Shrinking It Down: Mental Health Made Simple

On today’s episode of Shrinking It Down, Gene and Khadijah welcome special guest Dr. Darshan Mehta, Medical Director of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine of Massachusetts General Hospital, to talk about something we could all use more of: Meditation. This past year has brought on new stressors and anxieties for families, on top of those they were already managing. So, what about tr...

During COVID-19, many kids across the country have been doing most or all of their schooling online. But now, a year later, many communities are finally finding ways to bring kids back to school, in person. While it’s largely agreed on that in-person schooling is critical for child and teen positive mental health and social-emotional development, going back comes with its own concerns and a host o...

Content Warning: Today’s episode is the second in a two-part series on teen relationship violence. It may be difficult for some of our listeners.    When we look underneath a young person’s anger, or shame, or grief, there is often a hidden need that’s not being met. Learning how to identify and address these hidden needs is a skill we can all build over tim...

Content Warning: Today’s episode is the first in a two-part series on teen relationship violence. It may be difficult for some of our listeners. Romantic relationships are a critically important part of life for teenagers. In fact, one of the most common reasons for emotional struggles in high school and college are breakups with friends or romantic partners. We all know that breakups can be emoti...

Did you know the first telepsychiatry visits at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), conducted back in 2014, weren’t for adults, but for  children ? Flash forward, we never imagined how critical teletherapy and telemedicine would become – in such a short period of time – as a part of routine healthcare for all age groups and populations, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  In today’s...

Today’s young people are spending more time online than previous generations, and many parents and caregivers worry about how digital media is affecting their mental, emotional, and social well-being. Strengthening media literacy skills can help us all better use media as engaged and informed consumers. But what does “media literacy” mean, and how can we help kids and teens build these skills?&nbs...

Today is the shortest day of the year! That means the daylight only increases from here, a great boost for our brains as many kids and families move into winter break. We'll be taking a break, too, but not until after a very special episode this Wednesday. During school break, kids and teens may be turning to more digital media to fill the time - at least different forms of media than they've been...

When it comes to structural racism in healthcare, commitment to change stems from the top in creating physically and emotionally healthier communities. Today, on ‘Shrinking It Down,’ special guest Joseph Betancourt, MD, MPH, Vice President and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), joins Gene and Khadijah to help us understand how seriously MGH takes this charg...

Since the pandemic, mental health concerns have risen across the country. But in communities that were already underserved, the burden is even greater, as hardships build one on top of the other: risk for illness, food insecurity, being an essential worker, being unemployed, kids not able to go to school, fear of housing evictions, resurfacing of trauma. Chelsea, Massachusetts is one such communit...

When the body is injured, it begins the healing process despite the ongoing physical injury. Our minds should be no different. Right now – amidst a pandemic, economic strain, political tension, rising mental illness, and more – we are desperately in need of emotional healing, despite the many challenges ahead. But communities are divided, families are divided, and fear and anger are rampant. How d...

Since the pandemic began, many families have spent more time together. A lot more time. More time together than we’re used to + challenging times + uncertainty about the future + none of the outlets we'd typically use to recharge = a perfect storm for rising family conflict. Conflict between siblings, conflict between kids and parents, conflict between partners or other adults at home – all relati...

If you’re Black or Brown and growing up in America, it's noticeable from a very young age that something feels off. That’s because, no matter where you go, there is a layered, structural unfairness that plays out. The harmful impact of this unfairness begins to take its toll on even the youngest developing minds. On today’s episode of Shrinking It Down , special guest O’Neil Britton, MD, chief med...

We've wrapped up Season 3, but we have a summer episode coming up. Next week, we welcome very special guest O'Neil Britton, MD, chief medical officer and senior vice president of Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Britton joins Gene to discuss racism's continued impact on community health and well-being, and to think critically about ways that each individuals, communities, and healthcare systems...

Many parents of kids struggling with a mental health issue have concerns – even fears – about medication as a part of treatment. Will it help? Will it hurt? What are the side effects? Today, Dr. Tim Wilens, chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, joins Gene and Ellen to talk about prescribed medications, and other substances used recreationa...

These past months and weeks have put tremendous stress on families across the country, on top of the daily challenges we were already navigating. And under tremendous stress, it can become even harder to regulate our emotions, leaving our kids – and even us – struggling with challenging behavior.  In today’s episode, Dr. Stuart Ablon, Director of Think:Kids at Massachusetts Gen...

Many kids and teens are growing more worried about climate change. Scary predictions about the future and lack of government action can make them feel the crisis is out of their control. How can parents help their kids cope with climate anxiety? On today’s episode of  Shrinking It Down , Dr. Elizabeth Pinsky, a pediatrician and child psychiatrist at Mass General Hospital for Children, and mom...

When teens leave home for college, it’s natural for both parents and young adults to adjust to new lifestyles and living apart. But many college students unexpectedly returned home due to the coronavirus pandemic, and this can pose challenges for families as they reestablish norms and expectations for living together. How can parents and young adults find the rig...

If you do an online search for the words “parenting” and “autism,” most of the results will be about parents who  don’t  have autism raising children who do. But what if you’re a parent on the autism spectrum, or have a partner or co-parent who is? In today’s episode of  Shrinking It Down ,   Gene welcomes special guest Dr. Hillary Hurst Bush to share her story of growing up wi...

Life as we know it has changed since our last episode. Disruptions, anxiety, and uncertainty surrounding the new coronavirus disease have affected us all. While we can’t immediately change this public health crisis – though we can do our part by staying home if we’re able! - we do have the power to change how we think about our individual situations, and help our children and teens to do the same....

We're taking a short break, but we've got a great line up of topics and guests for the spring. A sample of what's to come: Surviving a Screw Up Growing Up With a Parent With Autism Climate Change Anxiety Advocating for Your Child With Learning Differences In School (a follow up to our first Facebook Live Q+A, featuring Dr. Ellen Braaten) Going Off Medications All this and more. We'll see you back...

Peers can be an excellent source of social support, and it’s great that more young people today talk to friends about their emotional challenges. But for every teen who shares, there’s another teen absorbing the info like an emotional sponge. And while it feels good to help a friend, it can also feel overwhelming - even scary - to be a friend's sole source of support, especially for serious issues...

Seasons change, and so do podcast co-hosts. Since the beginning, Shrinking It Down has been co-hosted by child psychiatrists Dr. Gene Beresin and Dr. Steven Schlozman. But alas, Steve is moving on to the next creative chapter in his life. It's been a long run, Steve, and a great one. Thank you for everything. We'll miss you so! Media List It's Time for Saying Goodbye - Muppets Take Manhattan (YouT...

Many parents worry that their own or a family member’s mental health disorder destine their children to struggle in the same way. But, while many psychiatric disorders do run in families to some extent, so do lots of things! Right down to food preferences and professions. So, how much do genes have to do with it? On today’s episode of  Shrinking It Down,  special guest Dr. Jordan Sm...

When “extra time” on tests first began decades ago, the goal was to level the playing field for students with learning disabilities by allotting them the same amount of time that everyone else had. Today, it seems every parent thinks their kid could benefit from extra time on tests, and in some cases will go to great lengths to get it. But does extra time really help a student to score higher on e...

Today’s kids and teens are increasingly under surveillance, including by their own schools and parents. In some ways this is nothing new. Adults have always monitored kids for risk. But in today’s digital age, there are so many more ways to watch our kids’ every move – social media, cell phones, e-mail, even school apps intended for learning.   A lot of kids and even paren...