Some children experience anxiety through physical symptoms that are manifested as a result of their angst.
The Child Mind Institute has released some resources to tackle stomach aches, headaches, or other symptoms that result from being anxious.
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A child might complain of a stomach ache or headache but if a pediatrician rules out an infection or illness, it might mean that they are suffering from anxiety.
The Child Mind Institute’s resources discuss how anxiety can be connected to physical symptoms. And it also discusses the various ways to deal with them – for example, it might be a good idea to allow an anxious child to take a mental health day at home, while at the same time this could be a problem if it becomes a habit.
The institute’s resources include articles on school refusal – which is when children refuse to go to school due to anxiety issues – and how to test for anxiety. There are tips for combatting anxiety and a piece on behavioral health therapy.
Resources in the series include:
The Child Mind Institute will host a virtual panel discussion on Wednesday, May 14 to discuss findings of a study on mental health support for Black families.
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The institute, in partnership with The Steve Fund, recently released findings from its mental health support for Black families study. The comprehensive literature review and nationally representative survey exposes a shift in views toward mental health within the Black community – and highlights significant gaps in access and quality of mental healthcare. The study was made possible by the Morgan Stanley Alliance for Children’s Mental Health.
During the panel discussion, experts will discuss the findings of the study and how mental health professionals, organizations, and communities can break down barriers and improve the quality of mental health care for Black children and young adults.
Topics will include:
- Shifts in views toward mental health
- Parent vs. young adult response to stigma
- Barriers to quality care
- Medication skepticism
- Intervention and prevention initiatives
Continuing medical education credits for psychiatrists and continuing education credits for psychologists and social workers are available to registered course participants.
The event will run from noon to 1:30 p.m. ET on May 14. Register now.
The Child Mind Institute has shared a series of resources and articles on learning disorders among children that focus on everything from sensory processing issues to how to support children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
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The resources provided by The Child Mind Institute discuss how learning disorders evolve as children grow up and how parents can support them over time.
Topics include ADHD, dyslexia, sensory processing issues, and how some symptoms of various disorders might diminish over time but then present different challenges.
Articles shared by The Child Mind Institute include:
Shyness can often be difficult for children to overcome. As a result, it can lead to misunderstanding and be a challenge for adults to comprehend what is causing a child’s reticence.
The Child Mind Institute has put together a list of resources on shyness and selective mutism to helps adults navigate these challenges.
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Some children are cautious in new situations or with unfamiliar people. This could stem from the child’s temperament.
Some children who are communicative at home – but unable to speak in such settings as school – may have a disorder known as selective mutism (SM). Children with SM are often misunderstood as refusing to speak, but they could be experiencing anxiety that prevents them from using their voice. Attempting to force them to talk can increase that anxiety.
The Child Mind Institute’s resources include articles on everything from behavioral treatment for children with SM to how to know if medication is required. There is also information on other disorders that bear similarity to extreme shyness – such as separation or social anxiety.
The Child Mind Institute’s resources include:
The Child Mind Institute has compiled a list of books about mental health and learning challenges for children that has been broken down by topic.
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The Best Kids’ Books on Mental Health of 2024 features 20 books with imaginative and sympathetic takes on emotional issues. The books on the list vary from picture books for young children to a graphic novel for middle schoolers.
Topics in the book include everything from difficult experiences – such as losing a friend or moving to a new place – to demystifying mental health and such developmental disorders as ADHD, anxiety, depression, and autism.
Many of the books tackle how to handle big emotions and examine how to help children to learn to talk about them, cope with them, and feel assured that they will still be loved when they are sad, mad, or cranky.
This Year’s Selections
The 20 books on the list are broken down by topic. They include:
- Anxiety
o The Worry Monster (Dr. Catherine Cook-Cottone)
o What to Do When You Worry Too Much (Dawn Huebner, PhD)
o Invisible Isabel (Sally J. Pla)
o Unstuck (Barbara Dee)
- Mindfulness
o A Tiny Difference (June Tate)
o Today (Gabi Snyder)
- Feelings
o Bea’s Bad Day (Tom Percival)
o The Hare-Shaped Hole (John Dougherty)
o My Thoughts Have Wings (Maggie Smith)
o Cranky (Phuc Tran)
o A Terrible Place for a Nest (Sara Levine)
- Sadness and Depression
o The Cat Who Couldn’t Be Bothered (Jack Kurland)
o Gray (Laura Dockrill)
o A Voice in the Storm (Dawn Huebner)
- OCD
o The Very Best Me (Marin Canaday)
o Puzzled (Pan Cooke)
- ADHD
o That Always Happens Sometimes (Kiley Frank)
- Autism
o Henry and the Something New (Jenn Bailey)
- Eating Disorders
o Louder Than Hunger (John Schu)
- A Parent’s Addiction
o Breaking Into Sunlight (John Cochran)
To view the entire list, visit the Child Mind Institute’s website.
The Child Mind Institute will host a webinar on why girls are more likely than boys to suffer from depression and how to offer support.
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The free webinar will involve a discussion on how girls are twice as likely to experience depression, with six in 10 high school girls reporting persistent sadness.
Why More Girls Suffer from Depression and How to Support Them will help participants to understand why and learn how caregivers, educators, and professionals can offer support. A roundtable discussion will include doctors Lindsay Henderson, Omar Gudino, and Dionne Smith Coker-Appiah.
It will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Registration is now open.
The Child Mind Institute will host a free webinar on why some boys struggle in school and what can be done to help.
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Why Boys Struggle in School and How to Help will discuss how boys disproportionately struggle in school. The free webinar will explore why this occurs and how caregivers, educators, and policy makers can work together to support boys academically while protecting their mental health.
A panel discussion will cover:
- Why boys struggle academically
- What needs to change in the education system to help them succeed
- How caregivers, educators, and community leaders can support them while protecting their mental health
The webinar starts at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Registration is now open.
