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lems, such as wars, recession 
and terrorism. “Different gen-
erations were protected from 
things that may have still been 
there,
” she says. “But all of those 
things that are happening now 
feel so much bigger because 
they’re in children’s faces all the 
time.
”
Throughout the pandemic, 
kids relied heavily on their 
screens to find connection. 
While screen time certainly 
offered a way to stay connected 
to friends, family and school, 
Weingarden says this increased 
screen time caused numerous 
secondary issues.
With social media being a 
main outlet of news for many, it 
can be easy to get consumed in 
never-ending coverage, much of 
which isn’t accurate, or is simply 
upsetting news.
“There’s a feeling that you 
need to be connected to all of 
these things that are happening, 
or have some semblance of con-
trol,
” Weingarden says. “In real-
ity, it can consume you to the 
point where it’s debilitating.
”
Weingarden sees many young 
patients experiencing anxiety 
and panic exacerbated by social 
media, which can wreak havoc 
on sleep, mood and overall 
well-being. “It’s important to 
remember and remind people 
that they need to take a step 
back and take care of them-
selves,
” she says, “because it’s too 
much.
”

MAINTAINING 
AN OPEN LINE
Limiting screen time can help 
create a healthy barrier between 
often-devastating world news 
and the mental health of youth, 
but Weingarden says the issues 
can go deeper.
As the war between Israel and 
Hamas rages on, many kids, 
especially Jewish youth, live in 
constant fear. “Kids were afraid 
for their lives during COVID-

19; they were afraid about 
violence in different communi-
ties and afraid to go to school 
because of school shootings,
” 
Weingarden explains. “Now 
they’re afraid because of 
antisemitism.
”
Caren Landau, who also 
works at Birmingham Maple 
Clinic and specializes in various 
fields, including adjustment 
disorders, bipolar depression 
and grief, says today’s Jewish 
children are facing times that 
haven’t been seen in years, let 
alone decades.
“For Jewish children right 
now, in the last few months, 
there’s a heightened sense of 
something terrible going on in 
their community,
” she explains, 
especially of youth in middle 
school and older. “To many 
Jewish children, Israel is part of 
their community, even though 
it’s across the ocean.
”
So what can parents and 
guardians do to help their chil-
dren cope in unprecedented 
and uncertain times? The key, 
Landau says, is to maintain an 
open line of communication. 
“My advice is to always have 
dialogue on a regular basis at 

home,
” she recommends. This 
includes checking in with kids 
of all age groups to see how 
they are doing.
Signs to look for that kids 
may be struggling with their 
mental health include changes 
in eating, sleeping, studying, 
socialization and general behav-
iors. Outspoken youth may sud-
denly turn inwards, or generally 
calm kids can unexpectedly 
become angry.
When your child acts in a 
manner that’s unusual for them, 
it may warrant having a loving 
and understanding conversa-
tion — even if the issue at hand 
is little more than a bad day 
at school. Sometimes, there is 
much more than meets the eye.
Landau also suggests offering 
more hugs to kids who benefit 
from the warmth of their par-
ents. “Whether it’s a hug or a 

pat on the back, feeling like you 
have a team in the household 
can make you more likely to be 
able to say you’re feeling trou-
bled.
”
For Landau, who has been 
working in mental health for 
more than 40 years, many pedi-
atricians can also pick up on 
cues that a child may be strug-
gling with mental health. “Good 
pediatricians are doing a mental 
health assessment every year,
” 
she says.

THE JOURNEY TO 
ERASE STIGMA
This open line of commu-
nication between families 
and providers alike is one 
of many steps the mental 
health community has 
taken to help erase stigma 
for seeking care.
Lori Edelson, Jewish 
owner of Birmingham 
Maple Clinic and therapist 
who specializes in family 
issues and couples coun-
seling among other areas, 
says times have changed 
drastically since she first began 
working in mental health about 
45 years ago.
Edelson, who 
became the 
clinic’s owner in 
1997, says men-
tal health was a 
hush-hush topic 
when she initial-
ly entered the 
industry. “Mental health care 
was not something people talk-
ed about getting,
” she explains. 
“It wasn’t something they were 
proud of receiving.
”
She calls mental health care 
a previously “invisible service” 
that took numerous steps to 
protect patient identity and pri-
vacy, including sometimes hav-
ing separate doors for the clinic 
entrance and exit so community 
members wouldn’t run into one 
another.

Lori Edelson

Founder and original owner 
of the Maple Clinic, John H. 
Vanderlind, in his younger 
years. RIGHT: John H. 
Vanderlind, founder of the 
Maple Clinic.

