Things Have Changed: What Every Parent (and Educator) Should Know About the Student Mental Health and Substance Misuse Crisis

Written with a parent’s passion and empathy, Things Have Changed offers a clear road map for navigating painful struggles that many modern children and students face, including mental health issues, substance abuse, and more.

Today’s world can be a daunting one for parents. Anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders, loneliness, social media; the list goes on. Award-winning author, student wellbeing activist, and creator of The William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing at the University of Mississippi, David Magee offers guidance on raising teens amid increasingly common challenges.

Magee shares research-backed insights on how to:

Have conversations about mental health and drug and alcohol abuse

Empower your child to ask for help when they need it

Decide when and if treatment is needed

Encourage your child to invest in healthy relationships

Be intentional about social media use and interactions

Foster your child’s desire to engage with your family

Create and maintain healthy boundaries

Advocate for your child’s wellbeing at school and with family

Now, more than ever, parents and educators need better information about the challenges facing their children, what sorts of issues to expect and when, and the warning signs to look for. You’ll find the guidance you need to feel prepared and tackle obstacles to your child’s wellbeing in Things Have Changed.

David Magee is the author of Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love and Loss, a Publisher’s Weekly bestseller, named a Best Book of the South, and featured on CBS Mornings, and other non-fiction books. A changemaker in student and family mental health and substance misuse, he’s creator and director of operations of The William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing at the University of Mississippi and a frequent K-12 and university educational and motivational speaker, helping students find and keep their joy. He’s also a National Recovery Advisor for the Integrative Life Network.