Troubled Teens Resources

Oppositional-defiant disorder defines itself by overtly aggressive, sometimes antagonistic, intentionally aggravating and or disruptive behaviors. Where ADHD presents with behavioral disturbances that tend to be inadvertent or related to attention and focus, ODD appears to be less innocuous, perhaps more “mean spirited.”

A blogger mentions a talk where it was proposed that the imagery regularly served up to our troubled teenagers via music videos may be adding to that vague hostility found in ODD behavior.

“This past weekend I was in DC presenting at a conference. One of the presenters on the agenda with me made a presentation on how music, in particular hip-hop music has turned into a means of teaching sociopath behaviors to young children and adolescents. It was an interesting premise. He based it on the stages of cognitive development as expounded by Piaget. In essence, he said since young children learn through images and music, it is not unlikely that the images seen on videos, associated with certain words and lyrics and music, can lead to mental disorders including but not limited to oppositional-defiant disorder.”

(Source)

When you consider the constant stream of vivid imagery - all orchestrated with compelling beats and laced with angry lyrics - that troubled teenagers are daily inundated with, there is little wonder that gangs thrive,teen age drug abuse escalates and angry teens abound. It is, after all, the prevalent mood and inflection of the culture that media directs at them. Teen help directed at offsetting this deluge of negativity is seriously needed. Who can sing a new song?