaz-Falcón, a board-certified music therapist at Massachusetts General Hospital joins Gene and Khadijah to talk about the ways music therapy helps kids (and adults!) in the hospital. Backed by science, the benefits of music therapy are plentiful, and we’re here to give you tips on how to bring some of these benefits home!Media ListFollow along with the conversation. "Better When I’m Dancin'" by Meghan Trainor (YouTube)Music (Arts for Health) (Amazon)Marisabelle Díaz-Falcón, MT-BC (MGH)End of Summer Playlist 2022 (MGH Clay Center)Music Therapy (Mass General for Children)Community Music Center of Boston (CMCB.org)Center for Music Therapy (Berklee College of Music)Trauma: What Parents Should Know (MGH Clay Center)Gate Control Theory of Pain (YouTube)Just for fun: Gene’s Mug (Google)Like what yo