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Paul Raeburn

Former Senior Editor
Business Week
New York, New York
Website:
Blogs: |

Topic: The scientific and social aspects of mental illnesses in children and how schools cope

Published Work:

A Childhood Epidemic We Can No Longer Ignore
This week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration convened a panel to address one aspect of an epidemic that rarely makes the headlines. That's partly because it's a problem our society is still uncomfortable talking about – mental illness in children.

Treating Mental Illness in Children
Could some drugs used to treat depression in teens actually increase their risk for suicide? In this hour, we'll talk about the challenges of diagnosing and treating mental illness in children, including one father's quest to help his kids.

ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT: A Parent's Quest to Understand Depression and Bipolar Disorder in His Children
Veteran science reporter and writer Paul Raeburn's ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT: A Parent's Quest to Understand Depression and Bipolar Disorder in His Children (Broadway Books; May 11, 2004), a haunting yet ultimately cathartic memoir of a family stricken with the anguish of mental illness, sheds light on this hidden epidemic.

Commentary: Antidepressants and Children
Commentator Paul Raeburn knows well the anxiety of living with a child who could commit suicide at any time.

Depression Update
Depression affects millions of adults -- and children -- in the United States. What are the causes, and might there one day be a cure that works for all sufferers? In this hour, we'll get an update on the science of depression -- including what scientists are learning about the genetic components of the disease.

Understanding the Biological Causes of Autism
According to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism is now 10 times more common today than it was 10 years ago. Guest host Paul Raeburn and guests look at the science of autism.

Bipolar Disorder in Children
Bipolar disorder--once known as manic depression--seems to be on the rise in children and teens, but doctors aren't sure why. Guest host Paul Raeburn talks about bipolar disorder in children: why it's so difficult to diagnose and what treatments work.

The Father Factor
When my wife, Elizabeth, was pregnant, she had a routine ultrasound exam, and I was astonished by the images. The baby's ears, his tiny lips, the lenses of his eyes and even the feathery, fluttering valves in his heart were as crisp and clear as the muscles and tendons in a Leonardo da Vinci drawing. Months before he was born, we were already squabbling about whom he looked like. Mostly, though, we were relieved; everything seemed to be fine.

It's interesting to me that so many of those commenting on the Arizona shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others seem confident in the diagnosis that Jared Loughner is mentally ill. It's an easy "diagnosis" to make if you are not a mental health professional, and even easier if you have not examined the patient.

Sarah Kruzan grew up with her mother in Riverside, California. Her father wasn't around. Some would argue that the absence of her father had a lot to do with the way her life unfolded. I would say it's probably more complicated than that.

Two 16-week programs--one for fathers, and one for couples--produced improvements in fathers' engagement with their children, the quality of the couples' relationships, and fewer behavior problems in their children.

A study of the children of older fathers has found subtle impairments of intelligence and other mental abilities during infancy and childhood.

Just after my two-year-old son, Henry, was born, I was surprised and disturbed to learn that he was at increased risk of autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and other ills-because of my age.

Scientific journals are rife with studies of the negative consequences of father absence. But the flip side-the importance of having a father around-has been widely ignored. That disparity surprised Dr. Anna Sarkadi, a physician at Uppsala University in Sweden.

I am a journalist, blogger and broadcaster, and the author, most recently, of "Acquainted with the Night," a memoir of raising children with depression and bipolar disorder. My stories have appeared recently in The Huffington Post, The New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, Technology Review, and Psychology Today

The American Psychological Association should have taken a stand against torture years ago, when evidence first emerged that the Bush administration was condoning and even encouraging torture. The organization finally took that stand today, August 16th, 2008, and we should applaud them for it, despite the delay.