Teens have historically gravitated towards pushing boundaries. Experimenting with drugs and alcohol is also not a new development among teenagers. What is new is the clinical research and brain imaging studies that have shed light on the differences between the adult brain and the teen brain, and how those differences impact decision-making, impulsivity, and the […]
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 […]
As parents, you may have done everything right, by the book, in raising your child. You have provided a safe, loving, and supportive home life and made every effort to be available for your son or daughter. In fact, in many instances, other siblings—born of the same two parents and raised in the same home—may […]
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, […]
One of the more alarming societal trends in recent years is the escalation in the rates of suicide among teens. In fact, teen suicide has increased by over 30% in individuals ages 15-19 since 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control. In this environment, parents are right to express concern when their own child […]
“Troubled teen,” what a disparaging term that is. This widely used label only serves to minimize what could be a serious mental health crisis, or stigmatize a teen who is simply struggling with typical teenage angst. Without a doubt, passing through the tumultuous phase of adolescence can cause emotional strife and behavioral upheaval. If, however, […]
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 […]
There are abundant reasons why a teenager might seem to be in the throes of emotional distress. These tumultuous years are, at the least, marked by moodiness and drama, and by depression and social anxiety at the more serious end. Hormonal fluctuations, school-related stressors, social issues, and difficult family events such as a divorce or […]
Purple is an edgy hue that has long been associated with music. From the 70s hard rock days when the color helped name the band, Deep Purple, and Jimi Hendrix’s famous song, Purple Haze, to Prince’s 1984-era chart topper, Purple Rain; purple is a color that has evoked fervor, intensity, and drama. These days, however, […]
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 […]
