If it’s this hard for you to get off that smartphone, imagine the effects of constant access to screens and social media on the brain of a developing preteen. Imagine navigating the self-conscious years while actually being rated by your peers with the presence or absence of comments and likes.

What is a parents’ role after a child leaves home?

The lack of availability of psychiatric specialists led me to transform my practice from a regular outpatient clinic to a walk-in urgent care psychiatry clinic (www.sigmamhuc.com). Others are opening psychiatric emergency centers, or practicing telehealth so that even people in remote areas can consult with a specialist.

Puberty is a second chance. At puberty, diseases can abate and new abilities can spring up. And most impressively, puberty offers a second chance to the developing brain. Brains learn rapidly for a window of time beginning around puberty, changing disease disposition, especially in mental health.