4 Troubled Teens Blog

Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke can experience depression and mood changes, according to two new studies.

• Dr. Mark Hamer of University College London found that people exposed to secondhand smoke undergo changes in hormones that regulate stress, which in turn may cause them psychological stress.
• He studied 5,569 smokers and 2,595 smokers, having them provide saliva samples and answer questionnaires.

"Our data are preliminary, but there is a strong possibility that the observed association reflects a causal link," Dr. Hammer wrote in a report published in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

The second study found increased depression among people experiencing secondhand smoke. Dr. David Lee of Miami Miller School of Medicine, whose study was published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, based his conclusions on an analysis of data from a survey of 3,000 adults.

Labels: depression, tobacco use

Posted By: Troubled Teens 1 Comment

Spending time in nature energizes people and elevates mood, according to a new study from the University of Rochester.

• Dr. Richard Ryan and his colleagues conducted five experiments with 537 college student.
• They took walks through indoor hallways or along a river path of the outdoors, and they looked at photographs of buildings or outdoor landscapes.
• The research team wanted to find out if just being in nature had an energizing effect on people, as opposed to being in social situations outdoors.

Dr. Ryan called the findings "particularly robust." Just being in nature 20 minutes a day boosted vitality levels and had an independent energizing effect above that of just being outdoors.

"We have a natural connection with living things," Dr. Ryan said. "Nature is something within which we flourish, so having it be part of our lives is critical, especially when we live and work in built environments."

The study has implications for drug and alcohol treatment performed in wilderness areas. Being in nature may have a therapeutic effect on troubled teenagers and adults.

This study appeared in the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
 

Labels: wilderness_therapy

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment

Teenagers who are treated in emergency rooms for assaults are more likely to be involved in subsequent violence, according to a new study from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Dr. Douglas Wiebe and his colleagues followed 42 patients who had been treated in emergency rooms for assaults and found that 18% had been beaten up, 21% beat up someone else, 3% had shot or stabbed someone, and 3% had been shot or stabbed within two months of the first incidents.

"Violence among urban adolescence is common," said Dr. Wiebe, "and emergency department is one of the few places adolescents may have contact with the health system. It may be possible to intervene at that point and improve their chances for safe living in the future."

This study was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies' annual meeting.
 

Labels: violence

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 1 Comment

The Tumbleweed Runaway Program in Billings, Montana connects with nearly 10,000 young people each year who have run away and are living on the streets. That’s a high number for any city, but especially for a place like Billings, whose population is just over 100,000. And Billings is just one of many cities battling this growing problem.

“National Runaway statistics show that one in seven kids between the ages of 10 and 18 will run away at some point. As many as 3 million runaway and homeless kids are living on the streets in the United States. The National Runaway Switchboard reports that 55 percent of at-risk teens call in to the hotline while in crisis and already living on the streets.” [Source: The Billings Outpost]

Billings’ Tumbleweed Runaway Program aims to help young people resolve the conflicts and problems that cause them to runaway, in hopes of preventing some from ending up on the streets, where they are at risk of being sexually exploited or otherwise abused.

Has your child run away or exhibited other forms of defiant behaviors? If so, a summer stay in a therapeutic wilderness program may provide the intervention and structure that your teen needs to get back on the right track.
 

Labels: runaways

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment

For many struggling adolescents, troubled teens and other at-risk youth, enduring the frustrations and setbacks of daily life can feel like being lost in the wilderness.

This summer, spending some time in the actual wilderness will put many of these teens back on the path toward healthier, happier and more productive futures.

Effective wilderness programs are short-term opportunities to make long-term changes. Summer wilderness programs offer the added benefit of preparing struggling students to return to school in the fall with improved skills and renewed motivation.

Here are three of the therapeutic wilderness programs that are still accepting students for summer enrollment:

• SUWS Adolescent and Youth Programs (Shoshone, Idaho) -- Serving struggling young people since 1981.
• Outback Wilderness Programs (Lehi, Utah) -- Individualized treatment, accredited academics, and a strong family program
• Adirondack Leadership Expeditions (Saranac Lake, NY) -- Character development and therapeutic growth in the wilderness of upstate New York

In addition to these three renowned programs, the following link offers a much more extensive list of therapeutic wilderness programs throughout the United States.

Labels: wilderness_therapy, summer programs

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 1 Comment

Weapons, alcohol and teenagers; three things that, in combination, usually spell trouble. It’s a combination that, last week, led to the death of 16-year-old Ashlee Hyatt. She had been at a party with friends when an argument broke out between two other girls. Ashlee stepped to try and diffuse the situation, and was stabbed.

“[Ashlee’s] mom Charrie said she hopes that if any good comes out of the tragedy, it would be that teens refrain from violence – and programs are set up for troubled teens so they have other outlets than resorting to violence.” [Source: The Province (Ontario, Canada)]

Ashlee’s friend Mike insists that kids don’t usually bring weapons to parties, but that’s little comfort for her parents. The Hyatts are asking everyone involved or affected by the incident to remain calm. “We don’t solve violence with violence,” said Ashlee’s mom.

Labels: violence, prevention

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

Young people in San Bernardino County who are in trouble with the law and are also suffering from mental disorders often find themselves in juvenile detention. Unfortunately, it’s not a place that can provide the kind of help these adolescents and teenagers need.

Experts estimate that from 40 percent to 70 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system suffer from some form of mental health disorder or an illness – anything from ADHD to full blown psychosis. About 15 percent to 25 percent have mental illnesses "severe enough to significantly impair their ability to function." [Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin]

The Department of Behavioral Health has implemented a new program aimed at taking better care of mentally ill youth. Called the Integrated New Family Opportunities program, it provides 24-hour case management and family support for after the kids are released. There is still, however, the issue of how best to care for kids who are still in the system.

Labels: mental_health, jails

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

In one city in Virginia, teenagers have 46 crashes for every 1,000 drivers. In another city in the same state, the crash rate is 65 per 1000 drivers -- more than 40 percent higher.

Dr. Robert Vonora, a professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School, thinks the difference may be due to the time of day high schools begin classes in each city.

"We think the Virginia Beach students may be sleep-deprived," Dr. Vorona said, "and that is perhaps the reason for the increased crashes."

Virginia Beach high schools start at 7:20 AM; Chesapeake's start at 8:40 AM.

"Teenagers tend to go to bed later no matter what time they get up," Dr. Vorona, an expert on sleep, explained.

Other studies indicate that teenagers are "biologically programmed" to stay up late and to sleep late. If allowed to do this, they can concentrate better in school, perform better academically, and are less likely to be irritable or depressed.

"Teenagers need over nine hours of sleep a night, and it looks like a large number of teenagers don't get sufficient sleep," Dr. Vorona said. "Part of that relates to the time that high school begins."

The study was presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Societies.
 

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Yet more evidence of the benefits of healthy teen relationships: Students who get good grades tend to have friends at their schools, according to a new study from UCLA.

Dr. Melissa Witkow and her colleagues studied 629 high school seniors and found that "those with a higher portion of friends who attended the same school received higher grades."

"This is partially because in-school friends are more likely to be achievement-oriented and share and support school-related activities, including studying, because they are in the same environment," Dr. Witkow said.

The findings apply to all genders and ethnic groups.

The study appears in the Journal of Research on Adolescence.
 

Labels: schools, friends

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Young men 18 years old and under who attempt suicide are twice as likely to physically abuse their wives or girlfriends, according to a new study published in the Journal of Psychological Medicine.

• Professors David Kerr of Oregon State University and Deborah Capaldi of the Oregon Social Learning Center studied 153 males from age ten to 32 years old who live in high crime neighborhoods.
• Among those who were suicidal, 58 percent were physically abusive to their romantic partners.
• Among those who had no suicidal ideation, 28 percent were physically abusive to their partners.

"This study began when these men were kids, before anyone knew who was going to become violent," said Dr. Kerr. "That was quite different from research that starts with violent men or women from domestic violence shelters and tries to look back in time for explanations."

Though domestic violence is often mistakenly viewed as an "adult problem," relationship abuse among teens and adolescents remains a prevalent problem.
 

Labels: relationships, violence, suicide, abuse

Posted By: Jane St. Clair 0 Comments