Author Archives: Laurie

Trust Your Gut

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Laurie

Most all of us have heard this saying. The idea is that if we listen to our gut we are more in tune with our feelings. Well there may really be much more to this than we have thought. In … Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Asperger's, Autism, Bipolar, Children's issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, Mental Health, OCD, Other challenges, PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Teens | Leave a comment

A Growing Teen Crisis

Posted on July 23, 2014 by Laurie

A new survey finds that depression is the number 1 cause of illness and disability in teens worldwide. And, though the exact cause is difficult to pinpoint, “Mental health experts have identified a number of reasons for the rise, ranging from … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Eating Disorders, Mental Illness, ODD, PTSD, Teens | Leave a comment

ADHD/PTSD What happens when they look the same

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Laurie

I have written on this subject before. I have shared personal experiences; my dad dying when I was very young and being diagnosed with ADHD, only to be pretty sure from a place of adult perspective that I probably was … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Children's issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, FAS, Grief, Mental Health, ODD, Other challenges, PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Teens | Leave a comment

When chronological age does not match maturity

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Laurie

One of the most common questions we ask children when we meet them is “how old are you?” We ask this as if it will give us magical insights into who the child is, but in reality it only tells … Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Anxiety Disorders, Asperger's, Bipolar, Children's issues, FAS, Mental Health, OCD, ODD, PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder | Leave a comment

Serious Consequences of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Laurie

The damage done by prenatal alcohol exposure can be devastating. From low birth weight and birth complications to cognitive challenges, children exposed to drugs (including nicotine!) and/or alcohol while in the womb may carry the burden the rest of their … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, ADHD, Children's issues, FAS, Mental Health, Other challenges, PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Sensory processing issues | Leave a comment

A personal look at The Obsessive Compulsive Disorder of Hoarding

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Laurie

Most of us like to collect things. Maybe stamps, maybe coins, maybe dolls, or even hot rods. It is pretty much normal to do so. But, what’s normal can become abnormal when your collecting (Hoarding) begins to impact your life … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, Anxiety Disorders, Children's issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, Grief, Mental Health, OCD, PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Teens | Leave a comment

The many faces of anxiety

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Laurie

Come on, we all feel anxious some times. Tests, blind dates, getting stopped by a police officer…these are the kinds of things that make most people’s heart beat a little faster. But for many, the simple daily things we do are anxiety … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, Anxiety Disorders, Asperger's, Children's issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, Mental Health, OCD, PTSD, Reactive Attachment Disorder, Teens | Leave a comment

When there are things out children don’t know how to tell us

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Laurie

The number of children who have been sexually exploited/abused is staggering, especially when you consider how often nobody ever even finds out that something has happened.  The reported numbers have dropped over the last two decades, but the figures still … Continue reading →

Posted in Addiction, Anxiety Disorders, Children's issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, Grief, Mental Health, ODD, Other challenges, PTSD, Teens | Leave a comment

The challenges of living with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Laurie

All of us have things we want to do or have done ‘just so’. Come on, admit it. There is a right and a wrong way to put toilet paper on the spindle. And the lettuce has to go on … Continue reading →

Posted in Anxiety Disorders, Asperger's, Autism, Children's issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, Mental Health, OCD, Teens | Leave a comment

ADHD is not always ADHD

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Laurie

We all have a pretty good mental picture of what a kid with ADHD looks like, but what we see is not always what is going on. There are lots of reasons why a kid may show symptoms of ADHD, … Continue reading →

Posted in ADHD, Children's issues, FAS, Mental Illness, ODD, PTSD, Teens | Leave a comment