Toxic Stress: Difficult Childhoods Impact Body & Brain
It was the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study in 1997 that made the link between early trauma and illness later in life official. The results overwhelmingly showed that the more significant hardships a person goes through in childhood, the greater…
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Building Healthy Brains: There is Life After Trauma
As we learned in our June Mental Health Moment segment, adverse childhood experiences (ACES) can result in toxic levels of stress, which can harm our physical and mental health later in life. This month, we focus on helping children to…
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Participant to Presenter
Compass Mark’s Josh Mountz has been selected to present at the Commonwealth Prevention Alliance’s statewide annual conference. During this year’s conference, Josh will be leading a workshop focused on problem gambling within our aging populations. Josh has worked as a…
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How to Prevent Addiction Disorders: Learn About Risk & Protective Factors
Prevention of substance use and gambling disorders is NOT simply about telling kids not to do these things. Effective prevention starts with identifying what children and youth in the community need, and then meeting that need with research-backed strategies. Risk…
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Survey of Youth Substance Use
Last month Compass Mark, in partnership with the Lancaster Lebanon IU13, held the annual Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) Summit. This event was designed to teach schools and administrators on how to integrate the PAYS substance use data in local planning.…
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Marijuana Attitudes Affect Public Health
Listening tours, hemp cafes, and cannabis-infused food, drink and pet supplements. With the buzz brought on by commercialization, conversation these days often turns to marijuana, and it’s making an impact that even local kids notice. “In the schools where we…
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A Modern, Scientific View of Addiction
People struggling with substance abuse were once, and sometimes still are, judged harshly. Today, we know addiction is a disease, just as cancer, diabetes and other common ailments are. The National Institute of Drug Abuse, respected institutions like the American…
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Worrying Trend: Vaping is on the Rise among Young People
During Substance Abuse Prevention Month, many public campaigns will focus heavily on the problems posed by opioids and other narcotics. While these efforts are important, another potential threat lies mostly unchallenged in the purses, backpacks, desks and drawers of many…
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New Data Shows Youth are Making Healthier Choices
If you’ve wondered if prevention programs can actually make a difference here is some encouraging news: new data show that more youth today have healthier behaviors than youth of 25 years ago. Data from the Youth Behavior Risk Surveillance Survey,…
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Should Parents Be Concerned About Gaming Addiction?
Following the World Health Organization’s classification of gaming addiction as a diagnosable disorder, many parents are wondering if they should be concerned about their children’s gaming habits. While experts have varying opinions about gaming addiction, most agree that allowing children…
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