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

How To Beat Anxiety In The Summertime

LGBTQ+ Adolescents: Mental Health And Their Pride

How and When to Apologize Properly to your Child

Every April the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (NCADD) sponsors Alcohol Awareness Month. This year’s theme is “Connecting the Dots: Opportunities for Recovery.”

March is National Self-Harm Awareness Month.  Self-harm is a topic that is rarely talked about, but is an important one to address. Non-suicidal self-harm or self-injury is when a person intentionally and repeatedly harms him/herself without the intent to kill him/herself. 

Every parent wants what’s best for their children. We want them to do well in school, make friends, be happy and healthy, and be kind to others. But how much responsibility do we bear as parents in helping them achieve these goals?

Every parent of a teenager is familiar with the mood swings, defiance and other behaviors that are often part of adolescent development. But how can a parent recognize if their teen’s challenging behavior is something more serious than that – such as depression, anxiety or another mental illness -- requiring serious intervention? 

As time goes by, things get harder and harder for teens.  Slogging through junior year, SATs, and college applications are all a prelude to the inevitable worry about college acceptance. 

1 in 4 people use social media worldwide. Most people login to social media sites, like Facebook and Twitter, multiple times a day. For some, it’s the first thing they see when they open their eyes in the morning and the last thing they see before bed. Although it seems harmless to scroll through your Facebook newsfeed to see what’s going on with your friends, it does come at a price. 

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.

Prom and graduation season is a time for celebration but also a time when underage drinking develops into binge drinking by some teenagers. 

Mental illness is not uncommon. One in four people will struggle with a diagnosable mental illness every year. That means that it will most likely affect you, someone you know and love, or even your kids. But unlike other illnesses, there is still a stigma attached to mental illness and behavioral problems. When it comes to kids, many will begin to develop a stereotypical image of mental illness as they get older based on what they see in the media or hear from friends, which is why education is important. So the question arises - when and how can we talk to our kids about mental illness in a way that will be educational and reassuring? 

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. 

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, approximately 11% of teens have some kind of depressive disorder by the age of 18.  Many more teens have symptoms of depression that, when detected and treated early, may prevent the onset of a major depressive episode. 

Your child is begging to come home from camp. Maybe you suspect bullying. What should you do? Dr. Aaron Krasner, Adolescent Transitional Living Program Service Chief, gives parents a few tips. 

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. 

A week of beaches, parties and bottomless cocktails. This is a picture of spring break for many college students in the US. Although it’s portrayed in the media as a week of non-stop fun, spring break can quickly turn dangerous. 

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.

 A completed suicide is always a tragedy no matter the age of the victim. A life cut short in such a manner is devastating and traumatic, hard to understand and frightening. Teen suicide, unfortunately, is not as rare as we sometimes think. Learn how to help your teen cope effectively with a peer's suicide.A completed suicide is always a tragedy no matter the age of the victim. A life cut short in such a manner is devastating and traumatic, hard to understand and frightening.

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.