What Parents Should Know About Teen Suicide

For a teenager to be so unbearably unhappy that he would choose to kill himself is something that's almost too painful for a parent to think about. But with the increasing prevalence of teen suicide, no parent can afford to ignore the possibility. Suicide is now the third leading cause of death for high-school students.
Kids look at this world as being more and more hopeless. They have no answer for their pain and despair, so many are choosing suicide as their solution. When I was in high school-- a school with 3,000 students-- I never knew of any of my peers committing suicide. And even in my work years ago as a director of Young Life, suicide among teh teens in our region was a very unusual event that I rarely heard of.

Fact is, before the 1960's, suicide by adolescents happened only rarely; but today, nearly one in ten teens contemplates suicide, and over 500,000 attempt it each year. While suicide rates for all other ages have dropped, suicides among teens have nearly tripled.

Between the sexes, teen boys are more than four times as likely t ocommit suicide as girls. But girls are known to think about and attempt suicide about twice as often as boys. The difference is the method; girls attempt suidie by overdosing on drugs or cutting themselves, and thankfully most are found in time and rescued. Boys tend to use more lethal methods, such as firearms, hanging, or jumping from heights.

The Warning Signs

By: Mark Gregston, Heartlight Ministries

Teenager Issues Are Parent Issues Too

Becoming a teenager in North America today is not easy. This is with certainty one of the most difficult periods of their lives. Many parents are so used to hearing about how difficult teenagers can be during their passage to adulthood, they simply try to fare with their kids, assuming there’s no merit to these teenager issues. It’s simply a waiting game, ending magically at approximately the age of 21, when the kids somehow acquire common sense and the parents once again have their lovely children back in the fold. If you’re a parent with this perspective, read on to see how important your input is during the adolescent period of development.

If you recall your own teen years, you know that hormonal changes are happening fast and furiously. Some teenagers suffer from wider mood swings than others. Girls begin their menstrual periods, throwing their entire metabolism in a tizzy. Boys begin to exhibit more aggressive behaviors, trying on the macho. This phenomenon exerts perhaps the greatest influence on what are often dismissively referred to as ‘teen issues’.

Read entire post here.

-By Lissa, www.breakyourshackles.com

Hardships and Lessons Return with "Teen Mom"

In order to do the show right, MTV said it decided to partner with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. According to the non-profit organization, three out of every 10 teenage girls will get pregnant, and 60 percent of them will choose to be a teen mother.

While changing diapers and taking the baby to the park might be part of it, most teens don't recognize that children mean more stress on their relationships, the end of their social lives and a whole host of challenges. The organization belives so strongly in the message and tone of the show and "16 and Pregnant" that it distributes episodes of "16 and Pregnant" to sex-education programs to use for educational purposes.

"There's no way that you can watch 'Teen Mom' and think this is easy or glamorous as a young person," said Amy Kramer, director of entertainment media for the National Campaign to Prevent Teenage and Unplanned Pregnancy. "Especially as a teenager, you have a lot of stuff going on that has to take a backseat when you have a child."

Both "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom" focus on the pro-life choices of the
mothers. While most decide to keep their babies, some, like Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra, decide to give their daughter up for adoption.

"The overarching message of this show is that once there's a pregnancy, all roads ahead are hard," Kramer explained. "Even if you have super supportive paretns like Maci or if you chose adoption, all of these are really, really
hard. This show has the potential to show in devastating clarity how important it is to prevent a preganncy in the first place."

Read entire article here.

-By Michelle Castillo, Todayshow.com

Body-image pressure inundates teen girls

The standardized image is pasted all over the mass mesia. Whether it's
Hollywood, the runway or glossy magazines, the message is clear: Look like this
and be sexy.

"This" for women is often a rail-thin size zero. Tyra Banks, a model who
has gained weight sincer her Sports Illustrated cover days, recently found
herself defending her shape on national television and in People magazine.

"I get so much mail from young girls who say, 'I look up to you, you're not
as skinny as everyone else, I think you're beautiful,' " she told People. "So
when they say that my body is 'ugly' and 'disgusting,' what does that make those
girls feel like?"

Body image is one reflection of how we perceive ourselves. Girls are three
times more likely than boys to have a negative body image, according to the
National Mental Health Information Center.

Catherine Hill, research director for the American Association of
University Women Educational Foundation, says it shouldn't be surprising that
middle-school girls are so concerned with their body image. What is
disheartening, she says, is that it overtakes other aspects of their lives. The
expectations can be overwhelming.

Read entire article here.

-By Latha Erickson, CNN

Everyone warns parents about the drama of the teen years—the self-righteous tears, slamming doors, inexplicable fashion choices, appalling romances.

But what happens when typical teen angst starts to look like something much darker and more troubling? How can parents tell if a moody teenager is simply normal—or is spinning out of control? This may be one of the most difficult dilemmas parents will ever face.

Studies show that about 20% of teenagers have a psychiatric illness with depression, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder being among the most prevalent. Yet parents of teens are often blind-sided by a child's mental illness. Some are unaware that mental illnesses typically appear for the first time during adolescence. Or they may confuse the symptoms of an actual disorder with more normal teen moodiness or anxiety.

Read entire article here.

-www.wsj.com

How To Help Your Teenagers Stay Healthy: Mental Health

Many mental health problems begin during the teenage years, probably because it is such a difficult time. Teenagers deal with the daily stress of school, peer pressure, and relationships. They have the added stress of exams, learning to drive and getting their license, and impending college decisions. For some, there are also jobs and first monthly bills, like car insurance or cell phones. When combined with the day-to-day stress of home and family life, it can be overwhelming.

Fortunately, there are things you can do to help your teenagers stay mentally healthy.

Stay connected. It is easy for parents and teens to drift apart, sometimes living in almost different worlds. Make an effort to stay connected to your teen. If you know what is happening in their lives, you can spot warning signals that your teen is having problems.

Maintain communication. Keep communication lines open with your teen. While he or she may not always want to talk, they need to know they can talk to you. If you put your teen off, constantly interrupt, or belittle what he or she is saying, then your teen will be less likely to talk to you about the important issues in his or her life.

Try to understand. Although your teenage years may seem like a long time ago, you can remember what it was like to be that age. Take a moment to think about what it was like to be a teenager. Instead of belittling your teen’s issues, or pointing out how small their problems are compared to those of your adult life, try to understand what it is like to be a teenager facing the issues a teenager faces.

Read entire article here.

-business44.com

Anorexia in Teens: Warning Signs of Anorexia

Anorexia can turn into a severe health issue and may even lead to potential death. It cannot be ignored and many teens hide eating disorders for several months, till their parents notice it. Parents should understand the consequences of anorexia and should look out for the warning signs which indicate eating disorders in teens.

Warning Signs:

•Warning signs of the anorexia are very evident in a teen. The common symptom of anorexia is the sudden gain or drop of weight, which is an indicator of a serious problem.
•Teens with anorexia will have an obsession with the calories and they limit the intake of food. This is another sign of eating disorders and teens avoid food which is rich in calories, because of fear of gaining weight.
•Teens tend to use medicines in order to keep them away from gaining weight. Parents should have a check over their teens who have signs like these.
•Teens tend to either skip meals or there will be a decrease in their appetite. They will give all kinds of reasons and explanations for not being hungry and to hide the eating disorders.
•Teens suffering from anorexia tend to faint frequently. Obsession with exercise or over-exercising is another major sign of the eating disorders. In girls, not having their periods is a major indication of anorexia.
•Most of the teens suffering from the eating disorders make excuses for increased weights and weight loss or weight fluctuations.
•Teens suffering from anorexia have trouble in expressing their feelings or they simply brush off the concern others show regarding their health. They are always moody and their levels of anger and agitation are very high.
•Girls often feel cold even if the temperature is quite normal, when they are suffering from anorexia. To cover this up they wear dresses in layers to keep themselves warm. Losing hair is another warning sign of anorexia.
•Anorexia requires professional treatment and may also involve psychological help, medical monitoring and nutritional feeding. Consult a doctor if you fear that your child is suffering from anorexia.

-www.teenhealthline.com