Mental, Behavioral and Development Health

Pediatricians are the ideal first-line providers to help identify, refer, and support new mothers affected by postpartum depression.

Clinically significant depression can occur in children aged as young as 3 years. Here’s how to recognize the symptoms and identify risk factors in your young patients.

A new study in JAMA Psychiatry provides another reason to recommend long-acting reversible contraceptives to adolescent female patients: oral contraceptives may increase the risk of depression.

Oregon has passed several new laws aimed at suicide prevention, with 2 of those specifically targeting students by offering excused mental health days and requiring school districts to develop comprehensive suicide prevention plans for at-risk students.

Fast food is a common element of many teenagers’ diets. This ubiquitous nature has frustrated pediatric providers fighting the tide of pediatric obesity, but a new small study from University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers indicates that another negative consequence could be an increased risk of depression.

Does childhood-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) increase the risk of psychiatric disorders or suicide attempts? A study from the Karolinska Institutet in Solna, Sweden, examines whether the link exists.

The detention crisis at the border of the United States has led to many doctors worrying about the psychological toll on the children held in the detention camps. A recent studyoffers some insight into the problem.

More adolescents are turning to the emergency department for help during mental health crises, leading researchers to call for better treatment and prevention strategies.

Research suggests a family history of mental and neurologic disorders may increase risk factors for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in a child.

This month’s quiz will test your knowledge of key diagnostic points in the screening process for depression in primary care. You’ll test your knowledge on 5 key points. Each point gives you context for the correct answer-and, most importantly, provides valuable resources.

More parents are looking to nutritional supplements to address depression symptoms in their children. Here’s what pediatricians need to know about the risks and benefits of these treatment options.

Whereas rates of screening for adolescent major depressive disorder (MDD) have increased in recent years, they still are insufficient to address the current mental health crisis among adolescents, an analysis of countrywide data for 413,080 12- to 14-year-olds showed.

Infections and how they are treated early in life may impact how mental health disorders develop early on, according to a new report, highlighting the need for a better understanding of the mind/body connection.

Teenagers who display certain obsessive-compulsive symptoms, even without a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), may be at higher risk for other serious psychiatric problems.

The teenaged years are difficult across the board, but a report highlights the additional challenges for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) adolescents and calls to attention their increased risk for suicide attempts.

Pediatricians are in a unique position to identify risk factors for suicide and provide anticipatory guidance and interventions to patients and families.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara discusses the draft statement from the US Preventive Services Task Force on the need to refer pregnant women at risk of perinatal depression to appropriate counseling.

Mental health is a critical component of pediatric overall health. Early recognition of subtle signs and symptoms of mental health problems followed by immediate treatment is an equally critical element to ensure the establishment of normal mental health throughout development.

Pediatricians need to recognize symptoms of perinatal depression in new mothers, provide basic counseling and treatment, and refer for appropriate services when needed.

Pediatricians are quite capable of caring for both the physical and mental health of patients. Here is how embedding mental health services into your practice and collaborating with community mental health professionals can accomplish both.

The startling increase in the number of adolescents thinking about and attempting suicide is a wake-up call for pediatric healthcare providers to take action and help these children at risk.

Only 20% of all children covered under Medicaid received a mental health diagnosis, and 80% were given at least 1 prescription medication to treat their condition, according to a recent report.

Suicide rates are rising, according to a new report. There is no singular cause for this rise, and the same is true for the solution.

A first-ever study reveals that cybernegativity can lead some young persons to bully themselves online.

Two new studies quantify the negative effects of adverse events in childhood on physical and mental health issues in LGBTQ individuals.

Homeless children face a multitude of problems, and clinicians have little guidance on the best ways to help them.

Jane Mendle, PhD’s research at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, investigating the long-term psychological effects of early puberty has significant implications for our practices as pediatric nurse practitioners-and for all healthcare providers.