On this episode of the Dr. K show Dr. Michael Karlfeldt is joined by Professor Greg Hammer, a retired Stanford physician, and they discuss teenage mental health and the ideas behind his book “A Mindful Teen.” Drawing on decades in medicine and personal experience raising a struggling teen, he frames today’s adolescent landscape as uniquely challenging. He outlines how social media saturation, school violence, political polarization, eco‑anxiety, and intense college pressures have created a mental health headwind that families and schools can’t ignore. Dr. Hammer details what warning signs to watch for—shifts in personality, withdrawal, slipping grades, isolation—and cautions that high‑achieving teens can mask severe distress. He urges parents, teachers, and coaches to increase vigilance, share observations, and take proactive steps early. The conversation underscores that support networks must be coordinated and persistent, especially when teens resist help or minimize their struggles. Central to Dr. Hammer’s approach is the GAIN practice—Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, and Non‑judgment—a daily mindfulness framework for reshaping thought patterns. He explains how consistent practice can gradually recalibrate the brain’s negativity bias, improving resilience and emotional regulation. Modeling GAIN at home and in classrooms, he argues, helps teens internalize healthier responses to stress. Practical guidance threads through the episode: start small, repeat often, and integrate mindfulness into routine moments like car rides and family dinners. Tackle difficult topics directly—sex and STDs, bullying, shaming, and online risks—while enlisting coaches and teachers as role models. When substance use or acute crises arise, seek professional help and maintain a clear, steady strategy rather than oscillating with each setback. Finally, Dr. Hammer highlights neuroplasticity—the brain’s capacity to rewire through repetition—as the scientific foundation for GAIN. He discusses mitigating social media harms, promoting digital breaks and outdoor time, and strengthening community ties so parents don’t feel isolated. The takeaway is both sobering and hopeful: today’s pressures are real and rising, but with mindful habits, coordinated adult support, and persistence, teens can build the resilience needed to thrive. Stanford’s Dr. Greg Hammer outlines today’s major teen stressors—social media, school violence, political polarization, eco‑anxiety, and college pressure—and why they’re intensifying mental health risks. He warns that even high‑achieving teens can hide serious struggles, urging adults to watch for shifts like withdrawal, isolation, and declining grades. Dr. Hammer presents the GAIN practice—Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, Non‑judgment—as a daily mindfulness toolkit to counter negativity bias and build resilience. Practical advice includes embedding small, consistent mindfulness moments into routines and directly addressing hard topics like bullying, sextortion, sex/STD risks, and online harms. Grounded in neuroplasticity, his message is that repeated, modeled habits from parents, teachers, and coaches can rewire thought patterns and help teens thrive despite modern pressures.
On this episode of the Dr. K show Dr. Michael Karlfeldt is joined by Professor Greg Hammer, a retired Stanford physician, and they discuss teenage mental health and the ideas behind his book “A Mindful Teen.” Drawing on decades in medicine and personal experience raising a struggling teen, he frames today’s adolescent landscape as uniquely challenging. He outlines how social media saturation, school violence, political polarization, eco‑anxiety, and intense college pressures have created a mental health headwind that families and schools can’t ignore.
Dr. Hammer details what warning signs to watch for—shifts in personality, withdrawal, slipping grades, isolation—and cautions that high‑achieving teens can mask severe distress. He urges parents, teachers, and coaches to increase vigilance, share observations, and take proactive steps early. The conversation underscores that support networks must be coordinated and persistent, especially when teens resist help or minimize their struggles.
Central to Dr. Hammer’s approach is the GAIN practice—Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, and Non‑judgment—a daily mindfulness framework for reshaping thought patterns. He explains how consistent practice can gradually recalibrate the brain’s negativity bias, improving resilience and emotional regulation. Modeling GAIN at home and in classrooms, he argues, helps teens internalize healthier responses to stress.
Practical guidance threads through the episode: start small, repeat often, and integrate mindfulness into routine moments like car rides and family dinners. Tackle difficult topics directly—sex and STDs, bullying, shaming, and online risks—while enlisting coaches and teachers as role models. When substance use or acute crises arise, seek professional help and maintain a clear, steady strategy rather than oscillating with each setback.
Finally, Dr. Hammer highlights neuroplasticity—the brain’s capacity to rewire through repetition—as the scientific foundation for GAIN. He discusses mitigating social media harms, promoting digital breaks and outdoor time, and strengthening community ties so parents don’t feel isolated. The takeaway is both sobering and hopeful: today’s pressures are real and rising, but with mindful habits, coordinated adult support, and persistence, teens can build the resilience needed to thrive.