Silver Hill Hospital is currently accepting enrollments for our Adolescent Group Intensive Outpatient Program.

How and When to Apologize Properly to your Child

October is National Bullying Prevention Month, and with good reason. Being bullied is linked to many mental illnesses including depression, anxiety, substance abuse and even suicide. Cardinal signs of school bullying include school avoidance, academic difficulties, changes in sleep patterns and health problems. The impact can last a lifetime.

Summer vacation is just beginning, but before you know it, it will be time for many teens to start a whole new chapter in their lives and leave home to begin their freshman year of college. A certain amount of stress and anxiety is bound to come with the transition to independence no matter how excited a kid is to leave the nest. 

Taking a sip of alcohol before the age of 21 seems pretty harmless to most teens, but the truth is drinking has damaging effects when abused. It’s important to educate kids at a young age about the risks associated with alcohol, which is why "For the Health of It: Early Education on Alcoholism and Addiction" is the theme of this year’s National Alcohol Awareness Month. 

As fall arrives, college students are settling into their routines. The pressures of college create a great deal of stress for students. Keeping up with school work, getting good grades and navigating new social circles can weigh heavily on a young mind. How does one keep up?

What are the benefits of sending your son or daughter to camp?  Summer camp is a wonderful opportunity to experience a trial separation from the nest – it gives kids a chance to grow their independence under supervision, develop mastery in areas that interest them, and experiment with developing their own ideas and approaches to socializing outside their customary context.  If we think of home as a secure base – just like we think of moms as secure bases for infants – camp allows kids to experiment with exploring their environment and learning about themselves and their world.

1 in 5 children, either currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental disorder. Most of these disorders begin by the age of 14, but often treatment isn’t sought until years later. 

As we sit and watch the Super Bowl and look forward to the Olympics, it's easy to think our child might be the next sports prodigy. If only they showed some discipline, went to their trainers, worked hard. It may well be your child is a gifted athlete, but pushing them or becoming an over-involved sports parent will not only embarrass them, it creates unnecessary anxiety for them -- at a time when they need it least -- and can be detrimental to their long term development.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and it’s more important than ever to raise awareness of the horrible epidemic of bullying and cyberbullying. Although not every person shows signs of being bullied, many do. If any of the signs below are observed in your children, don’t ignore them.

For Children and adolescents, it is estimated that one in every five has a mental health disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, half of all chronic mental illnesses begin by the age of 14 and fully three quarters have begun by age 24. However, few receive appropriate psychiatric services treatment until years, even decades later. The reasons for this include stigma, lack of resources, and a dearth of trained professions.

As a community, the Sandy Hook area has suffered an unspeakable loss of previously unimaginable proportions. However, becoming as informed as possible is one way to cope. Therefore, we have compiled a list of trusted resources to help you deal with this loss. You will find information for children, teens and adults, videos, PDFs and books. We will continue to update this information as additional resources become available.

According to Stopbullying.gov, bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.  More than just physical abuse, it also includes making threats, spreading rumors or excluding someone from a group on purpose.  Bullying seems to be reaching epidemic proportions.

Adolescent Consultant Barbara Greenberg, Ph.D. discusses how summer is the perfect opportunity to help teens grow into independent adults who make wise decisions. Several parenting tips included.

Many schools will soon be hosting their senior proms, and while we do need to be concerned about all the excess that seems inherent to the event – indulgent spending, drinking, wild behavior – proms can be fun and meaningful events for you both.

All adults, including parents, coaches and teachers, are important role models for kids. It is by example that we teach them to celebrate victory and accept disappointment. They idealize and emulate us. Much of the research shows that the influence of adult role models may even surpass that of siblings, peers, and celebrities in the lives of their children. What would we say if a professional team engaged in destructive behavior each time they lost?

If you think only homes with young children need to be concerned about locking up their medications, you are wrong. While it is essential to lock them up if you have young children, this is not the group at the highest risk: the group most likely to misuse and abuse your prescription and over the counter (OTC) medications is teenagers.

As a parent, we must teach our children to navigate their lives safely and help them balance school, recreation, family, and friends. Yet even with all the new electronic distractions, many parenting principles — such as teaching your kids how to behave towards others — not only have not changed, but actually transcend the newest gadgets or fads. If you find your child has a personality characteristic that needs tweaking then, yep, it is your responsibility to do so.