School is out and, for many teens, the pressure of academic performance is gone. Just last week, one of my colleagues noted that there were fewer referrals and many youth were planning monthly instead of weekly sessions. It seems as if summer means a break from mental illness as well as from school. As well…
My weeks in the middle of October are crowded with patients – often patients I am not supposed to see since they are over 18 and my program does not extend beyond 18 years. These patients, however, know me and I know them. They turn first to someone they know, and I have told them…
For many youth and their families, it is a few years since they’ve gotten together with their relatives. If you are thinking of something to do that is good for mental health, why not consider a family visit? My happiest summer memories are of visiting relatives with my parents and brother and sisters and, in…
Last week, I went to work with 1.3 litre of milk. In Canada, you can buy milk in packages of 4 litres, the 4 litres being divided into 3 smaller bags each containing 1.3 litres of milk. To give you an idea of the size, if you’re not familiar with Canada’s bags of milk, I’ve…
Harm Reduction is a difficult topic to explain to people: parents, educators, lawmakers don’t always understand why I can be satisfied with a youth lowering their drug use when they really need to stop their drug use. Harm reduction can sound like a clinician is giving in – the second to last step before giving…
“Does pot count?” The girl asking this question looks like a pixie dressed all in black, with metal stud bracelets and black eyeliner. I’m running a group and, as part of it, there is a questionnaire about drug use. I am looking steadily at this girl, and I must look puzzled, because she continues. “I…
I must ask unusual questions in the course of my work. Asking teens why they use marijuana is one of the questions that gets some thought-provoking answers. Here are some of them: “What kind of question is that?” “I don’t know.” “You know – to relax.” “It’s just something to do while hanging out.” “I…
“Dr. Beck, I’ve reached a new, sad milestone in my life.” I listen to this statement from a sixteen year old and wonder what they will say next. I ask timidly, suppressing an internal scream, “What milestone is that?” “Well,” my patient continues, flinging their head to one side revealing tear-filled eyes, “the stuff I…
In the past three weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine, more and more of the youth in my practice are talking bout war. Even as NATO emphasizes that they do not want to provoke a global conflict, the teens in my practice already know what the grown-up leaders around the world try to ignore. This already…
It is 3 months since I wrote anything for this blog, but I have been writing. I have been writing about marijuana, specifically a book about the impact of marijuana on youth mental health: The Parent’s Guide to Marijuana. Since the pandemic began in March 2020, I have observed that the use of marijuana by…