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The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report

Food and Mood (April) | 2014

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The Real Story About Food Dyes and Behavior

April 1, 2014

We’ve seen these parents in our practice: those that say their children get “hyper” from eating a red Popsicle or that the orange mac and cheese makes their ADHD somehow worse. But what’s the evidence that food dyes are actually related to behavior? Read More

Does Chocolate Do a Body Good?

April 1, 2014

Doctors and parents alike are always concerned with adolescents’ diets, from sugar-laden sodas to nutritionally-deficient fast food. But could a perennial favorite—chocolate—actually be good for kids’ mental health? Some researchers have theorized that chocolate has antidepressant benefits, alleviates anxiety, and improves cognition. Read More

Using Integrative Psychiatry to Treat Childhood Obesity

April 1, 2014

Integrative psychiatrist Dr. Victoria Dunckley explains how good nutrition, exercise, and getting away from electronic screens can help prevent and combat childhood obesity. Read More

The Link Between Social Anxiety and Suicidal Ideation

April 1, 2014

The teen years are known as a time of increased suicide risk. Associated factors such as depression, social support, and anxiety were recently studied to understand their relationship to ideation, planning, and suicide attempts. Researchers at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examined how social anxiety is related to risk of suicidal ideation. Read More

Autistic Brain Differences May Develop in the Womb

April 1, 2014

Abnormalities in the brains of autistic children can be traced back to the development of neurons in utero, according to a new study published in the March 27 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (Stoner R, N Engl J Med 2014; 370:1209–1219). Read More