Mark Myers Expert Answer(selective Mutism)

Mark Myers Expert Answer to: I have a son who had selective mutism from 6-8 years. He is now 16 and has been diagnosed with OCD. He also appears to be suffering from severe depression. Are these linked? Selective Mutism, as you may well know, is predominately found in children. However, some adults do experience it as well. This disorder is characterized by a person persistently failing to speak in select settings, which continues for more than 1 month. These individuals do talk to other people, usually family members. The diagnosis of Selective Mutism, does fall under the anxiety disorder spectrum. This spectrum would also include OCD. In fact, it is not unusual for OCD, or other types of anxiety disorders to coexist with Selective Mutism. It also does put a person at greater risk to develop other anxiety disorders later in life. view full answer

Mark Myers Expert Answer to: "I'm overwhelmed and tired these days, and never seem to have time to take care of myself. I'm also low on social contact, as my responsibilities are intense. Can anyone offer ideas on how to break out of this box?"

"My situation includes being (temporarily) a single mother to two mentally ill children, a financial crisis, a husband in rehab and a lack of relatives to help with the above. Eeek."
There appears to be more demands on you then resources. Lets start with your children. Depending on the ages of your children and the mental health issues they are experiencing, getting support in this area is extremely important.

Helping Visual, Auditory, and Tactile ADHD Learners

Each child has his or her own learning style — a unique way of taking in and processing

information. Most kids – especially ADHD students – use all of their five senses for learning, but often favor one sense over the others.

"Visual learners" prefer reading or observing. "Auditory learners" do best with talking and listening. "Tactile/kinesthetic learners" benefit most from a hands-on approach.

What do parents really need to know about bullying? It's not necessarily what you think.

You'll know when your child is being bullied. Just because your child doesn’t tell you he or she is being bullied doesn’t mean it’s not happening. In 2007 almost a third of middle and high schoolers reported that they’d been bullied at school. And those are the ones who admitted it. “It’s one of those silent issues,” Williams says. Many kids don’t speak up because they think that it will lead to more abuse, because they’re ashamed, and because of the powerful unwritten code against snitching.

For kids with OCD, adding therapy to drugs helps

Children plagued by the repetitive behaviors, irrational fears and intrusive thoughts of

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder often get some relief from widely prescribed antidepressants. But when they also get a form of psychotherapy that teaches them different ways to think about and respond to their fears and compulsions, they get much better, a new study finds.

Diet linked to teen mental health issues

Adolescents who eat healthy diets packed with fruit and vegetables have lower rates of mental health problems, a study shows.

A study of 3000 adolescents has found that those who had poor diets filled with junk and processed foods were more likely to suffer mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

While other studies have shown links between diet quality and mental health disorders in adults, the new research is the first to demonstrate the link in adolescents.

Why are Children Bullied and What Can a Parent Do?

Why are some children (and adults) singled out as targets for bullying and what can be done to prevent it?

According to the National Education Association Nationwide study on bullying, hundreds of thousands of children become victims each year, affecting nearly 30 percent of school-aged kids on a monthly basis. The acts of violence take place verbally, physically and within the cyber world and can create life-long damage.

Father Time: Children with Older Dads at Greater Risk for Mental Illness

A mother's age is often considered a genetic risk factor for offspring, but research is now

pointing the finger at fathers, too—particularly when it comes to the mental health of their progeny. Males may have the advantage of lifelong fertility, but as they grow older, the rate of genetic mutations passed on via their sperm cells increases significantly—putting their children at increased risk for psychiatric disorders, especially autism and schizophrenia. Two recent studies support this link at least associatively, but experts remain uncertain if age is the cause of these problems.