BLOG
From the REACH Blog
The latest evidence, clinical insights, and practical perspectives on pediatric mental health — written specifically for primary care clinicians.
Search…
Find Articles
x Clear all filters
IEP and 504 school accommodations for mental health needs
July 12, 2022
Children with mental health diagnoses may need special accommodations in order to succeed in school. Patients with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or autism come immediately to mind. However, children with depression and anxiety disorders may also struggle in the classroom. Pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) and therapists can help families get the school accommodations their children need. Mark Wolraich, MD, REACH faculty member and retired professor of pediatrics at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, emphasizes that children are best served when professionals take a team approach to mental health care.
Read Article
ADHD medication “holidays”?
June 13, 2022
As summer rolls around, families may ask whether their children can have a “holiday” from their psychoactive medication, especially for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We asked Lawrence Amsel, MD, MPH, a REACH faculty member and associate professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, to lay out the pros and cons.
Read Article
Overcoming anxiety about the news
May 25, 2022
In the wake of the Texas school shooting tragedy, your young patients–and their families–may be experiencing anxiety that can affect normal functioning. That anxiety can manifest in many ways, from reluctance to go to school to increased aggressive tendencies. In fact, pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) have been observing the effects of news consumption on their young patients for years now. The spike in anxiety at the beginning of the Covid pandemic is another example. Families may be experiencing trauma as they watch scenes of devastation and displacement in Ukraine. Every act of terrorism or mass violence inspires more fear. The examples go on. As your families’ trusted PCP, you can influence how patients and families deal with anxiety over recent events and the continuous barrage of bad news that characterizes today’s media culture.
Read Article
Screening for trauma in pediatric primary care
May 23, 2022
Asked the top three things a pediatric primary care provider (PCP) needs to know about child trauma, Brooks Keeshin, MD, said, “Trauma happens. That’s numbers 1, 2, and 3.” In fact, up to 80% of children experience trauma by the time they are 18. A large body of evidence indicates that childhood trauma affects physical and mental health, both short term and long term. Dr. Keeshin, a child abuse pediatrician and child psychiatrist, is developing a new REACH Institute course to teach PCPs to assess and treat child trauma. “Trauma reactions can look like other mental health conditions,” said Dr. Keeshin. “Traumatic stress can present with symptoms of ADHD, depression, or anxiety. If the pediatrician knows a child has been exposed to trauma, that changes what they do. But first they need to know.”
Read Article
Eating Disorders in Adolescents: A Guide to Screening, Assessment, & Treatment for PCPs
April 14, 2022
Eating disorders are life-threatening mental health conditions—and they are not limited to affluent white girls! Eating disorders affect people of lower socioeconomic status, members of non-white ethnic groups, preteen children, and boys. LGBTQIA young people are at particular risk. DSM-5 defines four main categories of eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, along with several atypical disorders.
Read Article
Child abuse and neglect
March 21, 2022
In a study sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10.8% of adults reported having been physically abused as children, and 11.1% reported psychological abuse. Infants and young children are at greater risk than older children; neglect is more commonly reported than physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, according to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. As a pediatric primary care provider (PCP), you play a vital role in detecting and preventing child abuse and neglect.
Read Article
Helping African-American children with mental health issues
February 16, 2022
Last week I saw two children, both African American, who were having suicidal thoughts. In neither case did the child or the parents come in asking for mental health support. One, a 13-year-old girl I’ll call Simone, wrote on her PHQ-9 depression screener that she had attempted suicide. In our interview, she revealed that she had had sex with a man she met online and that she had been cutting herself. Yet the reason she and her parents came in was an ADHD medication check! Pediatric primary care providers (PCPs) need to realize that African-American families may not seek help for mental health issues. The reasons for the lack of disclosure are rooted in the stigma around mental health in the African-American community. The stigma, in turn, is rooted in the trauma associated with being Black in America.
Read Article
New treatments for ADHD
January 21, 2022
Newer treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pediatric patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) include two medications that address some of the common issues families have with standard stimulant treatments. Another development is use of devices to manage ADHD symptoms.
Read Article
Helping families deal with holiday stress
November 17, 2021
“In some ways the holidays this year will be harder than last year for many people,” said Deborah Buccino, MD, pediatrician and REACH board member. “Earlier, we had pretty clear-cut rules about what you could and could not do safely. This year, we have a lot more gray areas.”
Read ArticleEvery Investment Gets More Children the Care They Need
From sponsoring a full training cohort to funding an individual scholarship, every dollar expands access to evidence-based mental health care in the communities that need it most.
Explore Ways to GiveBetter Mental Health Care Starts Here.
Get the latest research, training updates, and practical tools
delivered to your inbox. Join thousands of clinicians working to
improve pediatric mental health outcomes.
LATEST
Registration closes August 7 for REACH’s Practical Behavior Management in Pediatric Primary Care (PBM) course taking place August 21. This evidence-based training is designed to help pediatric primary care clinicians effectively incorporate behavior management strategies into…
It was an honor to work with Children's Nebraska this past weekend! Clinicians from across the state joined us for three days of dynamic mental health care training. Our Patient-Centered Mental Health in Pediatric Primary Care…
📣 Introducing a brand-new training from The REACH Institute: Autism Essentials: Identify, Evaluate, Support on November 7. Developed in partnership with the SOCIETY FOR DEVELOPMENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL PEDIATRICS (SDBP), this new course equips pediatric primary care…
This Pride Month, we're recognizing the importance of affirming, accessible mental health care for LGBTQIA+ youth. These statistics from The Trevor Project reflect a reality that too many young people continue to face: significant mental health…
GET IN TOUCH