Why Parents Hesitate Before Seeking Mental-Health Expertise
Parents who have no problem making a doctor's appointment when their children have a cough, sneeze, or sniffle appear to be resistant when it comes to mental health.
Parents Magazine and the Child Mind Institute conducted a new survey to find out why parents hesitate before getting mental-health expertise for their children.
"If your child has a fever you take them to the doctor, if your child has an emotional pain, it should be the same thing," said Liz Vaccariello, the editor-in-chief of Parents Magazine, in an interview with Cheddar on Tuesday.
A new survey of about 400 parents in the United States found 62% would wait more than five weeks to get their children help with a mood or behavior disorder.
Of the families that said they would think twice before pursuing treatment options, most (83%) said they try to avoid an overreaction and would rather wait to see if symptoms resolve on their own. Other reasons include the perceived cost of mental-health care and the fear that their children would be labelled mentally ill.
"All of these are myths and we're trying to overcome that," said Vaccariello.
She said parents should be vigilant about monitoring their children's behavior for potential warning signs. Doctors describe these potential symptoms as "pink flags" instead of "red flags" because they're often subtle indicators of mental illness.
Vaccariello said symptoms include sleep disturbances, obsessive thoughts, and debilitating fears.
"It's one thing to be scared of a bee, it's another thing to be terrified to go outside because you don't want to be stung by a bee," she said.
There are fewer than 9,000 clinical child psychiatrists in the United States, but Vaccariello said parents can also reach out to child psychologists, therapists, and school counselors.
"Even something like that can be helpful and healing for the whole family," she said.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/why-do-parents-wait-to-seek-help-on-mental-health-issues).
For the first time microplastics have been found deep in the lungs of living humans. The trace materials potentially came from everyday items such as plastic bottles and bags. Dr. Jessica Shepherd, the chief medical officer at Verywell Health, joined Cheddar News to talk about the report's findings and to discuss the possible risks people might face. "The study’s most important part is we need to decrease our pollution, and we need to think about different ways to consume outside of plastic," she said.
An estimated five billion people lack access to affordable and safe surgical care around the world. For World Health Day, Cheddar News spoke with Kristie Magee Porcaro of Operation Smile, a nonprofit organization assisting with cleft lip and palate surgeries, about how they work to better it around the globe.
There has been notable disagreement in the medical community about a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose. The FDA last week authorized a second booster dose for older and immunocompromised individuals, as some agency officials did not support the idea. The FDA made the decision without meeting with its advisory committee, as it had ahead of its recommendations on the previous COVID-19 vaccine doses.
The CDC followed in the footsteps of the FDA and authorized a fourth dose as well. Reports say the agency also did not discuss the move with its own advisory team of vaccine experts. Now, a growing number of doctors are speaking out against the decisions - leaving people confused about whether they should get another vaccine dose. Dr. Julie Morita, a member of the CDC's advisory committee to the director, and the executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Talmon Marco, CEO of H2Pro, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how to bring environmentally friendly hydrogen to scale, and what this means for hydrogen's many use cases.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 7, 2022, with updates on Ukraine urging NATO for military aid for their war with Russia, the SEC investigating Amazon, microplastics being found deep inside human lungs for the first time, and more.
Patients who have grown frustrated with lingering COVID-19 symptoms and unanswered questions are now not only the subjects of "long covid" research, but also partners in pushing this research forward. Harlan Krumholz, professor of medicine at Yale University, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
A record number of tornadoes were observed in March, topping the previous record set last year. Cheddar News speaks with NOAA’s Harold Brooks about what the implications are of an early tornado season.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 6, 2022, with updates on the FDA’s meeting to discuss a second COVID booster shot, more on the war in Ukraine, tornadoes on the Gulf coast, a third suspect arrested in connection to the mass shooting in California, Darwin’s lost notebooks mysteriously returned, and more.
Two of naturalist Charles Darwin’s notebooks that were reported stolen from Cambridge University have been returned, two decades after they disappeared.
