May 16, 2024

By Courtney Wise

Greetings, MindSite News Readers! In today’s Daily, we get a peek inside a Detroit clinic working to help parents care for their infants’ mental health. Federal prosecutors tell Rhode Island to stop violating the civil rights of mentally ill children —or else. And picky eaters may be more susceptible to mood disorders.

Also in today’s edition, a video about educators who are embracing joy and play in learning at school. Teen and parent psychologist Dr. Barbara Greenberg’s take on a study about what estranged mothers are getting so wrong. A parenting pair who created a t-shirt line to promote positivity and mental health awareness. Plus, a Minnesota Public Radio episode on birth and depression that pulls together more than a dozen helpful resources for parents-to-be.

A Detroit clinic that focuses on infant mental health

At just two weeks old, baby Isis was already on a roller coaster. Her father, Terrence Fulton, had no idea he was going to be a father again—until Isis was already here. He got a call earlier this month while working an overnight shift as security at a Detroit night club, he told Bridge Michigan. The voice on the other side said that his baby had been born and her mother was going to walk away. To say he was stunned was an understatement. Already a father of three, ages 22, 28, and 17, Fulton said he didn’t know Isis’ mother was pregnant. Two days later, he arrived at the hospital to take Isis home.

Loss of a parent is a traumatic Adverse Childhood Experience, or ACE in health care parlance, Although people tend to assume infants hold no memory of such moments, social worker Rebecca Wheeler says that’s incorrect. “The reality is that infants … remember, but their memories are more body-centered, more sensory,” she said. That’s why such a loss, left unaddressed, could lead to trauma and toxic stress for baby Isis.

That’s where Wheeler and fellow social worker Beverly Wethington stepped in. The pair co-coordinate Detroit’s new Social Work Early Childhood Support Clinic in the Wayne State University School of Social Work, in partnership with Wayne Pediatrics. Sometime, medical staff guide them to new parents they know are struggling. In other instances, a family’s medical history – such as domestic violence, food insecurity or the risk of homelessness – alerts them of the need for a check-in. They work to provide families with access to vital resources, teach skills to regulate stress, and help families form the bonds necessary to build the kinds of secure relationships that empower babies to truly be resilient as they grow. 

“Fundamentally, intervening early gives you the most power to impact that child’s life,” Wheeler said. “If you can make any small shift toward positive, resilient, secure parent-child relationships, that attachment relationship is the number one protective factor for people facing any kind of hardship” later in life.”

Child development professor Holly Brophy-Herb concurs. “The earlier that we support children and families and children’s healthy growth and development — particularly in the zero-to-three-years age group — the more we save down the line,” said Brophy-Herb, who is also the editor-in-chief of the peer-reviewed Infant Mental Health Journal. One economist has calculated that every dollar spent on early childhood developments save society s $7 down the road.

So far, the future is hopeful for Isis and her father. At her most recent check up, Weathington spoke with Fulton about the formula he was feeding Isis and how he was getting to appointments. She ended by urging him to call a support group for fathers and giving him a word of encouragement. “You’re doing awesome,” Weathington said. “Just remember to call us if you need anything.”

“I’m trying,” said Fulton. “I think we’ll be okay. Isis and me — we’re going through this together.”

Ask Barbara: Why are my adult children avoiding me?

In this piece, teen and parent psychologist Dr. Barbara Greenberg explores what estranged mothers get so wrong. She reviews a recent study of mothers alienated from their adult children, and finds that most of them blame external factors for the break. Many assume other family members have turned their adult children against them or that the children are having mental health problems. Some feel that their children are angry they divorced their father and remarried. But it turns out that their children tend to have a far different view, and that the mothers would benefit from more flexible thinking. Find out what the adult children had to say.

Rhode Island violated the rights of hundreds of children in mental crises, federal prosecutors say

Earlier this week, federal prosecutors announced that the State of Rhode Island violated the civil rights of hundreds of children with mental health or developmental disabilities by needlessly holding them inside of Bradley Hospital, an acute-care psychiatric facility, rather than releasing them to their families to receive community-based services.

The investigation spanned January 1, 2017, to September 30, 2022, reports the Associated Press, and found that 527 children under the care of the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) were admitted to Bradley, staying far longer than intended. Specifically, prosecutors say the hospital disregarded its legal obligation to provide children mental health services in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs, detaining them in Bradly for months in many cases, and for more than one year in others. Such stays are far beyond the one to two weeks patients are intended to receive in-patient treatment at Bradley Hospital. 

“It is nothing short of appalling that the state has chosen to warehouse children in a psychiatric institution, rather than stepping up to provide the community care, support, and services that these kids need, and that the law requires,” Cunha said, adding that he hopes the investigation will move state to meet its obligations to youth under the law.

In response, Olivia DaRocha, an aide to Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, stated, “This troubling report identifies long-standing issues where improvements are clearly needed—issues that are exacerbated by the national shortage of home and community-based behavioral health services.” She says the department will work with federal regulators to find appropriate services for children.  

Since November 2022, the state has taken action to fast-track discharges, in collaboration with Bradley and Hasbro Children’s Hospitals. In addition, it launched a Mobile Response and Stabilization Services program that offers on-site, on-demand crisis services to youth right where they are. To date, 90 percent of youth served by the mobile unit did not require hospitalization.

In other news…

Infusing play and joy in learning: A recent video from Edutopia explores how teachers are incorporating playful learning to help ready children for the future. Says principal Derek Pierce: “I think the holy grail of learning is rigor plus joy. Like if you can find activities that really push kids to do hard things they didn’t think they could do, and there is joy embedded in those activities, that is a sweet spot for learning.”

MPR News has a new initiative, Call to Mind, and we shared an episode from the series earlier this week. It offers deeply reported radio stories on matters related to mental health, including severe mental illness, incarceration, navigating “the isms” of race, sex, class, and on today, birth and depression. At this link, you’ll find a 53-minute radio episode all about the public health issue of postpartum depression and the barriers to treatment, straight from parents who have lived experience—or are currently living through it. In addition, MPR News has provided a list of 19 resources that can benefit mothers and others in Minnesota and across the nation. 

Got a picky eater on your hands? A recent study involving nearly 182,000 older adults in Great Britain found that those who eat an array of foods have better mental health and cognitive performance than people who do not. The findings suggest that a diverse diet correlates with improved mental wellness and cognitive function. In contrast, those with limited food preferences, including vegetarians and people on high-protein diets, showed greater risk of anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders. The study’s results “demonstrate that specific food preferences have significant associations with mental health, cognitive functions, blood and metabolic biomarkers and brain imaging,” noted Rebecca MacPherson, a researcher unaffiliated with the study.

HazeyBoo by Hazel Brown: During the shutdowns of 2020 and 2021, early childhood educator Hazel Brown noticed the strain that isolation placed on child, parent, and teacher mental health. She launched HazeyBoo three years ago in response. Interviewed by the Natural Parent Magazine, she said  HazeyBoo is intended to be a clothing store that helps parents and teachers find clothes that express what their children feel in a positive way. In addition to providing t-shirts and other wearable items, HazeyBoo features feelings charts, mindfulness journals, and even games focused on mental wellness. 

If you or someone you know is in crisis or experiencing suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and connect in English or Spanish. If you’re a veteran press 1. If you’re deaf or hard of hearing dial 711, then 988. Services are free and available 24/7.