"The longer a parent smoked, the greater an adolescent's likelihood of starting smoking. Whether or not the parent was actually dependent on nicotine didn't affect the strength of the relationship."

Labels: influences, parents, smokers

"I've seen a lot of students that think that really jealous behavior is appropriate, and they think 'this person loves me so much that they want to know where I am all the time, what I'm doing, they don't want me to be with anyone else but them.' And after a while... [they]...start to feel very controlled, claustrophobic and they don't know how to get out,' said Wendy Falvey, a family and consumer science teacher."

Labels: relationships, violence

"Everybody - teens as well as adults - should be aware of and alert to the warning signs. Kids who are thinking about suicide will often talk to their friends before they talk to their parents or even a school counselor."

Labels: suicide, warning_signs

"The next step is to apply for a federal grant that will pay for the program, says Spokesman Steve Mulvenon. If the district receives that money, then high schools will be given options to participate in the testing."

Labels: drug_testing, public_schools

"In the book, Hinshaw and coauthor Rachel Kranz make a compelling case that, compared to previous generations of young women who juggled fewer roles, today's teenage girls are literally collapsing under the weight of adult expectations, consumerism and a highly sexualized pop/cyber culture that celebrates physical perfection and stratospheric success."

Labels: crisis, mental_health, stress

Study co-author and NIDA director, Nora Volkow, commented on the cost-effectiveness of implementing effective drug treatment programs within the criminal justice system:

"For every dollar that you spend on treatment of substance abuse in the criminal justice system, it saves society on average four dollars."

Labels: prision, substance_abuse, treatment_programs

"This work confirms that bipolar disorder (BPD) in adolescents is a huge risk factor for smoking and substance abuse, as big a risk factor as is juvenile delinquency. ... It indicates both that young people with BPD need to carefully be screened for smoking and for substance use and abuse and that adolescents known to abuse drugs and alcohol—especially those who binge use—should also be assessed for BPD."

Labels: bi-polar, mental_health, substance_abuse

"According to Dr. [Peter] Halas, girls think about and attempt suicide about twice as often as boys, and tend to attempt suicide by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves. But boys die by suicide about four times as often as girls, mostly because they tend to use more lethal methods."

Labels: community, suicide

Dr. Bryan McCormick placed monitors on study participants and also paged them at random moments to inquire about their mood and activities:

• Most of the participants, who lived in psychiatric hospitals, were sedentary.
• The least active had the least positive moods.
• Walking was a particularly effective activity for elevating the moods of participants.

Labels: exercise, mental_health, mental_illness

Researchers looked at young people ages 10 to 19, and found that doctors screen only a small percentage for risky behaviors that lead to car crashes, drug addiction, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Teens go to their doctors most often for sports check-ups or vaccinations, and these appointments usually last fifteen minutes. The NRC researchers noted that it takes 40 minutes to perform a thorough examination, including counseling about behaviors such as overeating, getting enough exercise, wearing seatbelts, using condoms, and other important issues.

Five million Americans under age 20 do not have health insurance.

Labels: health, risky_behaviors

Binge drinking was defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion at least once a month. About 15 percent of New York's adults do this.

Among the teens in the study, 14 percent said they binged within the last four weeks. One in four who drank any alcohol whatsoever reported having multiple sex partners. This group was also more likely to have unprotected sex.

Forty percent of homosexual men who binge drink told researchers they had five or more sexual partner within the past twelve months, putting them at risk for STDs.

The city determined these rates by analyzing data from the New York Health Department 2007 Community Health Survey.

Labels: binge_drinking, sexually_transmitted_diseases