skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, September 20, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

NM Parents Encouraged to Know When Kids Need Mental Health Intervention

play audio
Play

Friday, May 5, 2023   

More behavioral-health providers may be enticed to move to New Mexico after a bill passed by the Legislature this year made treatment for behavioral health and substance abuse easier to access.

Starting next year, insurance companies won't be allowed to apply limitations on these services. It comes at a time when new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the percentage of high school students who said they feel persistently "sad" or "hopeless" increased between 2011 and 2021.

Psychologist Coralanne Griffith-Hunte, a professor at Mercy College, said there are typically clear signs young people are suffering.

"Are they experiencing memory problems?" she said. "Inability to concentrate - seeing only the negative in situations? And are they saying they're having intrusive thoughts? Emotionally, are they experiencing an inability to just relax, just to be OK in situations?"

In addition to the CDC report, a New Mexico Department of Health survey showed two in five high school students, or 40%, reported feeling sad or hopeless in 2019 and one in six ages 12 to 17 experienced a major depressive episode.

Many parents blame social media for increased mental-health challenges reported by their kids, but Griffith-Hunte said it's also important that parents take an active role in listening - to help kids identify what they're feeling and build emotional resiliency.

"I say to my clients all the time, 'There's a difference between hearing - hearing means you know the song is playing - listening means you know the words of the song,'" she said.

The CDC's survey showed Hispanic and multiracial students were more likely than others to have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Griffith-Hunte encouraged parents to learn more about the national "Sound It Out Together" campaign that offers free tools and resources to help parents and caregivers have more meaningful conversations with their kids.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …


So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

AI queries require about 10 times the electricity of traditional internet searches and the generation of original music, photos and videos requires much more, according to the Electric Power Research Institute. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

Environment

play sound

Rising demands for clean energy efficiency are producing a wealth of work opportunities in Illinois. These in-demand jobs are also promoting a …

Social Issues

play sound

Like polling from other battleground states, the race for the White House remains close in Wisconsin. But fresh numbers out this week show some …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021