17 Posts by: "Liza Long"
In 2017, the controversial Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” created a social media firestorm with its depiction of a tragic teen suicide by 17-year-old Hannah and the aftermath at the girl’s high school. Many mental-health advocates decried the show’s portrayal of suicide as irresponsible if not downright dangerous. In the month after the show first aired, there was a 28.9% increase in teen deaths by suicide, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
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Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety, autism, or another learning disability need support in all aspects of their lives, especially in the classroom. As a parent, you are the most important advocate for your child, but you’re not alone. Your child’s teachers and school administrators can provide valuable, much-needed support.
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Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most commonly diagnosed mental disorders in children. About 10% of children ages 4 to 17 suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), according to data collected from 2015 to 2016 by the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Children diagnosed with ADHD often perform poorly in school as they struggle to control their hyperactivity and/or impulsivity. This significantly impacts their ability to learn effectively.
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As a teacher and a parent of four children, one of whom has bipolar disorder, some days I find myself staring at my computer screen, my mind frozen. What was I doing?…
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As we waited for an ambulance to take Eric, still raging, to the hospital, I sunk down to the curb, looking at my fingers, still sticky from pancake syrup. I will never forget what happened next.
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In November 2010, I celebrated my first Thanksgiving as a full time single parent of a very special boy who had an un-diagnosed serious mental illness. Eric was barely…
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Let’s face it: Labels are useful. For consumers, labels can point us to a trusted brand, or give us important information about how to care for a new article of clothing,…
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For many parents, the middle of August is the most wonderful time of the year. After hearing a thousand iterations of “I’m bored!” and waging a positional (often losing)…
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When children are sick with physical illnesses like cancer, the entire community rallies around the family. Friends bring casseroles, offer to watch the child’s siblings…
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My youngest daughter turns 13 in a few weeks. For the first summer in ten years of balancing work and motherhood, I don’t have to worry about the one expense that rivaled…
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I’m a recovering perfectionist. In my writing, I’m always looking for a better way to phrase things (I’ve revised this sentence four times). As a teacher, I’m always…
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Parents of kids with mental illnesses fight so many daily battles that trying to get a stubborn child to eat a healthy meal can seem like an impossible task. But healthy meals are worth the fight.
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Spring Break is my family’s favorite time to travel. Because we live in chilly Idaho and our grandmas both live in sunny southern California, we usually schedule a trip…
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I’ll never forget the day that my then four-year-old son Eric told me he just wanted to be a zero. “It hurts too much, Mom,” he said, referring to the anguish of sensory…
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The New Year is a time for taking stock of our lives. We celebrate the things that are going well, and we re-evaluate the things that could go better. Many of us write…
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Since my children were young, we’ve practiced the same Thanksgiving tradition. During the first week of November, we sit down together and make our “Thankful Turkeys.” We…
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While being bullied may cause an otherwise healthy child to develop mental health issues, bullying behavior may also be a sign that a child is struggling and needs help.
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