Everyone has experienced that rush of adrenaline that accompanies a situation that evokes feelings of fear. For some individuals, the body immediately goes into panic mode, with symptoms of shaking, sweating, chest pain or tightness, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations that resemble an ensuing heart attack. These events are referred to as panic attacks, […]
All parents want their kids to be happy and confident and able to function normally in most situations. Of course as adults we all remember the horror of having to stand before the class and deliver a book report, recite a poem, or try out for choir, cheerleading, or a sport. We know full well […]
Usually beginning in early adolescence, a heightened sensitivity to appearance sets in. This is the age that young teens become hyper aware of what the culture has determined constitutes physical attractiveness. The early teen years are a vulnerable time anyway, with emotions running high and social drama defining the days. The added stress of attempting […]
When your child is hurting, you hurt right along with them. Parents with teens who struggle with mental health disorders are often aghast at the effects of the illness and feel completely hopeless in knowing how to help their child. Teens with mental disorders suffer on many fronts, including being ostracized or bullied at school […]
The current generation of teens has social and emotional challenge never before experienced. Not that long ago, a teen might have been socially stigmatized by a rumor floating around the high school campus. They may have been the brunt of a mean prank or suffered the pain of passing by a group of peers gossiping […]
The teenage years have always been trying. Adolescence has perennially been an emotionally challenging developmental stage, due to hormone fluctuations, social struggles, increasing academic pressure, and shaky self-esteem. Teen brains are still under construction, so the executive functions, such as impulse control, self-monitoring, reasoning, and regulating emotions are not fully developed. Today’s teens experience a […]
No one wants to see their teen move forward toward a successful, fulfilling life more than his or her own family. Parents and siblings may have watched the teen grow from a child, full of promise and enthusiasm for life, into an adolescent where something has gone wrong. This may be due to social struggles, […]
Parents of teens who engage in self-harming behaviors usually had no clue that it was going on. Teens who do self-harm are usually discreet about these practices, hiding the signs of self-injury under long sleeve shirts and pants. But many parents first become curious that something might be going on when their adolescent refuses to […]
Parents are often stymied by their teen’s emotional struggles, not knowing what to do to help them. A teen suffering from serious depression or anxiety disorders may be helped to some degree on an outpatient basis through a family doctor, but at some point they may need a more intensive therapeutic intervention such as can […]
