Demi Lovato's Treatment Sheds Light On Teen Issues, Expert Says

Now that Demi Lovato has entered a treatment facility to deal with "emotional and physical issues she has dealt with for some time," her public struggle is shedding light on a whole range of issues that many teenage girls face. Lovato has been open in the past about the pressure she's under, including her self-esteem issues and constant media scrutiny.

Dr. Dorian Traube, assistant professor at the University of Southern California's School of Social Work, spoke to MTV News about the advice she has for young people who might be going through a similarly difficult time.

"Well, I think regardless to whether the bullying contributed to what sent her to seek treatment, she's in treatment because she's having issues related to self-esteem and mental health, and all of that makes you feel lonely," she explained. "So I think it's important for young women or teens to realize that it is important to find an environment in which they feel like they excel and treated with respect and that they have a good cadre of friends around them."

Read entire article here.

-By: Jocelyn Vena, mtv.com

Teen Binge Drinking LInked to Attention Problems

Teens who binge drink may be more likely to experience problems with attention as well as making decisions and carrying them out (executive function), a study shows.

The study, published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, also shows that teens who smoke marijuana tend to have trouble with their memory.

Substance abuse during the adolescent years can have significant lifelong consequences on the developing brain. "Both animal models and observational studies in humans suggest that binge drinking during adolescence alters normal developmental processes in a way that negatively impacts learning and social adjustment into adulthood," says study researcher Robert J. Thoma, PhD, a psychiatrist at the Center for Neuropsychological Services of the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, in an email.

"On one hand, the adolescents in our study were functioning largely within the normal range on cognitive tests, [but] it is likely that they are under-performing on many of these tasks relative to their ability before initiation of binge drinking," he says.

"Consistent under-performance in school could shift an adolescent’s trajectory of educational attainment, thereby affecting subsequent job placement and socioeconomic status," he says.

Read entire article here.

-Denise Mann, Webmd.com

Christian Parenting Advice on Classifying Drugs Your Teenager Uses

The main reason I write all the articles I do on teenage drug abuse is because of my own drug abuse problem as a teenager and even young adult. You could say I used more drugs than not. I say this not to glorify it in any way but to say I know of the damage because I use to be there. I have some understanding of the issue and effects of certain drugs.

For instance, when I was growing up we would pick and choose the drug we would use depending on the activity we were going to engage in. Because we knew that different drugs would produce different results.

Even as a parent we might find ourselves responding differently to the knowledge of the type of drug our teenager is using. You would feel better if your child is smoking dope instead of shooting up heroin. Because of the stigma and effects of each drug. We would probably not even bat an eye if we knew our child went and got drunk somewhere?

Read entire article here.

-Phil Longmire

Parents face tough choices when child seems in trouble

One of the most difficult things for parents of teenagers who are thinking about hurting themselves to face is that sometimes right before a troubled teen tries to take his life, he or she might seem to be getting better.

"For teens in particular, a sudden cheerfulness after a period of depression may be a threat that they're going to take their life," Debbie Helms, program director for the Samaritans of Merrimack Valley, said. "There's an energy and period of clear thinking because they've already made the decision to kill themselves."

Yvonne Vissing, associate professor of sociology at Salem State University and director of the university's center for Child Studies, said that's one of the aspects of teen suicide that's particularly confusing - and torubling - for families.

"One thing is when people are very depressed that's not usually when an attempt will happen," Vissing said. "It's usually when a person is feeling better."

Saugus High School senior Felix Sacco jumped off an overpass last week in Saugus after leaving school in what police are calling a suicide.

Helms said although there are exceptions, most teens who commit suicide do so after suffering from "an underlying mental-health issue." "Suicides rarely occur because of one thing that happens in someone's life," Helms said.

Read entire article here.

By: Jeff McMenemy/The Daily Item

Christian Parenting Advice – Co-Dependency With Teen Drug Abuse

After portion for over 10 years as a priest we have to contend which there is usually as most dysfunctions as good as masks which we wear in a church as people do outward a church. we consider we usually sense to censor them improved upon Sunday Morning.

But what happens when we wear those masks as good as do not understanding with a issues during hand, is which we find ourselves essentially apropos as good as vital as co-dependents to a teenagers. We find ourselves stealing as good as masking a dysfunction, hurts, pain, as good as annoyance which comes with a teenagers wrong meditative as good as behaving.

I am not certain if we know this or not though co-dependency is essentially a schooled behavior. You can essentially pass it down from a single era to another, all a time training those which we lift how to duty as good as live in a habituated relationship.

When a primogenitor lives in a habituated attribute with their teenager who is abusing drug it not usually affects both parents, though siblings as well. It has a mortal settlement which plays out via a complete house. It shows as good as allows those who have been harming a family to live any approach they wish whilst dire in upon those who have been not abusing drugs, over compensating upon parenting so which they themselves do not go down a same path.

Some examples of dysfunctional family groups with teenagers who have been regulating drug competence not admit which problems exist. The family will not speak about them or confront them. As a result, family members sense to restrain emotions as good as negligence their own needs. They turn “survivors.”

Read more.

-Phill Longmire

Co-Dependency with Teen Drug Abuse

In the first рοrtіοn οf this series I talked about the danger οf living іח a co-dependent relationship with уοur teenager who іѕ using drugs. In this раrt οf the series I want tο talk a little about what that relationship looks like and how іt plays out in the family when you have a teenager who іѕ using drugs.

Sοmе mау not even know that they аrе in a co-dependent relationship with their teenagers who аrе using drugs. Fοr instance I’m the leader in a recovery program. When wе wеrе starting the recovery program a man approached mе tο let mе know how he responded tο the use οf drugs with his own teenager.

Hе told mе that he would mаkе his home a safe environment fοr his teenager and their friends tο come and hang out and get it out οf their system. Keep in mind this wаѕ a leader in the local church and wаѕ telling mе this аѕ wе wеrе promoting a Celebrate Recovery program.

Aѕ I stated in the first series, co-dependency іѕ actually a learned behavior. You can actually pass іt down frοm one generation tο another, constantly teaching those that you raise how tο function and live in a co-dependent relationship. This man wаѕ teaching his son how tο not only live in a co-dependent relationship but hοw tο raise his own kids in a co-dependent relationship.

The first thing you need tο do іѕ аѕk yourself…аm I living іn denial? Read entire article

-www.methdrugaddiction.com

What's A Parent to Think About... Teens Substance Abuse?

Many parents may think back to their teen years, and consider "experimenting" with substances (tobacco, alcohol, marijuana) as a harmless rite of passage. These days, however, scientists would not agree with that.

It's becoming very clear that early use of substances can lead to a number of poor outcomes for youth- and can adversely affect their development well into adulthood. Consider these three points:

*First, the earlier youths start expimenting with substances, the more likely they are to progress to higher, more problematic levels of use, both in adolescence and adulthood. In particular, early onset is a strong predictor of eventual substance use disorders and dependence. Keep in mind that use of any substance is a risk for use of other substances- such that, for example, early smoking can predict eventual alcohol abuse.

*Second, contrary to prior thinking on the topic, new research suggests that youths who start using substances at an early age can rapidly escalate their use during their teen years. How rapid? Recent articles have shown that teens can develop a substance-use disorder within three years of their first experiences.

*Third, early use of substances is predictive of a host of other serious outcomes, both in adolescence and into adulthood. These include risk for early pregnancy, herpes infection, crime and suicide attempts. It's important to keep in mind that these risks are present even for youths who do not have psychological problems when they start using stubstances.

Read entire article here.

-By Richard Rende, Ph.D, http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100916/LIFE/100919946/-1/NEWSMAP