Reflections And Insights From The Team

Different family structures exist, and within those are different family dynamics, good and bad. Internal and external factors can disrupt family relationships, causing hardship, misunderstanding, and disconnection.

Are you ready to head back to school? You may be looking forward to seeing old friends you didn’t get to spend time with over the summer, or you’re hoping to make new friends on the first day. Maybe you want to know who your new teachers will be, or you’re excited about an upcoming transition.

Opioids have found their way into the list of party drugs as more college kids are misusing them. According to the American Addiction Centers, opioids are one of the most abused substances by college students today, following alcohol and marijuana.

Naloxone, most commonly by the brand name Narcan, is a medication that works to reverse an opioid overdose. As an opioid antagonist, it rapidly attaches to opioid receptors, blocking the effects of the drug and restoring normal breathing in a person whose breathing has slowed or stopped as a result of an opioid overdose.

When you want someone to fully understand the emotion or message you want to communicate, would you rather the person you’re speaking to say, “I can hear you” or “I’m listening”? At first, it may not seem like there’s a difference. “Hearing” and “listening” may appear synonymous and, therefore, can be used interchangeably. However, the two words are not only different by definition but play distinct roles in communication. Here’s how hearing and listening are different and how they impact mental health.

According to Mental Health America, 19.86 percent of adults in the U.S. are experiencing a mental health issue, accounting for nearly 50 million Americans. Over 11.4 million adults have been estimated to have serious suicidal thoughts, and more than 56 percent of adults with a mental illness have received no treatment. These numbers paint a shocking picture of the severity of the nation’s mental health. What these numbers do not show are the mental health disparities in diverse populations.

In a Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 29 percent of high school students admitted to drinking alcohol in the past 30 days, with 14 percent of those respondents admitting to binge drinking. A surprisingly 17 percent of the surveyed students said they rode with a driver who had been drinking, while 5 percent admitted to driving after drinking.

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube are social channels meant to keep people connected, engaged, and entertained. For adolescents growing up in the digital age in which social media has always existed, social media channels haven’t just become the norm – it’s a part of daily life.

Now that school is out and kids are on summer break, parents all over the nation worry about how their teens will spend all their free time. Some kids will keep themselves busy with summer jobs, volunteer work, travel, hobbies, and sports and most teens will likely be relaxing or having fun. But when they’ve run out of things to do or get bored, they may be quick to go out and with friends and find new activities.