Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple

If your child is struggling to go to school and regularly wanting to stay home, it's important to learn more about what's making things so hard for them. Talking about it can help. Here are a couple ways to start a conversation with your child or teen, from child & adolescent psychiatrist Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH.

If you missed Khadijah and Gene's full discussion about school refusal, tune in here!

We hope that our conversation helps you to have yours.

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Does your child get stomach aches at the thought of going to school? Does your younger child throw temper tantrums? Does your teenager spend all day in the school counselor’s office, or even refuse to leave the home? When kids struggle to go to school, it can be a really challenging situation. And since the pandemic, child psychiatrists Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins are hearing more concerns about this kind of behavior from the parents they work with.

Today, Gene and Khadijah talk through school refusal: what it is, how to recognize signs in your child, and how to help. School refusal is very treatable! But getting to the root cause and responding quickly is key. Tune in for more!

Plus, Gene shares the Clay Center’s 2022 word of the year…

We hope that our conversation will help you to have yours. Have a question or comment? Write to us!

Media List

Follow along with the conversation. 

• School Refusal: When Back-to-School Is a Struggle (MGH Clay Center)
• Our Word of the Year (Instagram - MGH Clay Center)
• Building Mental Wellness in Children: What Parents Can Do (MGH Clay Center)
• What to say when your child doesn’t want to go to school (Understood.org)
• What If My Child Has an Anxiety Disorder? (MGH Clay Center)
• How to Understand Your Child’s “Anxiety Monster” (MGH Clay Center) 
• Helping Kids Through New School Transitions (MGH Clay Center)
• How to Help Young People Cope With Grief and Loss During COVID-19 (MGH Clay Center)
• Learning + Attention Issues, Topic Page (MGH Clay Center)
• The Impact of Divorce (MGH Clay Center)
• Creating Meaningful Conversation (The Family Dinner Project)
• Your Child’s Mental Health: What to Discuss During a Doctor Visit (Project TEACH)

Music by Gene Beresin

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we lead into a New Year, we wish you and your loved ones physical and mental wellness. It has been a challenging two years, with more challenges to come. But together, we can manage this. So for tonight, unwind a bit if you can, draw strength from memories past, and look forward to a new year with new beginnings.

Thank you for all you do to support the young people in your life. It really makes a difference.

Auld Lang Syne (traditional Scottish folk song)

Musicians Gene Beresin and Jim Mayer

Arranged by Gene Beresin

Poem by Robert Burns, 1788

English Lyrics:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and never brought to mind?

Should old acquaintance be forgot,

and old lang syne?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

For auld lang syne,

We’ll take a cup of kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup!

And surely I’ll buy mine!

And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

For auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,

And picked the daisies fine;

But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,

Since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,

from morning sun till dine;

But seas between us broad have roared

since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend!

And give me a hand o’ thine!

And we’ll take a right good-will draught,

For auld lang syne.

CHORUS

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Mindfully enjoying the things we look forward to during the holidays is a great way for families to lessen stress and support well-being. What are Gene and Khadijah's favorite things about the holiday season? Tune in!

From all of us at the MGH Clay Center, we wish you a wonderful holiday season. May your minds be merry and bright.

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Families have felt tremendous stress over the past two years due to the pandemic. But for many, this is a special time of year that we fantasize about and look forward to, and it’s not healthy to go into the holiday season at this heightened state of stress and duress.

Perhaps you're anxious about spending time with loved ones in a safe way, or fighting about house rules with your college student who is home. The season may be challenging because it awakens traumas from your past. Or maybe you just want to give your child the emotional break and fun they need, but it’s hard when you can’t unwind yourself.

Today, Gene and Khadijah share strategies to help you feel less overwhelmed this season, and wind down a bit leading up to the new year. Plus, they share favorite songs they’ve been sharing with each other.

Thank you for joining in this conversation. If you have questions or comments, please write to us!

Media List

(follow along with the conversation)

• Coping With Holiday Stress: 11 Parenting Tips (MGH Clay Center)
• AAP, AACAP, CHA declare national emergency in children’s mental health (American Academy of Pediatrics)
• Surgeon General Advisory Raises Alarm on Youth Mental Health (U.S. News)
• Getting to the Finish Line: Will You Choose Endurance or Resilience? (MGH Clay Center)
• 12 Responsibilities For Kids That Make Them Feel Special, According to Experts (Romper)
• 4 ways to create and share music playlists with friends and family (Kim Komando)
• How to Preserve and Share Grandma’s Recipes (WIRED)
• Turning to Gratitude: Conversation Starters – “What song…?” clip (YouTube – MGH Clay Center)
• Supporting Your Child In the Face of Trauma (Project TEACH)
• What we know about the victims of the Michigan school shooting (CBS News)
• Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• A Parent & Caregiver Resource – Shining Light on Mental Health Through Education (YouTube – MGH Clay Center)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we "fall back" this weekend, hold onto to some clinical wisdom from Bernard Kinane, MD, Director of the Pediatric Sleep Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. He joins Dr. Gene Beresin in this clip from a recent episode to answer the question: "If a child or young adult is sleep deprived, can they make up for it on the weekend or at other times?"

Want more on sleep, kids, and mental health? Tune in to the full episode here: https://bitly.com/SID-SLEEP

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If your young person is struggling in school, and you think it might be Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins has some ways to start a conversation with them. These conversation starters might help you learn more about what's making things so hard at school. Also, watch Dr. Booth Watkins' short video on recognizing signs of ADHD in your child.

Thanks for tuning in! We hope that our conversation helps you to have yours.

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In today's episode of Shrinking It Down, we revisit some of the most helpful conversations we've had with clinical experts about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in kids and teens. First, we talk through what ADHD really is with Dr. Ellen Braaten (01:10), including the three types of ADHD and how the behavioral signs can be different in different children. Then, we take a closer look at the use of medication for ADHD with Dr. Timothy Wilens (15:55), including when medication can be most useful as a treatment for your child, and when it probably isn't needed. Finally, we learn more about Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) from Dr. Susan Sprich (19:25), and how it can be a helpful part of a child's, or an adult's, ADHD treatment plan.

Please tune in! We hope that our conversation helps you to have yours.

Media List

• Ellen Braaten, PhD, Executive Director, MGH Learning & Emotional Assessment Program
• Timothy Wilens, MD, Chief, MGH Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
• Susan Sprich, PhD, Director, MGH Psychology Training, Co-Clinical Director of Psychology
• Does My Child Have ADHD? Things to Consider (Clay Center TV, YouTube)
• Q+A: Is ADHD Overdiagnosed? (MGH Clay Center)
• Understanding ADHD full episode, with Dr. Braaten (MGH Clay Center)
• Medications: For Better or Worse? full episode, featuring Dr. Wilens (MGH Clay Center)
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy full episode, featuring Dr. Sprich (MGH Clay Center)
• More ADHD Resources for Families (MGH Clay Center)
• ADDA Virtual Support Groups (Attention Deficit Disorder Association)

Music by Gene Beresin

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If Instagram and social media are still on your mind after our last episode, but you still haven't talked to your teen about your concerns, here are some things to say to start the conversation. Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins says, it can actually be pretty simple if you approach the conversation with curiosity. Dr. Gene Beresin says, you might learn a lot about what's really going on in your child's digital media circles if you're willing to include them as part of the problem-solving team.

Tune in for their suggestions. We hope our conversation will help you to have yours.

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We weren’t due for another episode until next week, but given the news of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and her disturbing claims that the company knows its platforms cause mental harm, including to teen girls, Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins are back early. They put on their shrink caps to process the concerns that Instagram poses to children and teens, and talk through guidance to help young people navigate digital media in healthier and safer ways. We’re all hostages to this digital age, and we need to know how to harness it, protect ourselves, and protect our children and teens. A lot of this starts with casual but sincere conversations with our kids to learn more about what media they use, how they use it, why they use it – to be more informed and guide them in thinking more critically about it. Plus, Gene and Khadijah concrete conversation starters and approaches to begin these important conversations and keep them going.

Thank you for tuning in. We hope that our conversation will help you to have yours. Questions or comments? Write to us!

Media List

Follow along with the conversation.

• Facebook Whistleblower Frances Haugen: The 60 Minutes Interview (60 Minutes)
• Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show (The Wall Street Journal)
• 8 facts about Americans and Instagram (Pew Research Center)
• The Immediacy of Digital Media: For Better or Worse? (MGH Clay Center)
• Digital Media and Body Image (MGH Clay Center)
• Body Image, Media, and Eating Disorders—a 10-Year Update (Academic Psychiatry)
• The Developmental Challenges of Middle School: It’s Not So Much Who You Are, But Whom You’re With (MGH Clay Center)
• Instagram promoted pages glorifying eating disorders to teen accounts (CNN)
• Media Literacy and Mental Health, featuring Common Sense Media (MGH Clay Center)
• Factors Correlated with Violent Video Game use by Adolescent Boys and Girls (Journal of Adolescent Health)
• Internet meme (Wikipedia)
• 50 must-do fall activities for families (Today’s Parent)

Episode produced by Sara Rattigan

Music by Gene Beresin

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.