4 Troubled Teens Blog

When Carol Gotbaum headed to the Phoenix airport, she undoubtedly had no idea that the airport's interior would be the last thing she'd ever see. News outlets around the world have repeatedly run the video and accompanying story of her arrest and subsequent death at Phoenix's Sky Harbor. For some, it raises the question "what were the police thinking, leaving a woman alone who was clearly so distraught?" For Kathy Scott, however, it raises a different question: where was Gotbaum's family?

"I do not know her family or the intimate details of their situation, but because I do understand the view many take of mental illness, I can surmise. The family simply did not acknowledge the stranglehold mental or emotional illness has on an individual, and like many others, simply wanted Gotbaum to be provided with the rights and dignity afforded to any other grown woman to make her own decisions and to chart her own course of action. If she chose to travel alone, they let her."

The problem, Scott goes on to say, is that those who suffer from mental and emotional disorders are often in states-of-mind that prevent them from making good, wise decisions. Though friends and family members may cringe at the idea of restricting a loved one's "freedoms", those restrictions can keep them on a safe path toward recovery.

Labels: emotional_issues, mental_health, at_risk

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"The Anne Arundel County Substance and Delinquency Prevention Coalition formed a youth committee to help plan the Anne Arundel County Teen Summit next year. The daylong event will discourage young people from using alcohol and drugs."

Twenty-six teens have already agreed to be part of the committee. The summit is being planned for May, 2008.

Labels: prevention, awareness, delinquents

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Mary Hopkins began counseling at-risk boys and girls in 1982. Now, twenty-five years later, she's being recognized as a local hero as part of Bank of America's "Neighborhood Excellence Initiative Awards."

"Hopkins, a New Jersey native, became a local volunteer in 1982 at the Children's Receiving Home of Sacramento, an emergency shelter for abused and neglected children. After three or four years there, she joined the Foster Grandparent Program sponsored by Sacramento County's Department of Human Assistance. In this capacity, she began counseling boys and girls at juvenile hall."

Hopkins is now volunteering at the Warren E. Thornton Youth Center, a juvenile center for boys and girls who have committed crimes. Though she's a bit embarrassed to be recognized for her work, her boss believes it's deserved. "She has withstood the test of time," he said.

Labels: support, abuse, counseling

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In the next legislative session, beginning January 2008, Indiana representatives will address the plight of the state's young homeless population. Their first step: determine how many young people are currently living on the streets.

"'We know they exist, because they are showing up at our doors, and they're calling us,' said Cheryl Hall-Russell, chief executive officer of the Indiana Youth Services Association. But estimates of runaway and homeless youths in Indiana vary widely, from 10,000 to three times that many."

Proposals expected to be introduced in the 2008 legislative session would make the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority responsible for making more shelters and services available to homeless youth. Other proposals would relax rules governing age restrictions and notifications of guardians when young people seek help at shelters.

Labels: homelessness, legislation

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When Autumn Hayes was getting ready to start seventh grade, her family moved to a new town where she had to attend a new school and make new friends. The pressure was too much and, not knowing of any other way to cope, she began cutting herself. School officials became aware of her actions and sent her to a week of residential treatment.

"At the treatment center, Autumn learned other ways of coping with stress. She began keeping a journal and listening to music by rock bands such as Linkin Park and Panic! at the Disco instead of cutting."

When her dad was dying of prostate cancer, he made her promise that she'd never cut again. His voice still rings in her memory and reminds her to seek healthy coping mechanisms. Now Autumn hopes to get involved in support groups and help other teens who are grieving or cutting.

A good residential treatment center, like Island View in Utah, can help assess a troubled teens needs and then create a solid treatment plan. Learn more at IslandView-rtc.com.

Labels: stress, treatment_programs, cutting

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Mental disorders can be difficult to diagnose in teenagers. Because the adolescent years are already emotional and tumultuous, changes in personality, or extreme mood swings are considered typical teen "growing pains". But how can parents know for sure?

"[Dr. Kristin Cadenhead] urges parents to get their children evaluated by a mental health expert if they exhibit noticeable changes in thoughts, behavior or emotions... 'We don't want to alarm an individual or a family. More than 70 percent of young people who appear (to be in distress) will not necessarily develop a psychotic disorder,' she says. 'Our goal is to identify a psychotic illness before it fully starts, so we can intervene earlier and help prevent some of the devastating effects of the illness.'

"The key for parents is paying attention to changes in their children's moods and behaviors. If changes seem to be extreme, solicit the help of a professional. This may mean having the child evaluated, or may simply mean having a conversation with someone who can help you better understand your child.

A good residential treatment program, like Youth Care in Utah, can help diagnosis troubled teens and then create a treatment plan. Visit www.youthcare.com to learn more.

Labels: brain_chemistry, emotional_issues, mental_health

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Latino youth that need alcohol or drug abuse treatments could be hindered by cultural stereotypes, according to a new study conducted by the PIRE Behavioral Health Research Center.

"The study obtained first-hand information from practitioners to propose the development of culturally relevant, quality care for rural adolescent populations that have limited access to behavioral health care. Researchers...found four commonly held cultural stereotypes that health care providers' believed inhibited Hispanic youth from seeking help for substance abuse - family, religion and spirituality, gender roles and socioeconomic factors."

These stereotypes affect the kind of treatment that's offered to Hispanic youth, and the researchers hope to provide suggestions for improving behavioral health care. Possible suggestions include cultural training, and the hiring of health care providers who represent the cultural backgrounds of the communities in which they'll be working.

Find an alcohol or drug abuse treatment program at www.Teen-Help-Directory.com.

Labels: treatment_programs, influences, culture

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A new program for troubled teens in California is seeing some good results. PRIDE - which stands for Pico Rivera Individual Development in Ethics - is a nine week program that partners at-risk teens with mentors and gets them involved in community activities.

"The youths are taken to bowling nights and movies, as well as Skid Row in Los Angeles and the county morgue. One important event in the program includes being 'arrested' and kept in jail for a few hours, to show the teens what the experience is like."

More than a "scared-straight" program, the overall goal of PRIDE is to motivate kids to do well in school and go on to college. PRIDE participants are referred by teachers, principals and parents.

Labels: motivation, support, education

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A recent study in New York State found that students are beginning to gamble at a younger age. Fifty public and private schools were polled for the study.

"The numbers come from the State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. It found that one out of every five young people in grades seven through12 gamble - that's 300,000 students statewide."

The DePaul Problem Gamblers Program says blame lies in the ease with which young people can gamble in New York, not just in the lottery, but in casinos and racinos. Ray Scott, from Problem Gamblers, says that in addition to the economic ruin that can occur, gambling has a higher rate of suicide than any other form of addiction.

Teens struggling with risky behaviors, such as gambling or teen drug use, can find the help they need at an adolescent residential treatment center. Find one at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: risky_behaviors, teen_issues, gambling

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Teens don't always know where to go to find answers to difficult questions. Sometimes parents don't know the answers either. That's why the United Way offers a comprehensive "yellow pages" book filled with helpful information.

"The United Way's 211 created the Youth Yellow Pages so that teens won't have to deal with issues such as violence, eating disorders and peer pressure alone. The adults in their lives may not have grown up dealing with these issues. Together, they can count on United Way's 211 to provide the information and referrals they need when facing new problems or concerns. Armed with the facts, adults can help teens make informed choices and reach intelligent decisions for themselves."

A copy of the Youth Yellow Pages can be obtained by calling a local United Way office, or visiting the United Way web site.

The Teen-Help-Directory is another great resource for parents and teens. Learn about teen drug use, research boarding schools, or find programs for troubled teens at Teen-Help-Directory.com.

Labels: support, parenting_help, teen_issues

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Bullying in America's schools is more common than many parents would believe. A recent study found that 9 out of 10 elementary students reported being bullied, and 6 our 10 reported bullying a fellow student. Many children feel they can't talk about their situation, and so, they suffer in silence.

"But the danger of not talking about bullies or the victims of bullying is extreme, especially with the increasing use of violence to settle school-aged grudges. The fury once expressed by words and fists has manifested itself with a 15-year-old girl fatally stabbed on a Cleveland street, an alienated loner striding into school with weapons drawn, and an honor-roll student who left a seven-page suicide note saying he was killing himself because classmates who called him names like gay or faggot were unrelenting."

Though some may be tempted to brush off bullying as a "rite of passage", an increasing number of educators are speaking out - saying that the type and frequency of bullying is getting worse. Parents need to make sure their kids know it's ok to tell someone if they're being bullying and that it's not ok to pick on other kids for any reason.

Students with learning disabilities are often picked on; attending a school where everyone has some form of learning disorder or another can help. Learn more at LearningDisabilitiesInfo.com.

Labels: violence, bullying, victims

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Scientists studying brain images of adolescents found that the brains of the most aggressive males have different levels of activity in certain brain centers compared to boys who show only normal aggression.

Scientists from the University of California in San Diego used functional magnetic brain imaging to study adolescent boys who are "reactively aggressively."

"These kids tend to overreact - they punch someone or kick a door, but afterwards, they regret it," said Dr. Guido Frank, one of the lead researchers.

When these boys looked at pictures of threatening faces, there was greater activity in their amygdala, the part of the brain linked to fear, and lower activity in their prefrontal cortexes, the part of the brain involved in reasoning and decision-making. Dr. Frank said that this might mean the boys are more likely to overreact with fear but less likely to use reason to control themselves. These images can only predict risk for violence and aggression, and so far, no one knows how to use such information.

This study was presented at a conference of the Society for Neuroscience in San Diego.

Private boarding schools for boys can be the best environment for boys acting out at home and school. Find one at www.schoolsforboys.com.

Labels: aggression, brain_chemistry, boys

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Though its gang problem isn't as bad as some other cities, Arlington, Texas has its share of gang-related activity. Just last month a young man was shot and killed in what was believed to be gang-related activity.

"...Arlington police said that what concerns them most is that while the number of gangs in the city has remained fairly constant over the past few years, the violence seems to be escalating."

The Second Annual Gang & Youth Education and Awareness Conference addressed these concerns on Wednesday and Thursday with law enforcement officials from throughout North Texas. A possible sales tax increase will also help Arlington police be proactive in addressing gang-related issues.

A working teen ranch, like Turn-About Ranch in Utah, can help instill real values, such as hard work and honesty, in a teenager struggling with authority and direction. Visit TurnAboutRanch.com to learn more.

Labels: violence, aggression, gangs

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Having a childhood mental disorder, especially hyperactivity, conduct and substance abuse disorders, puts a person more at risk for adult criminality, according to a study from Duke University's Center for Developmental Epidemiology.

Social scientists at the Center interviewed and tested children at ages 9 and 10, and again at ages 11 and 13, and then reassessed them every year until they were 16 years old. About one-third of these children met the criteria for at least one childhood mental disorder at any of the three assessment points.

By the time the children had become young adults (ages 16 to 21 years), about a third had been arrested. Among this group, about one-half had been diagnosed with mental disorders during those earlier assessments. Children with disruptive behavior disorders and substance abuse disorders were more likely to get into trouble with the law later on, especially those with emotional disorders comorbid with substance abuse.

The researchers were quick to point out that their results mean only that a large percentage of young adults who get arrested had a mental disorder at some point in their adolescence. It does not mean that most youths with mental disorders will be arrested. However, the study may have implications for the necessity to treat children with mental disorders.

This study appears in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Think a military school can help your struggling teenager turn their life around? Learn about military schools at www.militaryschoolalternatives.com.

Labels: behavioral_issues, influences, criminals

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About one million British children are taking "psychometric" tests to allow their teachers to create psychological profiles for each child.

The tests measure self-worth, work ethic, regard for teachers, and the child's likelihood of truancy. Children answer true or false to statements like "I am lonely at school," "I would rather be somewhere else than school," etc.

Dr. Glen Williams and his colleagues developed the tests as a way to predict behaviors such as academic success or conduct disorders. Proper use of test results may help boost attendance, achievement, attitudes and aspirations.

Critics of psychometric testing say they may replace personal relationships between children and their teachers. They also point out that they label children at early ages, and that not enough safeguards are in place to protect children's privacy.

Teens struggling with emotional and behavioral issues can find help at private schools that offer therapy and counseling. Visit TherapeuticBoardingSchool.com to find a therapeutic boarding school for your teenager today.

Labels: schools, psychiatric_illness, testing

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Teens that don't get enough sleep on a regular basis are at greater risk of having suicidal thoughts and attempting suicide, according to recent studies. Dr. Zianchen Liu of Arizona State University's Prevention Research Center analyzed survey results from 1,362 junior and senior high school students. The surveys questioned the teens about their sleep patterns and their suicidal behavior.

"The students generally reported getting about 7.6 hours of sleep each night. And, study findings show, the less sleep the adolescents had, the more likely they were to report having attempted suicide. Those who slept less than eight hours each night were about three times more likely to attempt suicide than those who slept a minimum of nine hours."

Nightmares also increased the likelihood that teens would have suicidal thoughts - they were twice as likely to consider suicide than teens that didn't experience nightmares. Ideally, adolescents should get nine hours of sleep each night. Parents who know their teens aren't getting enough sleep should watch for signs of depression or anxiety. A parent that notices suicidal warning signs - like a teen giving away prized possessions - should contact a psychologist or psychiatrist right away.

TeenBoardingSchools.com offers help for parents of children who are spinning out of control. Find private boarding schools and programs for troubled teens and get your child the help they need now.

Labels: suicide, sleep, teens

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Gene tests may determine which patients develop suicidal thoughts after taking anti-depressant medicines, according to a new study in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Scientists from the National Institute of Mental Health found that two genetic markers increased a person's chance of developing suicidal thoughts and behaviors in the first weeks of taking anti-depressant medications.

"In the future we may have the opportunity to use genomic tests to guide personalized care for depression," said Dr. Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health.

Teen suicide is a real and scary issue. Learn more from this article at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: antidepressants, genetics, medictions

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