Anxiety is a broad concept that permeates pretty much all of our work. In particular, anxiety often compromises cognitive ability and drives acting-out behavior.

When parents bring in their kids for concentration, attention, and learning issues, it’s common to assume a provisional diagnosis of ADHD. In many children, however, anxiety can be the real cause of these problems.

Suicidal thinking and behavior remains difficult to predict and challenging to address. As a resident in the mid-1980s, I made an annual trek from Naval Hospital San Diego to UCLA, bringing a year of painful experiences to the renowned Dr. Edwin Schneidman.

Why do children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have tantrums? One theory is that these tantrums are due in part to children’s frustration with not being able to express themselves. This theory has led to a treatment approach called “mand training.”

ASD occurs in one out of 50 school children and at least 1% of older adults. About one third of people with developmental challenges have other mental health difficulties, and these patients are often referred to general outpatient psychiatric services for assessment and management.