Did you know that annually more than 3,500 children and teens (ages 0 to 19) are shot and killed, and 15,000 are shot and wounded? That’s an average of 52 American children and teens every day. And the effects of gun violence extend far beyond those struck by a bullet: An estimated three million children witness a shooting each year.— From the 2015 National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence. NOISE asked mental health practitioner Payton Hogan to research what the experts say about talking to kids who have witnessed or been victims of violence.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. NOISE contributor Payton Hogan continues his series on trauma in the Black Community. This article focuses on the effects of economic disinvestment on residents in North Omaha and how impoverished neighborhoods themselves create a kind of collective trauma. Rather than focus on the pitfalls of poverty— such as the lure of money earned through drugs or resulting gun violence— Hogan invites the reader to empathize with a community that is stuck in what he calls “survival mode.”

One of the greatest mental health crises in America is the unprocessed trauma suffered by members of the Black community. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes individual trauma as a set of circumstances that is physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects. NOISE is featuring the first article in a series by mental health practitioner Payton Hogan about trauma in North Omaha’s Black community.

Do you drink occasionally with friends or all the time to relax? Smoke weed for medical problems or to deal with stress? There’s a continuum where substance use of alcohol and other drugs can turn into abuse and eventually addiction. NOISE asked mental health practitioner Payton Hogan to offer some guidance to determine when your intake is normal use, abuse or addiction.

According to an article published in the American Journal for Public Health, there is increasing evidence that the internet and social media can influence suicide-related behavior for a number of reasons: increased accessibility to information on modes of completing suicide, the transition of in-person bullying to cyberbullying and cyber harassment. Mental health practitioner Payton Hogan offers some tips to develop healthy social media habits.

Do you have difficulty sleeping? Eat too much or too little? Have you lost interest in activities you usually enjoy? These are among the symptoms of depression that many people would not recognize. Licensed mental health therapist Payton Hogan explains for NOISE readers the clinical definition of depression and some different strategies -- both pharmaceutical and lifestyle -- for dealing with it.

The pandemic has led to increased rates of anxiety and depression among many American citizens, according to the CDC. Isolation from others, loss of income or housing and other emotional stressors have precipitated a mental health crisis. North Omaha therapist Payton Hogan offers information on how to find a therapist and some different types of therapy available.