Paul Weigle, MD (he/him/his)
Associate Medical Director
Hartford Healthcare
Mystic, Connecticut, United States
Erin Belfort, MD, DFAACAP (she/her/hers)
Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship Training Director
Maine Medical Center, Tufts University School of Medicine
Portland, Maine, United States
Ashvin Sood, MD
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist
SSM Health Treffert Studios
Jane Harness, DO (she/her/hers)
Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor
University of Michigan
Workshop: How Social Media Impacts Mental Health, and What Clinicians Should Do About It
Social media use impacts development of youth, who use it to explore identity, sexuality, intimacy, and relationships. Providers who care for youth must understand the relationships between social media and mental health, for better and for worse. Presenters will summarize key points of contemporary research regarding social media and how providers should evaluate and respond. Specifics regarding social media habits and experiences will be described, e.g., contagion, cyberbullying, sexting, pornography, and interplay with depression, anxiety, and risk of self-harm and suicide. Attendees will learn to incorporate a social media history and address related concerns with patients and their families, and will discuss and practice these concepts in breakout groups.