Youth homelessness in our nation is an epidemic. And the meager response to it is a national disgrace. There are as many as 500,000 unaccompanied homeless youth in our country -- totally on their own, without their families. Almost half are LGBT,...
"Who all wanted to be here today?" asks a voice from the front of the auditorium. A few meek hands slowly rise up into the air. "Okay. Who here was forced to come?" A nervous silence, and then dozens of hands shoot up and giggles waft through...
A proposed city ordinance that sponsors say would reduce racial discrimination in how the city is policed is being criticized as going too far, crippling the police department’s ability to track suspects and investigate gang activity. Even...
When law enforcement officers respond to calls about domestic violence, they often see children cowering in a corner, caught in the middle of a situation they don’t understand. Statesville Police Officer Attrie Wooten, domestic violence...
"Don't Call Them Dropouts", the largest nationwide study of its kind to date, found students who leave high school without graduating do so not out of boredom or lack of motivation, but because they are overwhelmed by the effects of toxic living...
Excessive alcohol use accounts for one in 10 deaths among working-age adults ages 20-64 years in the United States, according to a new report. Excessive alcohol use led to approximately 88,000 deaths per year from 2006 to 2010, and shortened the lives...
Children suffering from attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more than twice as likely to try and abuse drugs, a new analysis finds. However, that does not mean that the medications that are prescribed to treat the most common childhood...
Lead is well known for causing permanent behavioral and cognitive problems in children, but a study says it can cause less obvious problems like depression, too, even at low levels. That's the word from a study tracking the health of 1,341 children in...
Adverse childhood experiences negatively affect adult life, says a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). One in four young adults were severely maltreated during childhood and approximately half of adults in England have suffered an...
Every day in the US, an average of 13 kids, teens, and young adults (between the ages of 10-24) are victims of homicide, and more than 1600 are treated in hospitals for assault-related injuries. In fact, homicide is the third leading cause of death...
Recently, along with more than 600 social service agencies, care providers and teachers in Michiana, I participated in an all-day seminar coordinated by Beacon Health System and Oaklawn (Indiana). This seminar provided the most up-to-date research...
Adolescents can have post-traumatic stress reactions even when not directly affected by terrorist attacks. They are at increased risk if they have experienced violence or sexual abuse in early life. Those who have experienced sexual abuse numerous...
To those whose loved ones struggle with mental illnesses and to researchers who know how close we are to new discoveries, the National Institutes of Health's recent budget proposal is particularly urgent. The agency has requested $4.5 billion over...
In California's Tulare County, violence, drug abuse and sex offenses occur at alarmingly high rates. For young children in troubled families, the experience of such traumas can lead to poor academic performance, mental health problems, and higher...
For children, stress can go a long way. A little bit provides a platform for learning, adapting and coping. But a lot of it — chronic, toxic stress like poverty, neglect and physical abuse — can have lasting negative impacts. A team of...