117. The Roots of Adolescents' Mental-Health Crisis: Erica Komisar

Are you struggling to raise emotionally healthy, resilient adolescents in this fast-paced, ever-changing world?

America has an epidemic of mental health disorders in adolescents that has made parenting even more challenging, but parents can still have an enormous impact on the health and well-being of their children. In her new book, Chicken Little: The Sky Isn't Falling, Erica Komisar offers parents the tools they need to navigate this tumultuous time of change and create a continuous deep connection with their children.

Erica is a psychoanalyst and parent guidance expert who has been in private practice in New York City for over 30 years. She's also the author of Being There: Why Prioritizing Motherhood in the First Three Years Matters.

7:00  Teenagers still need their parents' guidance, even though teens tend to push their parents away  

8:40  Covid exacerbated mental health issues and distress in younger people  

11:30  There's a tremendous amount of sacrifice involved if you're going to raise and care for children well  

13:40  We have placed more emphasis on money and career success than on caring for children  

16:30  The best way to help quell the mental health crisis in children and adolescents is to prevent it from developing  

19:00  Our society is achievement focused, rather than focused on emotional health, etc.  

19:30  We “check out” of our children’s lives and simultaneously expect them to achieve more  

20:00  Poverty can cause depression and so can affluence—in the same way.  

22:00  Erica talks about her new book, Chicken Little.  

23:00  At its root, anxiety is fear  

24:00  The push for early independence is backfiring  

24:30  The internet and social media has had a corrosive impact on the mental health of adolescence  

27:30  Video games and tech additions are symptoms of anxiety and depression  

31:40  Parents must be present during adolescence  

34:00  You cannot protect your adolescent from pain and frustration, but it is a parents job to help them process it  

35:00  Too many choices cause problems  

38:35  We help shape our children’s identity over time. Parenting is also about helping your children take things OFF their plate.  

41:00  Women/Girls get the message about having to “be something” more than boys/men  

42:00 - PARENTS MATTER!