Augusta University
Dale Peeples, MD
Pediatric Psychiatrist / Associate Professor of Psychiatry
- Augusta GA UNITED STATES
Peeples is a highly-regarded psychiatrist providing tips to maintain mental wellbeing throughout the COVID-19 outbreak.
Contact More Open optionsSpotlight
July 27, 2022
4 min
Multimedia
Biography
Peeples is a child and adolescent psychiatrist who treats young patients and educate parents on psychological disorders such as anxiety, ADHD and depression. He is an expert in telepsychiatry and uses it to provide services to underserved populations. He also has an interest in juvenile corrections and works at the Augusta Regional Youth Detention Center, and the Augusta and Macon Youth Development Centers.
Areas of Expertise
Affiliations
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry: Media Committee Member
Links
Media Appearances
Free Play for Kids | Wellness Wednesday
WRDW tv
2024-01-31
Dr. Dale Peeples talks about kids wellbeing on WRDW's Morning Mix
Violent Israel-Hamas war content on social media could impact children, local experts say
WJBF tv
2023-10-13
Violence in Israel and Gaza is making its way to our social media pages through photos and videos. While this is hard for anyone to see, it could be especially distressing for children on these platforms. Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok all have community guidelines that remove or sensor extremely graphic content.
Powered up parenting: protecting kids in a tech world
WRDW News 12/WAGT 26 tv
2017-05-04
Technology is crucial for our future leaders in this cyber world, but it comes with a dark side. Dr. Peeples warns too much screen time can lead to childhood obesity, sleep loss, and even depression. So parents should create a media plan and limit their children's screen time.
Depression during the happiest time of the year
WJBF-TV online
2016-12-07
The holidays for many are considered the happiest time of the year, but that is not the case for everyone. Some people find these months filled with sadness and depression. Dr. Dale Peeples a psychiatrist with the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University explains what causes the shift in mood.
More kids get mobile devices at young age
The Augusta Chronicle online
2016-10-08
For most parents, it’s no longer a matter of if your child will get a cellphone, but when.
Dr. Dale Peeples discusses ADHD treatments and management
WJBF-TV online
2016-08-16
It’s estimated some 6-million children in the Unite States have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Local teen highlights mental health struggles with his passion for music
WRDW tv
2022-02-11
Dr. Dale Peeples, children’s psychiatrist at Augusta University said: “It’s a challenging time of life for everyone, you know. There are the typical struggles with identity, figuring out who you are, and your place in the world that everyone has to navigate and negotiate.” He says for many kids, it gets harder as they get older. “We do see that mental health issues begin to go on the rise around adolescents, so we see another peak when it comes to depression and anxiety,” he said.
School violence, shootings on the rise post-pandemic
WRDW tv
2022-03-21
Educators are seeing more fighting, more violence, and more gun violence in schools across the country. The Center for Homeland Defense and Security documented 249 shootings in schools in 2021 alone—nine of those, active shooters. Our I-TEAM found experts are calling the violence a ripple effect from the pandemic. Violence Nikki Martin has witnessed in her daughter’s school. “Kinda makes me feel helpless,” Martin said. Nikki Martin’s daughter goes to Hephzibah Middle School, and over the past several months, she’s noticed a shift in violence. Last month, out of options for help, she posted a video of students beating her daughter in the school gym, hoping it would create a conversation to spark change.
The pandemic’s toll on youth mental health
The Augusta Press online
2022-04-11
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had a measurable, negative impact on the mental health of high school students according to data in a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The data, collected in 2021, found 37% of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health and 44% reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless. Students also provided details about some of the most severe challenges they have faced, with 55% reporting emotional abuse, such as being insulted or being sworn by a parent or other adult in the home. Eleven percent reported physical abuse including beatings and being kicked.
Mental Health Matters: What your kids may or may not be saying
WJBF
2022-05-12
The Means Report’s Mental health matters because you matter series continues as we turn our attention to our children, their mental health, and how we can help them. The pandemic had an impact on our children – just as it did all of us. Also, suicide rates are going up across the country. Why and what can we do? How can we spot the warning signs? Dr. Dale Peeples is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University and is here to help us understand what our kids may or may not be saying.
What resources are there to serve Augusta mental health needs?
WRDW tv
2022-07-11
A lack of mental health resources in Augusta is an issue we’ve covered for years. The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says they’ve responded to more than 1,400 calls involving mental episodes or suicide from January through June 2022. That puts us on pace to pass last year’s total of nearly 2,700 calls. With an uptick, we wanted to know if there’s also an uptick in the focus on mental health resources in our area.
Doctors say new school year increases anxiety for kids
WRDW tv
2022-07-29
Safety, fitting in, or just ‘back-to-school nerves’, kids’ mental health should be at the front of the priority list heading into the new school year. We spent the day seeing what options are available for families. The new school year brings a lot of new things. “New environment, meeting new people, new teachers, new expectations, and school is work for kids. There’s always that anxiety,” said Associate Professor, Medical College of Georgia Dr. Dale Peeples.
Back-to-school: How kids overcome anxiety heading back to the classroom
WRDW tv
2022-08-15
Students in many of our local counties are already back in the classroom, while today kicks off the start of the school year for Aiken County schools. But, getting back into the routine of class and homework, especially without COVID-19 restrictions, can cause a mix of emotions for some kids. I sat down with Dr. Dale Peeples from AU Health to discuss the effects of the new school year on a child’s mental health. Peeples says the discussion surrounding your child’s mental health will vary depending on their age. Younger kids will complain more about physical aches and pains, and he says that can be a sign of anxiety.
Prioritizing student mental health ahead of new school year
WFXG tv
2022-08-08
As your student heads back to school, you may want to talk about more than just grades. A local child psychiatrist says consider making mental health a top priority! AU Health Child Psychiatrist Dr. Dale Peeples says we’re seeing continued impact from the pandemic, despite changes to COVID-19 safety protocol. That’s why Dr. Peeples encourages parents to keep dialogue open. Kids across the CSRA are making their way back to the classroom. However, Dr. Peeples says it may not be as exciting for every student. “Being in that classroom setting, getting along with a large group that’s not just family, it’s been a challenge for some kids.” said Dr. Peeples.
Domestic Violence Awareness: The impact to children who witness the violence
WJBF tv
2022-11-03
Every October one of the topics on so many people’s minds is domestic violence, since October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. That often has us thinking about the victims, the survivors, legislation, and resources to help. There is another group, though, that isn’t often talked about, and that’s kids. So this week we sit down with Dr. Dale Peeples, a child psychologist, to discuss the long term and short term impacts on kids, and how we can help.
Active shooter drills could be affecting students’ mental health
WJBF tv
2023-05-08
As the number of mass shootings in the U.S. continues to rise, so does the amount of active shooter drills in schools. 95 percent of schools have protocols in place and conduct drills periodically throughout the year. With the continued increase in school shootings, it is vital that schools have a plan of action in place in case of an active shooter. But studies show some kids are reporting an increase in anxiety and depression after a drill. There have been more that 20 school shootings in the U.S. since January 1st, the most deadly happening at the Covenant School in Nashville where 6 people were killed. Dr. Dale Peeples, a Child Psychiatrist at Augusta University, said these shootings and the measure to prepare school staff and students is hard on kids’ mental health.
Answers
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We know kids are resilient. Those who have struggled the most over the last two years, can they turn the corner and get better?
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Absolutely, I 100% agree that the kids are resilient. I'd say almost always, I share that optimistic attitude that if they have a hard time, they're going to get better. Sometimes it's just putting out the safety guards to support them and make sure that they keep on that right track.
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Are children mentally rebounding or adjusting back to a sense of normalcy after COVID?
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I think we are seeing an impact from the pandemic that’s continued even though life is getting much closer to what we consider normal. The impact with kids largely focuses on school, both through education and through those social interactions. I still see kids who are struggling to make up for things after falling behind during the pandemic and struggling to work back to that classroom setting when they developed a little bit of anxiety for such extended periods
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Is there a certain age group that you’ve seen that may be struggling more than others?
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I think the older kids are, because when they were going through this, the more impact it had. A couple of reasons for that: Peer relationships become a lot more important as you become a teenager as compared to when you are little bit younger. Also, school becomes more demanding and sometimes that catch-up on work that was missed is going to be a little more challenging than younger grades.
Articles
How connected are people with schizophrenia? Cell phone, computer, email, and social media use
Psychiatry Research2015 Technologies such as Internet based social media network (SMN) websites are becoming an important part of many adult lives; however, less is known about their use in patients with schizophrenia. We need to determine (1) how “connected” are patients with schizophrenia?, (2) do these technologies interfere with the patient׳s illness?, and (3) do patients envision these technologies being involved in their treatment?
US Medical Licensing Exam Scores and Performance on the Psychiatry Resident In-Training Examination
Academic Psychiatry2014 This study explores relationships between US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and Psychiatry Resident In-Training Examination (PRITE) scores over a 10-year period at a university-affiliated program.
Sadness, Suicide, and Their Association with Video Game and Internet Overuse among Teens: Results from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2007 and 2009
Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior2011 We investigated the association between excessive video game/Internet use and teen suicidality. Data were obtained from the 2007 and 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), a high school-based, nationally representative survey (N = 14,041 and N = 16,410, respectively). Teens who reported 5 hours or more of video games/Internet daily use, in the 2009 YRBS, had a significantly higher risk for sadness (adjusted and weighted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval = 2.1, 1.7–2.5), suicidal ideation (1.7, 1.3–2.1), and suicide planning (1.5, 1.1–1.9).
