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Almost 10 million U.S. adults seriously thought about committing suicide last year, federal health officials reported Thursday. Rates of suicide are at historically high levels, having jumped 27 percent since 2000, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Nearly three million adults made a plan to take their own life. And 1.4 million adults attempted suicide but weren't successful, according to the report. Overall, the percentage of...

Preteens who are overweight are often bullied or excluded from social activities, increasing their likelihood of anxiety and emotional problems, researchers say. Efforts to prevent or ease emotional distress among overweight students must address these negative and discriminatory behaviors, according to the authors of a new study. "The widespread misconception is that anyone who is heavy is likely to feel distressed because of their weight, yet our findings suggest that demeaning peer...

Recruitment for the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development ( ABCD ) study, the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States, began today. The landmark study by the National Institutes of Health will follow the biological and behavioral development of more than 10,000 children beginning at ages 9-10 through adolescence into early adulthood. Recruitment will be done over a two-year period through partnerships with public and private schools near research...

This story is part of our NPR Ed series on mental health in schools. In the waning days of summer vacation, Sydney and Laney are enjoying their final moments of freedom flipping over a high bar at a playground close by their house in Spartanburg, S.C. "You've got to pull your hips into the bar," says their mom, Selena, motioning to the girls, "you've got to kick up like that!" "I tried to kick!" Laney says indignantly. "I did this — you told me not to stick out!" Both girls have been...

[Photo by dhendrix73 ] It’s back-to-school time - a time filled with many tasks like getting backpacks in order, lining up new shoes, sharpening pencils and crayons, and playing peek-a-boo with baby. Some parents may wonder what playing with their baby has to do with back to school. As it turns out, the activities are closely linked. Research shows that the foundations for school readiness start even before a baby is born and proceed at lightning speed through the first years. But many...

An upcoming conference is aimed at providing information about the effects of domestic violence on children. The Promoting Peace Conference is not just for professionals who deal with these cases and situations, says Waseca County Attorney Brenda Miller. “I think everybody has a friend, relative or someone who has been abused,” Miller said. “(The conference) can give them a little information and help them know what resources are out there.” This is exactly the goal of the Promoting Peace...

Fifteen years after Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy was introduced to the world, this groundbreaking treatment only reaches a small percentage of people suffering from depression. Two innovators want to change that. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health, in 2014, an estimated nearly 16 million adults aged 18 or older in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in the past year, approaching 7% of all US adults. And close to 10% of adults in the country...

Visit the website: http://gratituderevealed.com/gallery-gratitude/

http://adoption.com/a-mother-describes-her-excruciating-decision-to-reverse-her-daughters-adoption Scroll to last page for links to ACEs sites!

The last post I wrote was about how children are damaged by the incarceration of their parents. Yesterday, I read about research estimating the actual cost of incarceration in the U.S. at $1 trillion. [ LINK HERE ] Stories abound of the direct cost of incarceration, but reading about the real human cost is rare. Think about what $1.2 trillion represents. For 2015 the U.S. budget was $3.8 Trillion. [ LINK HERE ] The federal budget approximates about 21% of gross domestic product.

Scott McClelland -- the H-E-B executive perhaps most recognizable for affably enduring light ridicule at the hands of football star J.J. Watt in the grocery chain’s TV commercials -- didn’t lay bare some grand corporate malfeasance or announce plans to shutter stores. But his testimony before legislators last year startled advocates nonetheless. McClelland told members of the Texas House public education committee a bit about H-E-B’s employee training materials. More specifically, about how...

As part of our series "Minding Michigan," we explore mental health issues in our state. Today, we introduce you to Patrick Cleland, better known as Rick Chyme . He’s a rapper from West Michigan who's been collaborating with local artists from around the state and has several project in the works. This year, Chyme was featured with the indie folk band The Accidentals. Then, a dance film was made to his original track “Pull Me Back” off his new album Bald Since Birth . Despite his success,...