Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple

To address the youth mental health crisis, we need to approach it from different angles – including access, education, and legislation . So, what are states doing to make a difference? Today, Gene and Khadijah are joined by special guest Senator John C. Velis of Massachusetts. Senator Velis shines light on current efforts in Massachusetts to better utilize schools for prevention and early interven...

Very special guest Senator John C. Velis of Massachusetts joins Gene and Khadijah to discuss legislative opportunities to address the youth mental health crisis. He says a big focus needs to be on schools, for both intervention and prevention. Be sure to tune in next week on the THIRD Thursday of the month! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What role should prescription stimulant medication play in a child’s ADHD treatment plan? Today, Gene and Khadijah are joined by Tony Rostain, MD, MA, chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Cooper University Health Care, to discuss this and more. How do you talk to your child about stimulants? What side effects should you watch out for? How do you manage after-school rebound? If you’re a par...

Special guest Anthony Rostain, MD, MA joins us this month to discuss all things stimulants - myths, misconceptions, and managing the shortage. If you have a young person in your life with ADHD, or have ADHD yourself, you don't want to miss this episode! See you back here on December 21st - the THIRD Thursday of the month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recent national surveys show that a significant proportion of college students report having felt overwhelmed, anxious, and lonely during college. If college is supposed to be the “best years of your life” then why are so many students lonely? That’s what Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins dive into today: what’s contributing to feelings of loneliness, when should we worry about it, a...

All of us have fears – kids and adults alike. Many of us even enjoy a good scare now and again (there’s a reason why horror movies do so well ). Most fears – real or imagined – eventually respond to reassurance, emotional calming, or distraction. But when a fear persists, resisting rational or emotional soothing and creating obstacles in daily life, it becomes a phobia. Just in time for Halloween,...

Transcript : Hi, this is Gene Beresin, co-host of Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple.  We’ll have all new episodes for you beginning next month – on the THIRD THURSDAY of every month.  We’ve got some great topics lined up for this season: the stimulant shortage, phobias in kids and teens, the benefits on animal therapy, and so much more.  Do stay tuned, and we'll see you s...

With increasing gun violence and constant media coverage, many kids are scared to go to concerts, to malls, to school. Many adults are feeling the same. Today, special guest Gretchen Felopulos, PhD, the education and training lead for the Center for Gun Violence Prevention at MGH, joins Gene and Khadijah to help us learn more about gun safety, youth suicide, best practices for lockdown drills, tal...

The transition to college can be huge for all kids, but for young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) there's even more to consider in making it a smooth transition. As parents, how do we best support them? How involved should we be? Special guest Dr. Chris Keary of the MGH Lurie Center for Autism Center joins Gene and Khadijah with helpful advice and answers to these questions and more. Me...

We’ve reached a point in time where most of our kids have grown up with digital media as a way of life. Social media, instant viral news, e-learning, digital surveillance – it’s all here to stay. And it’s not  all  bad. But there are some legitimate concerns about how it’s impacting the mental health and safety of young people. In this episode of  Shrinking It Down , we revisit some...

Anxiety. It's rising in our kids and teens. What can we do to help? Today, Gene and Khadijah are joined by very special guest Dr. Kevin Simon, Chief Behavioral Health Officer for the City of Boston. Dr. Simon draws on his experience in child & adolescent psychiatry, addiction medicine, health policy, and more, to help us talk through childhood anxiety. What’s the right way to respond to a chil...

We often hear about how stigma can prevent treatment for mental disorders and promote feelings of shame or low self-worth among those struggling. Did you know the same is true for obesity? Obesity is a complex disease, and stigma stems from a misunderstanding of what it is, what contributes, and how it can be treated. Today, we're joined by Angela Fitch, MD, a leader in the field of obesity medici...

From challenges with hair pulling to supporting a child through a regression in toilet training, Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins answer real parent questions in this episode. For each question, they offer clinical insight to help parents better understand what might be going on, and suggestions for next steps and ways to support the child. We think all caring adults will be interes...

We're kicking off 2023 with a special episode of Shrinking It Down featuring *you* our listeners. What questions do you have about the mental health of a child or teen in your life? Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins will answer them on January 19! E-mail your questions: gene@mghclaycenter.org Message us your questions: Instagram (instagram.com/mghclaycenter) or Facebook (facebook.com...

How do social issues intersect with youth sports? Tune in to this bonus episode of Shrinking It Down , featuring Dr. Jonathan Jenkins of the Sport Psychology Program at Mass General, for a thoughtful conversation on how societal concerns, including systemic racism, continue to impact our all of our young athletes. Media List Jonathan Jenkins, Psy. D, CMPC (LinkedIn) The NBA took a stand against po...

Sports can be such a positive space for young people to let off steam, learn important life skills, and build long lasting relationships. There are times, though, when it can be too much, injury strikes, or someone doesn’t make the team they were hoping to. Dr. Jonathan Jenkins joins Gene and Khadijah to discuss all things sports psychology and how best to support our young people in an important...

*Content Warning: This episode contains segments of discussion that may be difficult for some audience members to hear. Content such as descriptions of self-harm methods are included. Self-harm is a rising mental health concern that tends to begin in the teenage years. But what are some of the causes and what can we do to help our kids who are struggling? In this episode, very special guest Dr. Bl...

As Dr. Gene Beresin always says, music is a universal language. To kick off our new podcast season, and in honor of Gene’s new book, Music, today we’ll look into the ways music can help us heal. Special guest Marisabelle Díaz-Falcón, a board-certified music therapist at Massachusetts General Hospital joins Gene and Khadijah to talk about the ways music therapy helps kids (and adults!) in the hospi...

It's nearly time for a new season of Shrinking It Down ! Co-hosts Gene Beresin, MD, MA and Khadijah Booth Watkins, MD, MPH have some great mental health topics and great guests in store for you. But until then, Hold On.... Beginning October 20, tune in the 3rd Thursday of every month for new episodes. Subscribe wherever you stream. See you soon! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

*Content warning: Some of the conversation today includes topics that some listeners may find sensitive including sexuality, gender identity, and violence towards members of the LGBTQIA+ community. What is gender identity? How is it different from sexual orientation? And why are pronouns so important? We talk through all of these questions and more in this week’s episode. Gene and Khadijah are joi...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Leading up to this month, we received questions from our Instagram followers. In this podcast miniseries, Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins answer them.   Today's question: How does Schizophrenia affect a young person and their caregivers?   Dr. Abigail Donovan of the Mass General First Episode and Early Psychosis Program joins to help...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Leading up to this month, we received questions from our Instagram followers. In this podcast miniseries, Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins answer them.   Today's question: How do you find out if your teenager has undiagnosed ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder)? Dr. Gagan Joshi of the Mass General Bressler Cetner for Autism joins to help answer....

We all know that parents and other adults tend to be the last people teenagers want to talk to about their problems. At this stage of life teens are more likely to reach out to friends in times of need. With this in mind, Valerie Grison-Alsop, founded Give Us the Floor, a nonprofit organization that promotes peer support for teens, by teens. Give Us the Floor launched an app that provides a safe,...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Leading up to this month, we received several mental health questions from our Instagram followers. In this podcast miniseries, Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins answer them. Tune in to "You Ask, Our Docs Answer!" each Tuesday in May for a short episode answering one of your questions. Today's question: How do you find a therapist for elementary...

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Leading up to this month, we received several mental health questions from our Instagram followers. In this podcast miniseries, Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Khadijah Booth Watkins answer them. Tune in to "You Ask, Our Docs Answer!" each Tuesday in May for a short episode answering one of your questions. Have a question for our docs? E-mail us or tag us on Instagra...