News Archives

In a recent article from UCLA Medical School, Dr. John Piacentini, Director of UCLA CARES covers Tourette Syndrome and the causes, symptoms, and treatments. Through his commendable career, Piacentini has focused on the research and treatment of Tourette Syndrome, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and tic disorder. Visit medschool.ucla.edu to access the full article.  Link: https://medschool.ucla.edu/news-article/what-is-tourette-syndrome

CARES Managing Director, Kate Sheehan, LCSW, shared her expertise in a recent article from US News & World Report on test anxiety. Sheehan highlights that teachers are often the first to notice a student struggling with test anxiety, while parents may see physical red flags such as a headache or upset stomach the night beforeContinue reading “How to Manage Your Child’s Test Anxiety from US News & World Report”

In a recent article for People, John Piacentini, PhD and Kate Sheehan, LCSW, director and managing director of CARES, explain how parents can support their children as they experience social challenges that are even harder to navigate due to the pandemic. Read the full article on People.com.

Layla Tondravi presented the work of the CARES Youth Collective (CYC) at the 2022 Semel Undergraduate Research Conference. The CYC team reviewed studies that investigated social media use in adolescents, parent involvement in social media use, and social media’s impact on well-being. In addition to the poster presentation, the research conducted by the CYC informedContinue reading “Youth Collective Presents Research on Social Media Use in Adolescents”

CARES Director, Dr. John Piacentini, weighs in on how social media and online providers may be spreading misinformation and leading to an exaggeration of symptoms and misdiagnoses for mental health concerns such as ADHD. Listen to the episode from KPCC.

CARES Director, Dr. John Piacentini, and other experts weigh in on the current mental-health crisis seen in young people. Dr. Piacentini explains how anxiety and depression may be at the root of other confusing symptoms such as newly formed tics. The experts all agree that the mental-health crisis was prevalent long before COVID-19 and willContinue reading “New York Times – There’s a Mental-Health Crisis Among American Children. Why?”

CARES Director, Dr. John Piacentini, joined the Diverse Thinking Diverse Learning podcast to explain what anxiety is, how anxiety is different from stress, and what to do if your child is struggling with anxiety. Listen to the podcast episode for free on the ChildNEXUS website.

Doctors around the world have seen an unusual rise in Tourette-like tic disorders over the past year.  Dr. John Piacentini and other experts weigh in on why and how this might be happening. Watch the full report from Matt Dibble of VOA News: https://www.voanews.com/a/tiktok-tics-social-media-may-be-causing-tourette-like-symptoms/6250216.html

Dr. John Piacentini moderated a panel discussion focused on back-to-school anxiety and what the whole school community can do to support one another in managing stress and anxiety. The discussion was part of the Open Mind series for the UCLA Friends of Semel. Watch the full panel here or visit their website.

Dr. John Piacentini, Director of CARES, joined a Friends of Semel event with Dr. Eli Lebowitz from the Yale Child Study Center to discuss anxiety accommodation in childhood anxiety and OCD. They covered the importance of supportive parenting, and how parents play a pivotal role in helping children managing anxiety. Thank you to Friends of SemelContinue reading ““Breaking Free of Childhood Anxiety and OCD” Discussion for Friends of Semel”