Shivana Naidoo is a child psychiatrist.

Prevent youth suicide: essential steps for parents to secure their home

Conditions
August 13, 2024

This blog contains information about youth suicide which may be triggering for some readers. If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal ideations, please seek attention from your own medical provider, call 988, or text 741741 for guidance and professional support.

As a child and adolescent psychiatrist, I spent a fair share of my day speaking to parents about suicide prevention. Oftentimes, when a parent is thinking about how to …

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Prevent youth suicide: essential steps for parents to secure their home

The Cactus Kid: an analogy for parents and youth who are living with mental dis-ease

Conditions
August 9, 2023

Everyone has phases, stages, and degrees of mental disease throughout their lives, especially children, adolescents, and young adults. It is a part of normal growth and development to go through phases of change. Sometimes, a young person gets stuck in a phase, and it becomes something more—a mental health disorder—and they may receive a diagnosis. Often, if the young person can receive the help and support they need, this phase …

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The Cactus Kid: an analogy for parents and youth who are living with mental dis-ease

A goodbye note to my suicidal teenagers

Physician
November 25, 2022

On the day before the last day at my last job, I reviewed my patient roster. Five of my seven most worrisome teenagers were currently admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a suicide attempt. This was not completely surprising. It is the fall. Teenagers notoriously struggle two to three months after starting school, getting into academic work, falling prey to bullying and stress, or not meeting their goals. But I …

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A goodbye note to my suicidal teenagers

PPE: psychiatrist presenting emotion

Physician
April 22, 2022

Out of all the fields of medical practice, the field of psychiatry is the most unlikely place to be wearing a mask. My fellow physicians in hospitals, operating rooms and clinics typically had masks ready to utilize for several procedures long before COVID emerged.

In mental health care, especially as a child psychiatrist, masks are a significant hindrance in clinical care.

How could the family that uses American Sign Language read my …

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PPE: psychiatrist presenting emotion

How one word may have harmed my patient

Physician
June 8, 2021

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

This childhood rhyme aims to teach children to be resilient, that not all words have to hold power. As psychiatrists, we know this is a lofty goal. So much damage and hurt can come from a simple word. Here is an example of how the word “behavioral” has hurt me.

I work at a large statewide nonprofit organization as …

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How one word may have harmed my patient