4 Troubled Teens Blog

Though other issues are more widespread, a dangerous game called “choking” has killed dozens of young people in the last few years. The purpose of the game is to cut off oxygen to the brain just long enough to pass out or begin feeling “high.”

An article by Jean Paul of thefacts.com provided the following information about this potentially deadly activity:

This game is exactly what it sounds like. Participants attempt to gain a “high” or euphoric feeling by depriving the brain of oxygen by applying pressure with another person’s hands or with belts, neckties or other devices wound around the neck.

Another variation involves one person taking a deep breath and holding it while a second person hugs them from behind until the first person feels dizzy and passes out.

A recent CDC report estimated that about 85 deaths and several incidences of brain injuries were reported between 1995 and 2007. The kids who died were 13 years old, on average, and 87 percent were boys.

The choking game is also known by several other names, including the pass-out game, space monkey, fainting game, black out, five minutes of heaven, rush, knock-out game, natural high and suffocation roulette.

Labels: health, danger, choking

Posted By: Troubled Teens 2 Comments

“Why didn’t I see it coming?”

When someone commits suicide, loved ones often ask themselves why they didn’t notice the warning signs. In retrospect, it may be possible to point to indications that something wasn’t right. But in real time, suicide warning signs aren't always easy to spot.

In an article that was distributed by Massachusetts' Coulter Press, psychiatrist Philip Gottlieb advised parents, teachers and other concerned parties to be on the lookout for subtle signs that might indicate that a child is at increased risk of suicide:

“Look for standard signs of depression, changes in sleep patterns, appetite, not wanting to do things that formerly interested them, a general loss of interest," suggested Gottlieb, medical director of Clinton Hospital’s Geriatric Medical Psychiatry Unit.

Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among people 25 and younger. Most people think suicide would never happen to anyone they know, but if you suspect someone may be at risk, don’t hesitate to get them help.

Labels: suicide, depression, sleep problems

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 1 Comment

A middle school student in Lee County, Mississippi, has undertaken an innovative initiative to help prevent underage drinking in her community.

In a Dec. 31 article in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal , writer Danza Johnson described the alcohol abuse prevention efforts of Kateland Kennedy:

Even though the Mooreville Middle School student is only 12 years old, Kateland has a very grownup message for her friends.

"Drinking as a teenager can ruin your life," she said. "It's wrong for adults to give alcohol to teenagers so we decided to do the Sticker Shock Campaign to warn teens and remind store clerks that selling alcohol to a kid is wrong and against the law."

Kateland and about 10 friends will put stickers that read: "It's illegal to buy or provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 21," on the containers of every alcohol beverage at the selected stores.

Region III Mental Health Center and the Lee County Sheriff's Department have teamed up with Kateland to get the word out. Sheriff Jim Johnson said it's one thing to have him or other adults telling teens not to drink, but it doesn't hold nearly the weight as hearing it come from one of their own.

Labels: prevention, alcohol_abuse, middle_school

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 1 Comment

According to a Dec. 26 article on the NationalCyberSecurity website, researchers associated with Great Britain's National Health Service (NHS) have identified two genetic variants that make teenagers more prone to becoming addicted to tobacco:

Teenagers carrying variants in two gene regions were shown to be three times more likely to become regular smokers in adolescence and twice as likely to be persistent smokers in adulthood, compared to non-carriers, according to a study by scientists at the UK’s only Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) for Mental Health* at the Maudsley Hospital and the School of Public Health, Imperial College, both in London, UK, and the University of Oulu, Finland.

One variant is associated with a person’s risk of starting smoking while the other influences their chances of carrying on with the habit into adulthood.

Writing in the US journal, Biological Psychiatry, the researchers say the findings could help develop genetic testing for those wishing to know their susceptibility to nicotine dependence and tobacco-related disease. It could also pave the way for targeted drugs that influence an individual’s response to nicotine.

In addition to being unhealthy on its own, teen smoking has also been associated with rising rates of other dangerous teen behaviors, including alcohol abuse, drug abuse and unprotected sex.

Labels: tobacco use, smoking

Posted By: Staff Writer 1 Comment

Teens who have frequent unexplained pain such as severe stomach aches may be suffering from a range of problems, from physical maladies to stress, anxiety and/or depression.

And according to a Dec. 26 article by Dr. Peter Gott, the problem could be due to a little-known condition called Pain Associated Disability Syndrome (or PADS):

Pain-associated disability syndrome is a fairly new term. It is defined as chronic pain that causes more severe restrictions than what the underlying condition would cause.

Imagine not being able to use your arm because of a sliver in your finger. This is essentially what PADS does. A usually minor condition, such as acid reflux, suddenly causes severe pain, nausea, vomiting and an inability to eat and do other normal daily activities. Normal treatment fails, and there is no other explanation for the severity of symptoms.

I found one small analysis of 40 patients ages 7 to 21. Thirty had abdominal pain, five had regurgitation, three had nausea, and two had chest pain. All met symptom-based criteria for functional gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome or acid reflux.

Thirty-nine of the people also had trouble sleeping. Most underwent mental-health evaluations to rule out eating disorders and psychosis.

Labels: health, mental_health

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 2 Comments

A new study from Australia isolated three factors that put young people at higher risk for suffering from teen depression:

• Low levels of flexibility and positive mood
• Overprotective yet low-nurturing parents
• A pattern of suppressing the expression of emotions.

Researchers from Monash University compared 44 teenagers with self-reported depressive symptoms to 44 teenagers without such symptoms. The subjects were matched by age, gender and ethnicity. The depressed teens tended to be less flexible, less positive, and less emotionally expressive.

This study appeared in the British Journal of Developmental Psychology.

Labels: parental_involvement, depression

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 1 Comment

A study out of Oregon State University has found a surprising link between attempted suicide and abusive behavior in young men. Teenage boys who tried to kill themselves before reaching the age of 18 were significantly more likely to abuse their partners as young adults.

“When followed from their early teens, 58 percent of males studied who had attempted suicide went on to injure a partner, compared to 23 percent of young men who had not attempted suicide …

Even after controlling for other variables such as aggression, depression, substance abuse and a family history of abuse, there was still an association between attempted suicide and aggression toward partners.” [Source: Psychological Medicine]

Teenage boys who considered suicide but never acted showed no increase in violent behavior, leading some to speculate that a man’s ability to harm himself may increase his capacity for hurting other people.

Labels: violence, suicide, abuse

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

Early life experiences can "cascade" into violent behaviors in teenagers, according to a new study from Duke University. However, early interventions or positive life events can prevent such problems.

"Our findings indicate that these trajectories are not inevitable," said Professor Kenneth Dodge of Duke's Center for Child and Family Policy. "Successful early intervention could redirect paths of anti-social development to prevent serious violent behaviors in adolescence."

• Dr. Dodge and his colleagues studied 754 children from kindergarten to 11th grade.
• The researchers' goal was to understand how serious violent behavior develops.
• One of their key findings was that children from disadvantaged backgrounds were more likely to experience harsh and inconsistent parenting that impeded their cognitive development when they entered school.
• From that point, behavior problems worsened significantly. Some children managed to avoid these problems, depending on their life events.

This study appeared on the website of the journal Child Development.

Labels: violence, trauma, influences

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 1 Comment

Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes is a deadly combination. In fact, it is the most preventable cause of death worldwide, according to the World Health Association.

Now a new study from University of Queensland in Australia found that the combination may actually change the structure of cells in a portion of the brain called the nucleus accumbens. The two drugs enhance the addictive qualities of one another, according to Professor Traute Flatscher-Bader.

Dr. Flatscher-Bader analyzed brain tissue from deceased people who had smoked, drank alcohol, or did a combination of the two. The ones who used the combination showed changes in the nucleus accumbens, a pleasure center in the brain.

The study appears in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
 

Labels: tobacco use, alcohol_abuse

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 2 Comments

Irregular sleep patterns are a predictor of increased risk for suicide in young people, according to a new study from Stanford University.

Dr. Rebecca Bernert and her colleagues studied 49 suicidal college students for three weeks. Sleep irregularity was a "stand-alone" risk factor for suicidal thoughts and attempts.

"Compared to other suicide risk factors such as a past suicide attempt, disturbed sleep is modifiable, often invisible and amenable to treatment," Dr. Bernert said. "The study of sleep may inform suicide risk assessment and represent a clinically unique opportunity for intervention."

The study was presented at the meeting of Associated Sleep Societies.
 

Labels: suicide, sleep problems

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 1 Comment