"According to the Texas Council on Family Violence, 13 percent of teenage girls in relationships say they've been physically abused. Only 33 percent of teenagers in abusive relationships ask for help, and less than 25 percent say they've talked about dating violence with their parents."

Labels: abuse, dating, violence

"The key, she said, is to show them alternatives to lives of violence and crime. She helps them work toward their high school diplomas. She helps them find jobs. As novel as it might seem, Mills takes them on field trips: to colleges, to museums, to tourist spots... In other words, she tries to give them a taste of what other kids experience - those who aren't hanging out in parks, flashing colors and dodging bullets."

Labels: at_risk, gangs, violence

Labels: girls, sexually_transmitted_diseases, vaccine

"[Q] What are the long term effects of smoking pot [A] There are many long-term effects of smoking marijuana. The use of marijuana can produce adverse physical, mental, emotional and behavioral changes, and, contrary to popular belief, it can be addictive. Marijuana smoke, like cigarette smoke, can harm the lungs. The use of marijuana can impair short-term memory, verbal skills, and judgment, and also distort perception..."

Labels: marijuana, questions, substance_abuse

"Ms. Brown's bill... expands the list of allegations that could allow an alleged victim to seek protection to include felonious assault, aggravated assault, menacing, aggravated menacing, menacing by stalking, or a sexually oriented offense or its equivalent within a dating relationship."

Labels: dating, legislation, violence

"...using marijuana increases the risk of developing mental disorders by 40 percent, the report said. And teens who smoke pot at least once a month over a yearlong period are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than nonusers..."

Labels: dependeny, marijuana, substance_abuse

"Teen moms are the only ones with a visible marker of their sexual activity, said Cynthia Hudson, coordinator of the Knox Adolescent Pregnancy Initiative for the Knox County Health Department. 'But even more teens are becoming sexually active a lot sooner and contracting sexually transmitted diseases,' Hudson said."

Labels: pregnancy, sex, statistics

"They defined a major depressive episode as two weeks or longer of depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure, and at least four other symptoms such as problems with sleep, energy, concentration or self-image."

Labels: depression, studies, teen_issues

"For a long time we've talked about the crucial hours between school dismissal and parents getting home from work - those minutes and hours when latch key kids are home alone. This time and place is the most common for suicides..."

Labels: coping_skills, risky_behaviors, suicide

"There are no exact numbers for this largely hidden problem, but anonymous surveys among college students suggest that 17 percent of them have self-injured, and experts estimate that self-injury is practiced by 15 percent of the general adolescent population."

Labels: risky_behaviors, self-harm, self_injury

"She encouraged each of the boys to write songs about their past experiences. She also brought a number of beats, or instrumental hip-hop songs, so the boys could start putting their words to music."

Labels: dreams, hope, music

Labels: antidepressants, depression, suicide

Labels: depression, therapy, treatment_programs

"Smith believes that chemical addictions develop more from prescription and over-the-counter drugs than the illegal stuff the pusher is dispensing on the street corner."

Labels: bi-polar, overdose, prescription_drug_abuse

Labels: girls, sex, sexually transmitted_diseases

"Whether the number is closer to the higher or lower estimate, these are kids who still have a chance to turn their lives around. While some may be determined to run away from the rules of their homes, others may be leaving homes where there is physical abuse, alcoholism or drug abuse."

Labels: homelessness, runaways, shelters