Dr. Henry Paul, MD

Psychiatrist, Author and Educator

YOU WANT TO BULLY ME?

March 18th, 2016

Bullying is a topic that I have talked about frequently in my blog and with patients and educators. Sadly, bullying is much worse for children today. Why? Because social media created cyberbullying making it easy for bullies to taunt, tease and threaten their victims around-the-clock.

I recently came across a story online at Choices magazine by a young woman who was bullied and decided to fight back. The article tells the story of Nicole, who had hundreds of friends and never thought she’d ever be the target of bullying. Until one day she was accused of doing something that angered many in her class, and so she was now being trashed on Facebook, tormented by a barrage of nasty, hurtful texts and on the verge of falling apart. Until one day she decided to fight back. Choices chronicles her story in “The Girl Who Got Even: A True Cyberbullying Story.”

Nicole’s mom became concerned about the bullying and did some research and found Shawn Edgington, one of America’s leading experts on cyberbullying prevention. Edgington had been speaking at schools and had come to the realization that teens would respond better if he had a young person they could relate to, so he asked Nicole if she would tell her story. She told Choices, “She jumped at the opportunity. For her, there was no better way to get even with her tormenters than by telling the world what she had endured and what she had learned.”

With Nicole as his campaign spokesperson, Edgington formed the Great American NO BULL Challenge. Their website says their mission is to provide a global social media platform to promote youth leadership, cyber citizenship, and social change through peer-to-peer engagement and action. NO BULL is powered by the voices of youth (ages 13-23) through short video documentaries, PSAs, and Vines that they write and produce.

Nicole told Choices that working with Edgington on his campaign has been healing for her. She even said that one of the students who tormented her reached out to apologize for believing in the false accusations and partaking in the bullying.

It was great that Nicole confided in her mother and that her mother was proactive in helping her daughter. Parents need to educate themselves about bullying. There are effective intervention programs across the country that parents should get involved with in their children’s schools. Schools should be encouraged to create and enforce anti-bullying policies and to have class discussions about bullies.

I have counseled plenty of children over the years who have been the victims of childhood bullying. Bullying comes in many forms, but intimidation, teasing and the threat of violence are often involved. The sooner a child begins to deal with their bullying the better the outcome. For Nicole, she not only beat back the bullies she found that she “felt relief” and that her world seemed “in balance” again.

LINKS

The Girl Who Got Even: A True Cyberbullying Story – Choices
Shawn Edgington – Cyberbully Prevention Expert
Great American NO BULL Challenge
What to Do If You Think Your Child is Being Bullied – Dr. Henry Paul Blog

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription.

YES, IT CAN HAPPEN IN YOUR FAMILY!

March 9th, 2016

The hardest part about the heroin epidemic in this country is getting those who think “not in my family” to understand that it happens to ANY family. It happens to high school and college athletes – the “good kids” — and it occurs in higher numbers in our adult population over age 50. Why? Because painkillers are prescribed to injured athletes and adults with injuries and chronic pain, and painkillers are a gateway drug to heroin.

Let’s focus today on adolescent athletes and how an injury can lead to addiction. A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that young athletes are 50 percent more likely to abuse painkillers. Just yesterday CBS News ran a story about college high school wrestler Robert King who was prescribed the painkiller Percocet for his broken foot and who just a few years later found himself addicted to heroin.

According to CBS, “King’s story is not an uncommon one. As the heroin epidemic continues to rage throughout the country, high school athletes are falling victim to addiction in alarming numbers.”

I have written blogs about painkiller and heroin addiction for the past year and the need in this country for more awareness, and I applaud families who are opening up about their loved one’s addiction. Now, even in obituaries families are candidly disclosing the cause of death as a drug addiction. Families are not trying to scare anyone. On the contrary, they are helping to promote awareness that just may save a life.

In the CBS story, Jack Riley, Deputy Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), emphasized that addiction cuts across every demographic group. He told CBS, “Heroin never discriminates, and athletes are no different. This dangerous drug has become a powerful weapon of mass destruction for drug addicts, some of whom are athletes who first became addicted to painkillers while rehabilitating from sports injury.”

So what should parents do? Most important is to educate yourself about the growing painkiller and heroin epidemic. If your school or community is offering drug awareness education forums — go! Encourage your friends to go with you too. Learn about Narcan™ (naloxone) an opiate antidote. Opioids include heroin and prescription pain pills like morphine, codeine, oxycodone, methadone and Vicodin. Many local communities are training first responders and school staff in the use of Narcan.

Trust your instincts. If you think something is off with your teen, you’re probably right. Ask questions and get answers. If you have a child on pain medication, ask the doctor about it. In the end, remember this is an epidemic in this country so do what you can do to prevent it from spreading to your family. Knowledge is power – always a good place to start!

LINKS

The surprising path from student athlete to heroin addict CBS

You can make a difference in the growing heroin epidemic. Blog by Dr. Henry Paul

He died of a Heroin overdose! Blog by Dr. Henry Paul

TRANSGENDER CHILDREN & TEENS AND ACCEPTANCE AT SCHOOL

May 15th, 2015

As children reject their birth gender at younger ages, schools districts large and small, conservative and liberal, are working to help transgender students fit in without a fuss.

Statistics show that young, transgender children and teenagers face more discrimination than LGB’s. The victimization of these students results in missed school, lower grades, and poor self-esteem. And, they are often the victims of bullying.

A study in 2009 by Harsh Realities: The Experiences of Transgender Youth in Our Nation’s Schools reported an “urgent need for educators, policymakers and all who care about safe schools to address the disproportionate victimization of transgender students in school and to improve the knowledge and understanding of all members of the school community about issues related to gender and gender expression. This report also highlights the continued need for focused research so that all of us committed to creating safer schools for all students can more clearly understand the realities for specific student populations. Such understanding is critical as we work toward the development and implementation of effective policies, programs and resources.”

In 2014, California became the first state to implement a law spelling out the rights of a transgender student in public schools, including the ability to use restrooms and to play on sports teams that match their expressed genders. This is a great step forward. It is important that these type of policy changes continue to keep all youth safe in our schools.

Disclaimer
This blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription. Dr. Paul does not assume any responsibility or risk for the use of any information contained within this blog.

TATTOOS – TEENAGERS WANT THEM — PARENTS NEED TO KNOW THE RISKS

February 18th, 2015

“In the last 10 years, we’ve seen more and more teenagers getting tattoos and getting larger tattoos,” said Patrick Dean, owner of the Tattooville Tattoo Parlor in Neptune, N.J. to ABC’s Good Morning America in 2010.

Tattoos– those permanent ink sketchings are now mainstream, and teenagers want them. Celebrities, big-name athletes and musicians are sporting more and more “tats” and teenagers are taking notice.

With some teens, wanting a tattoo may be a personal choice but for others peer pressure is a factor. In 2010, a Pew Research study found that nearly 40% of young people between the ages of 18 and 29 had a tattoo. An interesting trend in this study was that parents were increasingly supportive of their teenagers getting tattoos. So what do you do when your teenager comes to you and asks to get a tattoo?

First, parents need to have a frank discussion with their teenager about tattoos. Things to think about and discuss includes the risk of infection, the physical dangers, permanence of tattoos, how a tattoo might affect a job down the road and more.

What to Do

If your teenager is considering getting a tattoo, or has already gone out and done it – let this be an invitation to open a dialogue. First of all, give your teen the facts about the dangers and possible permanence of body markings. While you should be alert to possible deeper meanings or turmoil in the teen that tattoos may represent; talk to your teen about them. There is no need to overreact, especially if they are considering a small tattoo. You may want to suggest a temporary tattoo, which will give the same effect but be removable.

If you and your teenager come to an agreement about getting a tattoo you need to take some precautions.

Make sure the tattoo place is clean, and that gloves and disinfectants are used. Make sure any pigments, trays or containers are new and unused and the needle and tubes should be taken from sealed packages before the procedure begins.
Sterilization of equipment is most important. The tattoo artist you choose needs to use a heat sterilization machine (autoclave) to sterilize all non-disposable equipment between customers. Those things that can’t be heat sterilized — including drawer handles, tables and sinks — need to be disinfected with a commercial disinfectant or bleach solution after each use.
Know that most tattoo parlors are not regulated by state or local regulations, so it is up to you to do the homework. In some states like New York it is illegal to tattoo a minor even with the parent’s consent. For information on regulations in your area, contact your county of city health department.
Watch for an allergic reaction. The dyes used can cause irritation including redness and itching at the site.
Tattoos generally heal in one to three weeks but be careful to watch for infection. If you suspect infection contact your doctor.

Communicate with your child before, during and after they get their tattoo. Threats are not the answer; calm and informed discussion is. Use this as an opportunity to increase communication with your teenager.

SEXUAL ABUSE – THE NUMBERS ARE HIGHER THAN REPORTED

October 29th, 2014

Rep. George Miller of California says a new GAO report points out important gaps in the nation’s systems for reporting child abuse by school personnel. NBC NEWS

An interesting NBC News story that I came across last weekend says that “Sexual abuse of children by teachers or other public school employees is likely underestimated because of a patchwork reporting system and involvement of numerous local, state and federal agencies in investigating such claims.”

This is according to a report released by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) in January of this year. The report, “Child Welfare: Federal Agencies Can Better Support State Efforts to Prevent and Respond to Sexual Abuse by School Personnel” was presented to various members of Congress and to The Honorable George Miller, Ranking Member Committee on Education and the Workforce, House of Representatives.

In the report, a letter addressed to Miller in January 2014 outlines the situation. “Over the last decade, a number of media reports were made across the country about sexual abuse¹ of students by public K-12 school personnel. A report prepared for the U.S. Department of Education in 2004 stated that nearly 9.6 percent of students are victims of sexual abuse by school personnel²—such as teachers, principals, coaches, and school bus drivers—sometime during their school career.³

I saw this trend back in 2000, and I wrote about it in my book, “Is My Child Okay?” At that time, according to state child abuse registries, sexual abuse – the exploitation of a child by an adult to satisfy the adult’s sexual desires – accounted for ten percent of all reported cases of child abuse. The operative word is reported. In fact, the actual incidence of sexual abuse of children was more realistically closer to 20, 25 or even 30 percent. Many children don’t disclose the abuse and adults similarly hide their participation in it.

In the mental health arena, many of us can confidently say that the numbers of children sexually abused are much higher. Why? Because of the number of adults who eventually come forward. As many as 20 to 40 percent of adult women and 10 percent of adult men admit to having experienced some form of sexual abuse as a child. Hard to believe? The Jerry Sandusky case at Penn State is a good example of this.

To add to these statistics, 40 percent of children who are abused experience it only once in their lives, but an appalling 60 percent experience it many more times, often over a period of years. Both boys and girls, from infancy to adolescence, may be abused, although girls appear to be the more usual victims – some reliable study statistics indicate that as many as one in every six girls is sexually exploited by an adult. These are frightening numbers! The way to change this is through education and support. Topics I will tackle in my next couple of blogs.

Definitions of sexual abuse may vary from state to state. For example, sexual abuse may be defined in general terms or by specifying various acts as sexual abuse, such as rape, molestation, or sexual assault. For purposes of this report, we consider sexual abuse to include any sexual activity involving a child that is a crime under applicable state law. However, the prevalence of sexual abuse by school personnel remains unknown, in part, because some cases go unreported.
For the purposes of this review, school personnel includes a wide variety of positions including, but not limited to, school district administrators, principals, teachers, paraprofessionals, school nurses, coaches, guidance counselors, school psychologists, school cafeteria staff, janitors, and school bus drivers.
Shakeshaft, C, Educator Sexual Misconduct: A Synthesis of the Literature, U.S. Department of Education, 2004. The estimate provided in the report is the most recent information available on the prevalence of such abuse and misconduct and is based on secondary analysis of data collected for the American Association of University Women in Fall 2000 from a sample of 8th through 11th grade students in 80,000 schools and focused on experiences that occurred in school.

DISCLAIMER

Information contained in this blog is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical or psychiatric advice for individual conditions or treatment and does not substitute for a medical or psychiatric examination. A psychiatrist must make a determination about any treatment or prescription. Dr. Paul does not assume any responsibility or risk for the use of any information contained within this blog.