Troubled Teens Resources

Teen crisis intervention projects sometimes show up in the oddest places. The imagination behind some of these efforts to reach troubled teenagers are admirable. They are created by private citizens and non-profits in various communities nationwide. Citizens who put their money and action where their mouths are. No platitudes and yearning for an answer to drugs. Just very practical and effective programs that hit the ground running. The Blue Sky Project is going after teen depression.

Most everyone is familiar with craigsList, the ubiquitous cyber bulletin board where all and sundry can find something or someone. craigList’s most prodigious users are the teenagers and college students that Dr. Michael Bagby is looking to reach.

“…mental-health researchers are turning to the Internet to look for teen subjects. At Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, doctors posted on craigslist.org to recruit teenagers for a five-year study on first episodes of major, or clinical, depression called the Blue Sky Project.

The idea of navigating the grown-up world of psychologists and psychiatrists is terrifying to many teenagers, says Maria Luisa Contursi, mindyourmind.caproject manager.”Kids are afraid of bricks and mortar,” she says. “They’re not sure what’s behind that door.”
[…]
Hoping to attract students while they are searching for used bikes or second-hand furnishings for university dorm rooms, Dr. Bagby’s posting seeks people who are having trouble concentrating and getting out of bed in the morning.”

(source)