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Children’s mental health problems are real, common and treatable. Although one in five children has a diagnosable mental health problem, nearly two-thirds of them get little or no help. To learn more, click here.
What to do about bullying
Although it’s always been around, bullying should never be accepted as normal behavior. The feelings experienced by victims of bullying are painful and lasting. Bullies, if not stopped, can progress to more serious, antisocial behavior. Recent incidents of school violence show that bullying can have tragic consequences for individuals, families, schools, and entire communities. Click here for more information from Mental Health America.
Suicide: A major, preventable mental health problem
Click here for some common questions and answers about suicide.
Improving social outcomes for some kids with ASD
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who attend regular education classes may be more likely to improve their social skills if their typically developing peers are taught how to interact with them than if only the children with ASD are taught such skills. To read the results of a recent study, click here.
Integrating mental health and pediatric primary care
When it comes to the health and well-being of your child, it is important to understand that mental health is part of overall health. A healthy child is one with a healthy body and a healthy mind. You cannot have one without the other. To learn more, click here to download this parents' guide.
How to find mental health help
Talk to someone you trust who has experience in mental health — for example, a doctor, nurse, social worker, or religious counselor. For help in your area, click on the link in the blue area to the left that says "SD Directory of Clinicians." Click here for other resources.
Promise in treating depression among preschoolers
A new psychosocial approach shows promise in helping preschoolers with symptoms of depression function better and learn to regulate their emotions, according to an NIMH-funded study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. To read the overview, click here.
What are anxiety disorders?
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder. For more information, click here.
Children and social networking
From the American Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. For the complete article, click here.
New Mayo guide helps parents spot teens' mental disorders
A new tool kit to help identify children with mental health disorders was published Friday by Mayo Clinic — 10 years after the U.S. Surgeon General put out the call for a set of easily identifiable mental health warning signs for youth.
Teenagers with eating disorders
Produced by the American Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Click the link at the end for more information: 02_teenagers_with_eating_disorders.pdf
The teen brain: still under construction
This brochure, from the National Institute of Mental Health, describes changes in the brain that occur during the teen years, and the significance of this stage of development. To see it, click here.
Miss S.D. tells class of battle with depression
As Miss South Dakota International 2012, Jill Furan has chosen "A Different Kind of Lifeguard: Blowing the Whistle on Depression, Self-Injury, and Suicide" as her platform. To read the story, click here.
Brain chemical linked to joylessness provides insight Into teen depression
Depressed teens with anhedonia, or the inability to experience pleasure, have lower levels of the neurotransmitter GABA in a key mood-regulating region of the brain, according to an NIMH-funded study published online October 3, in the Archives of General Psychiatry. To read the story, click here:
Fact Sheet: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in children and adolescents
To read a fact sheet that describes the development in our understanding of how ADHD affects children and adolescents and the direction of future research, click here.
Development of the young brain
For more than twenty years, National Institute of Mental Health neuroscientist Dr. Jay Giedd has studied the development of the adolescent brain. Decades of imaging work have led to remarkable insight and a more than a few surprises. Click here to learn more.
Brain development during childhood and adolescence (Fact Sheet)
In recent years, powerful new imaging technologies and other approaches have allowed scientists to track the development of the brain during childhood. These studies offer a way to understand how the intellectual abilities and behavioral maturity of children at various ages are rooted in the developing brain. Studies of the developing brain also offer the best possibility for understanding the origins of mental illnesses. Research suggests that vulnerability to mental illness—and resilience—is rooted in development. Both risk and resilience are shaped by genes and environment interacting together, through childhood and adolescence. Research can show how.
Click here for a fact sheet that describes the past, present and future of research on brain development.
How to help your child's brain grow up strong
Babies may look helpless, but as soon as they come into the world, they're able to do a number of important things. They can recognize faces and moving objects. They're attracted to language. And from very early on, they can differentiate their mother from other human beings.
For more of this story from National Public Radio, click here.
Answers to frequently asked questions about the treatment of mental disorders in children
Research shows that half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14.1 Scientists are discovering that changes in the body leading to mental illness may start much earlier, before any symptoms appear. Click here to read a fact sheet that addresses common questions about diagnosis and treatment options for children with mental illnesses.
Back to school tips for parents
The beginning of a new school year can be a stressful time for children, with new teachers and classmates, bigger classrooms, new routines and more schoolwork. As a parent there are proactive steps you can take to support your child as he or she heads back to school. Click here for more information.
Helping children in times of disaster
The displacement of families as the Missouri River rises brings with it many issues. (Where will we live? What will happen to my room? How long will we be away?) In addition to the resources on this site, these links may also prove useful.
Coping in the aftermath of a disaster
Talking to Children about natural disasters, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: http://www.aacap.org/cs/root/resources_for_families/talking_to_children_about_wildfires_and_other_natural_disasters
Suggestions, for helping children, teens, and their families cope with disasters and traumatic events, National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners: http://www.napnap.org/Docs/CopingHandoutUpdated.pdf
Helping children with scary news, Mr. Rogers: http://www.pbs.org/parents/rogers/special/scarynews.html
Helping families deal with the stress of relocation after a disaster, Centers for Disease Control
http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/publications/100233-RelocationStress.pdf
Helping parents cope with disaster, Centers for Disease Control
http://emergency.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/pdf/Helping-Parents-Cope-with-Disaster.pdf
helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-what-parents-can-do.pdf
What rescue workers can do to help children and adolescents cope with disaster and violence helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-what-rescue-workers-can-do.pdf
What community members can do to help children and adolescents cope with disaster and violence helping-children-and-adolescents-cope-with-violence-and-disasters-what-community-members-can-do.pdf
Caring for every child's mental health
SAMHSA's "Caring for Every Child's Mental Health" public awareness effort was created in 1994 with the mission to increase awareness around children's mental health. The "Caring for Every Child's Mental Health" team works to support SAMHSA-funded sites through the strategic use of social marketing and communications strategies. The overarching purpose of the team is to stimulate support for a comprehensive system of care approach to children's mental health services. For more information, click here . NIMH Outreach Partnership Program Avera Health offers regular updates from the Outreach Partnership Program. The program, an outreach of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that enlists state and national organizations in a partnership to help close the gap between mental health research and clinical practice, inform the public about mental illnesses, and reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. Click here to learn more. 2nd edition of 'A Parent's Guide' available
While most parents have experience with a child’s physical illness, fewer are familiar with mental, emotional and behavior problems that can affect children ― such as depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders or attention deficit/hyperactivity disorders.
Children and adolescents can have mental, emotional and behavior problems that are real, painful and a source of stress for the child as well as the family, school and community. While early childhood mental health interventions cannot solve every problem, help that focuses on strengthening positive relationships, can often make a critical difference in developing a child’s resilience and promoting early school success.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), while half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, early treatment may prevent development of disorders. That fact prompted development of the second edition of “ A Parent's Guide to Children's Mental Health Services in South Dakota .”
Developed by South Dakota Voices for Children and reviewed by mental health professionals across the state, the Guide was created to help parents learn about mental health disorders that can affect children, the latest treatments, available services and how to get help.
To effectively partner with professionals in developing and carrying out plans for their children’s mental health care, parents must be well informed. That is the goal of the Guide.
“A Parent’s Guide to Children’s Mental Health Services in South Dakota” is available online at www.sdkidsmentalhealth.org or www.sdvoicesforchildren.org. To request copies, contact
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. Bulk orders (four or more copies) are available at $2 per copy.
Assistance for families of service personnel
While many U.S. troops are full-time members of the Armed Forces, a large number of those deployed are members of local guard or reserve units. These guard and reserve members leave their job and families behind as they serve our country.
The effects of deployment and returning from overseas are profound. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has developed materials to assist families with these times. Click here to see information for families on deployment and returning from war. Wings for Life has practical tips for parents
Emotional well-being is critical for children’s success in school. To help families better support their children in this area, South Dakota Voices for Children, and the South Dakota State University Cooperative Extension Service is making available the Wings for Life newsletter series for distribution to parents at parent-teacher conferences.
Wings for Life provides age-appropriate emotional development information for parents of children in kindergarten through 8th grade. There are four pages of well-researched information for each grade level, along with practical tips for parents to consider with their children.
Download each grade level by clicking on the Wings for Life link at left, then print the number of copies you need. |
