The four-year period that teens spend in high school is a radical transformation from childhood to adulthood. During this time, they are exposed to a wide range of coming-of-age experiences. For many teens, drugs and alcohol are almost inevitably somewhere in the picture. As such, teen substance abuse has dominated youth culture in the U.S. …
Depression is not always easy to spot in teenagers. One of the reasons is that the signs of depression can often mimic normal teenage behavior. Changes in mood, abnormal sleep and eating patterns, inability to stay focused, or changes in social behavior may look like typical traits of an adolescent in transition. However, it’s also…
Depression is one of the most common mental health disorders in America. Thus, it is a major factor in suicide becoming the second leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 24. Suicide rates among Americans ages 15 to 19 has increased by more than 40% since 2000, making teen suicide and depression a major problem…
Although e-cigarettes have been around for over 10 years, use of vaping and JUULs have increased in record numbers over recent years, particularly in teens. E -cigarettes are currently the most popular tobacco product used among teens. About 2.1 million middle and high school students used e-cigarettes in 2017. Sarper Taskiran, MD, a child and…
Recreational drugs are widely available. Substance abuse and mental health issues impact nearly half of all Americans. During adolescence and young adulthood, your brain is still developing. Centers related to decision making may not fully develop until 26, meaning young people are especially prone to engage in risky behaviors and experimental drug use, like the…
Mental illness and substance abuse problems impact more than 20% of Americans annually. Psychological health problems, such as the signs of OCD, can become challenging to identify and diagnose in young adults and adolescents because the brain continues to develop until your late 20s. Adolescence is also a time when teenagers are developing their sense…
Adolescents spend a great deal of time searching for their own identity. They explore and rebel to discover who they are as a person. Sometimes, teens will find themselves facing a drug or alcohol problem as a result of their desire to explore. Read on to discover more about unique issues that apply to addiction…
December has been deemed National Impaired Driving Prevention Month since 1981. Community leaders, health care providers, educators, and parents strive to raise awareness of the dangers of impaired driving and promote responsible alcohol usage. Celebrating National Impaired Driving Prevention Month 2018 with teenagers can involve education, volunteer work, and support. U.S. Impaired Driving Statistics About…
Suicide. Just hearing this word can evoke a range of emotions. For many people, the initial reaction to hearing about suicide is discomfort or fear. Often times, our behavior is to automatically deny that suicide is an issue that affects us personally; or we may simply ignore it and hope the problem goes away on…
There are many resources available to help you spot the signs of drug abuse in your teenager. However, wouldn’t it be better to prevent them from using drugs in the first place? Keeping them from using now can help them avoid more significant problems down the road. So what kinds of risk factors lead to…