A young girl recently wrote to a local advice column seeking guidance about her friend. "Emma," as the friend was referred to, is 14 years old and like a little sister to the writer. But Emma had recently begun hanging out with 18- and 19-year-old boys who let her drink and smoke pot. "What should 'big sis' do?" the writer asked.

"Tell Emma's mother now. Because Emma's father is an alcoholic, she already has the predisposition to become one. The longer you procrastinate, the greater her chances of getting into serious trouble - and face it, she's already well on her way."

It's not always easy to do what's best for friends, but making difficult decisions such as this is an important part of friendship. Sometimes teens have to act in a manner that will make a friend mad now, but will benefit her in the long run. Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Labels: addictions, girls, peers

Seattle has long had a problem with teenage prostitution, as have many other cities across the United States. But a recent report has shown that the Washington city provides little or no help to girls who want to get off the streets and into a better life.

"Safe housing for girls to escape violent and domineering pimps: nonexistent. Outreach programs: understaffed. Substance abuse and mental health counselors: untrained to address these teens. 'I don't even know how to ask them these questions,' one social worker admitted."

The report's author, Debra Boyer, held a forum in Seattle in which she revealed the results that were gathered from case studies and police reports. Boyer emphasized the importance of developing programs and other forms of assistance that will treat teenage prostitutes as victims rather than criminals. Source: Seattle Post-Intellingencer

Labels: girls, prevention, prostitution

Researchers with St. Louis' Washington University School of Medicine have determined that women who begin drinking at a younger age face an increased likelihood of becoming dependent upon alcohol later in life.

"An early age at the onset of drinking is a strong predictor of subsequent alcohol dependence," said Richard A. Grucza, Ph.D., who authored the study. "About one in three individuals who start drinking at age 17 or younger become alcohol dependent. For those who wait until age 21 or older, that number is one in ten."

Grucza, an assistant professor of psychiatry at WU, was quoted in a press release about the study that was posted on the school's website:

"In our previous work, we found that women born after 1944 had a substantially higher risk for alcohol dependence compared to those born prior to that. Now we have found that women born during this 'high risk' period also began drinking earlier than their predecessors, and this earlier drinking might explain the higher rates of alcoholism.


As the age of drinking onset got lower for women, the rates of alcohol dependence increased. ...There is a lot of discussion about whether the minimum drinking age should be lowered again. Our findings would suggest that from a public-health point of view, lowering the legal drinking age might lead to increased rates of alcohol dependence."

Grucza and his team analyzed data that had been compiled during the 1991-1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey and the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, which was completed in the early 1980s.

The results of the study are scheduled to be published in the August 2008 edition of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Learn about The Value of Gender-Specific Addiction Programs.

Labels: addicts, drinking, girls

Mothers are less likely to have their daughters under age 13 receive the new vaccine against human papillomavirus, even though doctors recommend it for girls at 11 or 12 years old, according to a national study from the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Over 85% of the 10,521 mothers in the study thought the vaccine was a good idea for 16- to 17-year-old girls, but only 48% intended to have their 9- to 12-year-olds vaccinated.

The vaccine protects against a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer.

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

Labels: girls, sexually_transmitted_diseases, vaccine

A few weeks ago, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that one in four young women 14 to 19 years old has a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Now, doctors are warning parents that some STDs do not have symptoms and can go undetected.

The most common female STD can cause cervical cancer and genital warts. The warts look like small, flesh-colored bumps or have a cauliflower appearance. Some may grow into large clusters.

Chlamydia, the second most common STD, usually has no symptoms. However, some females will feel a burning sensation during urination and experience abnormal vaginal discharges. If left untreated, girls will develop symptoms of nausea, lower back and lower abdominal pain, fever, pain during intercourse, and bleeding between periods.

Dr. Louis Tesoro of the Princeton HealthCare System recommends that all teenage girls get annual screenings and vaccinations for STDs.

Labels: girls, sex, sexually transmitted_diseases

Girls in all 48 states are attending "purity dances" with their fathers. The dances can be elaborate affairs with prom dresses, big dinners and orchestras, but a common feature is having the girls pledge to remain virgins until they marry. At some purity balls, fathers give their daughters gold purity bands to wear as reminders. Daughters give their fathers gold keys to hold until their wedding days, when fathers give the keys to their new sons-in-law.

Some oppose the dances as a form of abstinence-only education, which several recent academic studies concluded were ineffective. Other objections are coming from feminists.

"These events represent an idea that there is something about female sexuality that needs to be controlled by dominant men in the household," Professor Mary Zeiss Stange of Skidmore College told the Chicago Tribune. "That relates to a patriarchal position in the evangelical movement that not only defines female sexuality but females themselves as property. ... The daughter becomes her father's property until he hands her off to her husband."

Proponents of purity dances argue that other studies prove that girls who spend time with their fathers are more likely to complete college and have higher self-esteem and less likely to seek approval from boyfriends.

The first purity ball began in 1997 at a Christian ministry in Colorado, Generations of Light. Randy Carlson, father of five daughters and two sons, said he never expected to start a trend.

"It was birthed out of our home, not the abstinence movement," he said. "It is a fatherhood event, not a virginity or abstinence event."

At an all girls school like Copper Canyon Academy in Arizona teenage girls are free of common distractions like boys and sex which allows them the opportunity for personal growth and academic achievement.

Labels: fathers, girls, virginity

Psychiatrist Candida Fink, MD, and Joe Kraynak, MA, have released a book titled Bipolar Disorder for Dummies (Wiley, 340 pages, $19.99). Developed as a practical guide to understanding, treating and living with bipolar disorder, the book offers an explanation of the brain chemistry that causes the disease, and discusses the latest medications and therapies available.

"It offers sound advice and self-help techniques that you and your loved ones can use to ease and eliminate symptoms, function in times of crisis, plan ahead for manic or depressive episodes and feel better. Topics covered include: diagnosis and treatment, selecting a mental health specialist, mood charting, managing employment-related issues, and how bipolar disorder affects children."

The sound advice and techniques offered in Bipolar for Dummies can help families navigate this often unpredictable disease, and help them do it together - rather than letting the disease tear them apart.

Learn about Bipolar Disorder in Girls.

Labels: bipolar, brain_chemistry, girls

Recovery from an addiction is hard for both men and women. But women often have unique sets of issues that can make recovery much more difficult. Many women who have been sexually or otherwise physically abused turn to drugs or alcohol as coping mechanisms. They often suffer from nearly-debilitating depression. Add to that the victimization that can happen to a woman who's trying to 'score' her next hit, and women seeking to recovery are often broken emotionally and psychologically.

"Those pieces don't magically mend just because someone puts down the drink or the drug. In some cases, the withdrawal of the substance can cause all of those old psychological wounds to being to fester anew. And those issues... have implications as to how much a person is able to recover."

Unfortunately, most recovery programs are based on male experiences. Alcohol Anonymous' 12-Step program, for example, can conflict with the ways that women are often taught to deal with domestic violence.

Copper Canyon Academy is a private boarding school for girls in Arizona. Learn more about their residential treatment program for struggling girls.

Labels: addicts, girls, recovery

Denise Brown is the executive director of the nonprofit program designed for girls ages 16 and older who are either failing school or have dropped out. Called "Intense Mentoring", the program pairs young women with mentors who help them improve their academic performance.

"The girls are required to re-enroll in school. Mentors stay in touch with them through weekly phone calls, e-mail or instant messages... The mentors and students meet twice a month to hear speakers discuss domestic violence, birth control, crime prevention and other topics."

One student, Chanise Turner, had a miscarriage at 17 and felt she had nothing to live for. Brown connected her to mentor Marie Kalis and Turner is now enrolled in an alternative high school and plans to attend law school after she graduates.

Boarding schools for girls can also offer ways for troubled girls to get back on track emotionally and academically.

Labels: girls, mentoring, schools

In Calhoun County, Michigan, teen pregnancy is considered an epidemic. It ranks the fourth highest of Michigan's 83 counties for teen pregnancies per capita.

"Teen pregnancy is a complicated thing, [Pat] Horton said. 'It's not just about genitals...It's understanding that teens, especially girls, are looking for respect, love and commitment. Some want to be pregnant, thinking a baby will bring those things, he said."

Unfortunately, many of them are left to care for their babies alone, when the fathers decide they're not ready to be parents. Less than one-third of moms who have their first children before 18 ever earn a high school diploma. Just 1.5 percent earn a college degree before they turn 30. Read more BattleCreekEnquierer.com.

Help for parents of troubled teens can be found at ByParents-ForParents.com. Find articles, resources, and a forum to connect with other parents.

Labels: girls, high_school, teen_pregnancy