When Students Change Gender Identity , and Parents Don ’ t Know
“ For this article , Katie J . M . Baker interviewed more than 50 people , including parents and their children , public school officials , medical professionals and lawyers for both L . G . B . T . Q . and conservative advocacy groups .
“ Jessica Bradshaw found out that her 15-year-old identified as transgender at school after she glimpsed a homework assignment with an unfamiliar name scrawled at the top .
“ When she asked about the name , the teenager acknowledged that , at his request , teachers and administrators at his high school in Southern California had for six months been letting him use the boy ’ s bathroom and calling him by male pronouns .
“ Mrs . Bradshaw was confused : Didn ’ t the school need her permission , or at least need to tell her ?”
Mental Health in the News
By Kathleen McCarthy Editor , The Advocate Magazine
Lack of Independent Play Is Impacting Children ’ s Mental Health
NPR ’ s Juana Summers speaks with research professor Peter Gray , PhD , about the connection between the decline of children ’ s mental health and the decline of independent play .
SOURCE : NPR , “ All Things Considered ,” Oct . 31 , 2023 , by Mia Venkat , Kathryn Fox , and Juana Summers
Psychiatrists Call for Transition to Social Rather Than Biological Treatments
“’ Something is wrong with American psychiatry .’ With that statement , Helena Hansen , Kevin J . Guitierrez , and Saudi Garcia opened their recent article , Rethinking Psychiatry : Solutions for a Sociogenic Crisis , recently published in the journal Daedalus . Their work highlights the theories of Franz Fanon , who believed psychiatric disorders had a social etiology ( cause ) and , therefore , the solutions to psychiatric suffering must be social in nature as well .”
SOURCE
: New York Times , Jan . 22 , 2023 , by Katie J . M . Baker SOURCE : Mad in America , Dec . 8 , 2023 , by Kevin Gallagher
Will Ferrell Had ‘ Zero Knowledge ’ About the Trans Community . Then His Best Friend of 30 Years Came Out : ‘ This Was All New Territory for Me ’
“ The official synopsis for ‘ Will & Harper ’ reads : ‘ When Will Ferrell finds out his close friend of 30 years is coming out as a trans woman , the two decide to embark on a cross-country road trip to process this new stage of their relationship in an intimate portrait of friendship , transition , and America .’
SOURCE : Variety , Jan . 21 , 2024 , by Zach Sharf
The Self-Proclaimed ‘ Bipolar General ’ Is Waging War on the Stigma of Mental Illness
“ One of the biggest problems for Maj . Gen . Gregg Martin was that bipolar disorder seemed to help him at first .
“’ I was manic most of the year in Iraq ... felt like Superman . Bulletproof , pretty much fearless all over the battlefield ,’ Martin said . … In his downtime he favored intense workouts over sleep . His mania fit right in with the American military mystique . His superiors gave him almost nothing but praise . … “ Then the pendulum swung . His Iraq tour ended in 2004 and Martin went home despondent .”
SOURCE : NPR , Jan . 17 , 2024 , by Quil Lawrence
NTSB Summit Examines Mental Health in Aviation
“ Pilots — and others working in the aviation industry — often don ’ t report mental health issues , due to a fear of losing their livelihoods . [ On Dec . 6 , 2023 ], government and industry leaders , including [ the National Business Aviation Association ] NBAA , took part in [ a National Transportation Safety Board ] NTSB summit to discuss how to put an end to this practice and better provide help for those in need .”
SOURCES : National Business Aviation Association , Dec . 7 , 2023 . See the topics covered at the NTSB meeting .
The Second Pandemic — Stress : Vulnerability , Resilience , and Major Depression
“… evidence suggests that we are facing a second pandemic of mood and anxiety disorders , including major depression , anxiety , and posttraumatic stress disorder ( PTSD ). This Special Issue entitled “ The Neurobiology of Stress : Vulnerability , Resilience , and Major Depression ” is intended to ask “ How can science help ?” Our hope is to initiate a broad discussion on the power of basic and clinical scientific tools to confront these challenges and to offer strategies for treatment and prevention .”
SOURCE : PNAS ( Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ), Vol . 120 | No . 49 / Nov . 27 , 2023 , from the Introduction , by Huda Akil and Eric J . Nestler
The 7Advocate The Advocate Magazine Magazine 2023 , Issue 2023 # 3 , Issue American # 3 American Mental Health Mental Counselors Health Counselors Association Association ( AMHCA () AMHCA www ). amhca www . org . amhca 77 . org