4 Troubled Teens Blog

A Harvard study has determined that adolescents whose parents smoke are more likely to begin smoking themselves. A team from the Harvard School of Public Health reached this conclusion after studying the habits of 559 boys and girls ages 12 to 17.

"The longer a parent smoked, the greater an adolescent's likelihood of starting smoking. Whether or not the parent was actually dependent on nicotine didn't affect the strength of the relationship."

Researchers also found that a father who smoked had a stronger effect on his son's risk that a mother's smoking had on her daughter. Source: ABS-CBN News5

Because teenagers don't have a lot of relationship experience, they can easily find themselves in a situation involving physical or emotional abuse:

"I've seen a lot of students that think that really jealous behavior is appropriate, and they think 'this person loves me so much that they want to know where I am all the time, what I'm doing, they don't want me to be with anyone else but them.' And after a while... [they]...start to feel very controlled, claustrophobic and they don't know how to get out,' said Wendy Falvey, a family and consumer science teacher."

Teens may not be aware that their relationship is abusive, so they need friends and family members to be watching for warning signs. If you suspect that something isn't right, don't be afraid to ask questions or get help. Source: News 10 Now (Syracuse, NY)

Patti Skelton-McGougan, executive director of Youth Eastside Services in East King County, Washington, is still haunted by a high school friend's suicide. Looking back, she says, she can see the warning signs that she was too nave to recognize or act upon at the time - and she is urging others not to make the same mistake:

"Everybody - teens as well as adults - should be aware of and alert to the warning signs. Kids who are thinking about suicide will often talk to their friends before they talk to their parents or even a school counselor."

Be aware of sudden changes in mood, eating or sleeping patterns, or increases in the use of alcohol or other drugs. And don't be afraid to confront the person or talk to a parent or teacher. Source: Bellevue (WA) Reporter

Psychologist Stephen Hinshaw has released a new book in which he warns that the high expectations placed on teenage girls is creating a "generational mental health crisis." Surges in depression, eating disorders, self-mutilation, and suicide are being fueled by a host of conflicting messages, he writes.

"In the book, Hinshaw and coauthor Rachel Kranz make a compelling case that, compared to previous generations of young women who juggled fewer roles, today's teenage girls are literally collapsing under the weight of adult expectations, consumerism and a highly sexualized pop/cyber culture that celebrates physical perfection and stratospheric success."

The book, titled Triple Bind: Saving our Teenage Girls from Today's Pressures plays on the phrase "double bind," which was coined in the 1950s to describe the conflicting messages children receive from adults. The phrase "triple bind" is meant to convey the increased complexity of the messages that are inundating today's teenagers. Source: Berkley (CA) News

The Washoe County School Board in Nevada has given the go-ahead to a drug testing program for all of its schools. The program was tested at McQueen High School last year and was described as "overwhelmingly positive."

"The next step is to apply for a federal grant that will pay for the program, says Spokesman Steve Mulvenon. If the district receives that money, then high schools will be given options to participate in the testing."

Students at McQueen High School were reported to have responded favorably to the program, saying they felt more freedom to say "no" when offered drugs or alcohol because their friends would understand. Source: News4

According to a story this week on the Scientific American website, federal prisons currently lack sufficient drug treatment programs for inmates. According to a recent study, approximately 1.7 million adults (more than 2 percent of the population) are currently incarcerated or on probation. About half of them are addicted to a substance such as heroin, alcohol, crack, or methamphetamines (meth), but only 20 percent of those substance abusers actually receive effective treatment. These data come from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Study co-author and NIDA director, Nora Volkow, commented on the cost-effectiveness of implementing effective drug treatment programs within the criminal justice system:

"For every dollar that you spend on treatment of substance abuse in the criminal justice system, it saves society on average four dollars."

(Source: www.sciam.com)

A recent report from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) concurs with earlier findings that adolescents suffering from bipolar disorder (BPD) are more likely to smoke and abuse substances. An article on the report appeared in the June 2008 issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Timothy Wilens, MD, director of Substance Abuse Services in MGH Pediatric Psychopharmacology and leader researcher on the study, comments on the study findings:

"This work confirms that bipolar disorder (BPD) in adolescents is a huge risk factor for smoking and substance abuse, as big a risk factor as is juvenile delinquency. ... It indicates both that young people with BPD need to carefully be screened for smoking and for substance use and abuse and that adolescents known to abuse drugs and alcoholespecially those who binge useshould also be assessed for BPD."

Experts estimate that as many as 1 in 5 children and adolescents treated for mental health issues have BPD. (Source: www.sciencedaily.com)

Several teenage suicides in the past year have rattled the residents of Spring Lake, New Jersey. In response, the town held a special meeting early in January to talk about teen suicide, answer questions, and support those who had lost friends and family members.

"According to Dr. [Peter] Halas, girls think about and attempt suicide about twice as often as boys, and tend to attempt suicide by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves. But boys die by suicide about four times as often as girls, mostly because they tend to use more lethal methods."

Also in attendance were members from the Traumatic Loss Coalition for Youth (TLC), which is dedicated to suicide prevention. Dozens of people attended the special meeting, which was hosted by Spring Lake Mayor Jennifer Naughton. Source: Star News (New Jersey)

Physical exercise elevates the mood of people with serious mental diseases, according to a new study from Indiana University.

Dr. Bryan McCormick placed monitors on study participants and also paged them at random moments to inquire about their mood and activities:

• Most of the participants, who lived in psychiatric hospitals, were sedentary.
• The least active had the least positive moods.
• Walking was a particularly effective activity for elevating the moods of participants.

This study appeared in the Journal of Social Psychiatry.

A new study from the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine found that teenagers are not receiving good health care services.

Researchers looked at young people ages 10 to 19, and found that doctors screen only a small percentage for risky behaviors that lead to car crashes, drug addiction, and sexually transmitted diseases.

Teens go to their doctors most often for sports check-ups or vaccinations, and these appointments usually last fifteen minutes. The NRC researchers noted that it takes 40 minutes to perform a thorough examination, including counseling about behaviors such as overeating, getting enough exercise, wearing seatbelts, using condoms, and other important issues.

Five million Americans under age 20 do not have health insurance.

Binge drinkers are at increased risk for contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), according to a new study from the New York City Health Department.

Binge drinking was defined as having five or more drinks on one occasion at least once a month. About 15 percent of New York's adults do this.

Among the teens in the study, 14 percent said they binged within the last four weeks. One in four who drank any alcohol whatsoever reported having multiple sex partners. This group was also more likely to have unprotected sex.

Forty percent of homosexual men who binge drink told researchers they had five or more sexual partner within the past twelve months, putting them at risk for STDs.

The city determined these rates by analyzing data from the New York Health Department 2007 Community Health Survey.