Troubled Teens Resources

It seems like a long road from a teenager worried about their weight to becoming a teenager sentenced to time in schools for troubled teens. Unfortunately, in a culture that puts extreme value on personal appearance, those teens who feel that their body just doesn’t cut it will often use drastic measures to meet the standard that they imagine they must reach.

Unfortunately, some troubled teens will seek to lose weight as quickly as possible and therein lays the path to possible behavioral problems later on. That is because the fastest track to losing weight that many teens seek are amphetamines, or other stimulant drugs that can spin the teen out of control.

“In a five-year study of more than 2,500 teenagers, researchers found that 44 percent of girls and 29 percent of boys were overweight, habitual binge-eaters or had taken unhealthy measures to lose weight — such as abusing laxatives, using diet pills or vomiting.

In many cases, these problems overlapped. Among overweight girls, 40 percent reported binge-eating, extreme dieting or both…

“We usually look for these behaviors in very thin girls, but here we see a very high prevalence in overweight girls…
What’s more, she and her colleagues found, some of the same factors seemed to underlie the risks of becoming overweight, binge-eating or taking extreme measures to shed pounds.

In particular, being teased by a family member appeared to raise the risk of all three problems in girls…
Among the other risk factors were preoccupation with weight, having a mother who dieted, and frequently reading magazine articles on weight loss.”

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Restorative justice has a noble sound to it but it is yet to be seen if yet another hand-holding approach to juvenile delinquency will make much of a dent on teen age drug abuse or crime.

Restorative justice is premised on the idea that a criminal should not be prosecuted by the state, but, instead the state must work with the crtiminal. In addition the criminal, as much as possible, is expected to work directly with those whom they have victimized or harmed.

“The underlying premise is that people are actually happier, more cooperative and more likely to change if those in authority do things with them rather than to them or for them,” says Ted Wachtel, president of the International Institute for Restorative Practices, who brings restorative practices to group homes and schools.

In traditional criminal justice, victims and offenders become passive players in a system dominated by the courts, lawyers and judges. In restorative justice, they take center stage.

“In the process of focusing on the victim, you end up providing a way for the offender to make amends and be re-accepted back into society,” says Mike Gilbert, associate professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown Campus who teaches a course on restorative justice.”

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Many parents, no doubt, would rather see a gang banger or a chronic drug abuser placed in brat camps where the emotional and behavioral problems that precipitated their crimes be addressed with equal measures of discipline and education. However, claims are that restorative justice has been successful when applied to juvenile offenders for minor crimes.

You do not usually see the discipline that is handed out in boot camps practiced in a public high school, but then Tahlequah Alternative School is designed more along the lines of schools for troubled teens than your standard high school.

“Ninth-grader Dylan Yanez must hold his hands behind his back each time he walks across the Tahlequah Alternative School campus.

He must wear the same black sweats and black shirt as other students. He must spend the whole school day without taking a break to chat with classmates. If he wants to speak, he must stand by his chair and ask, “Permission to speak.”

Referred to as a regimented program, it is an effort by the public school district in that county to keep troubled teenagers in school while simultaneously addressing their behavioral problems. The students, both girls and boys, must dress entirely in black sweat suits with boys sporting buzz cuts and girls with their hair bound back.

Unlike quasi-military educational “boot camps” like Thunderbird Youth Academy in Pryor, the Cherokee County academy does not board students overnight.

But Sams makes no bones about it. From the time they get to the school at 8:50 in the morning to the end of school at 3:30 p.m., those kids maintain strict, military discipline.

“They move from one room to another with their hands behind their back and do not stop and mess with anyone,” Sams said. “When they go to class, I make them sit in the front of the class. They need to be listening to the teacher, not back socializing.”

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Schools for troubled teens with emotional and behavioral problems are usually not paid for by the state, and there will be much debate whether tax payers should be expected to pay for such schools if public schools “fail” to provide problem teens with the environment that they can survive in.

However, apparently a Texas judge has ruled that a public school in Texas must do so.

“A recent Dallas court ruling has parents of special education students hopeful that more public schools could be required to pay for private care for their children’s behavioral disorders.

A judge ruled that the Richardson Independent School District had failed to provide an appropriate education, as required by federal disability law, for a student with severe disorders.

The case may be the first of its kind because it deals with a new trend in mental health care – private hospitals that have public charter schools on their campuses. As a result, the district will probably have to reimburse the student’s parents more than $50,000 for her stay at the hospital.
[…]
Experts on both sides of the issue said the ruling should be taken as a sign of a bigger problem: the lack of funding for special education from the state and federal government.

“The school districts are sort of at a loss,” said Angela Lello, public policy director of the Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities. “They don’t have what they need to provide the support for students that have challenging behaviors.”

And school districts worry that such rulings will create a heavy toll when they’re already strapped for cash.”

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The pure and simple truth of the matter is teen crisis intervention begins at home. Parents, obviously, are a teens first line of defense in protection and education and the inculcating of values.

Parents, however, are increasingly turning to institutions to act as the authority for their troubled teenagers, abdicating their role as teacher and disciplinarian to schools and law enforcement, as if all of a sudden they have been shorn of the basic common sense necessary to raise their teens.

If you think I am exaggerating, listen to this.

“Stacey Leben has fielded calls from parents upset that their children haven’t cleaned their rooms by a certain time and once from a mom mad that one daughter used her sister’s suitcase.
[…]
Parents have called law enforcement when their children won’t go to bed, sit in a car seat and when siblings are arguing.

Lt. Dan Donlin… agreed that parents calling police when their kids get into trouble at home is nothing new…

Though officers should be involved in situations involving violence or danger, authorities stress that parents should call in law enforcement only after they have exhausted all other options of coping with normal child misbehavior.

“If they have a child who’s difficult to control at any age, I think police should be the last resort except in cases of violence,” Leben said.

“For menial behavioral problems, they need to utilize parenting skills,” Donlin agreed.”

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Parents would do well to step up to the plate and not seek substitutes for their authority. It undermines respect for the law when police are used as a threat or as a baby sitter, but far worse, it undermines the parent’s rightful authority, setting the stage for worse problems down the road.

Troubled teenagers are often diagnosed with ADHD or ODD. Parents are then set with the task of reviewing that diagnosis and accepting or rejecting it’s conclusions. They then may opt for a program of prescribed medication or one of the many emerging behavioral programs designed to assist the at risk teen with the symptoms of ADHD or ODD.

Like every issue there are two sides and there is a very large group of mental health professionals, as well as parents, who have problems with such diagnosis and challenge the conclusions that dictate that ADD/ODD symptoms represent behavioral problems or that such behavior requires psychiatric care.

“Over six million children in the US are on drugs that control the symptoms of so-called Attention Deficit Disorder - ADD. There are millions of kids on anti-depressant and anti-psychotic drugs. Despite the clinical hype surrounding these drugs, the actual clinical methods employed for diagnosis are bogus to non-existent. For the most part the average psychiatrist bases his/her clinical assessments on guidelines that support the preconceptions and prejudices of the profession.

There is absolutely no basis for describing ADD or ADHD as “a disease”, because psychiatry cannot establish any clinical data that offers a clear biological cause for this behavior across-the- board. Clinical jargon to justify their efforts to render non-conformist behavior “pathological”, is a long way from proving ADD is a disease.”

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Specialty schools and schools for troubled teens often have behavioral programs that address what some call simple rebellion. They concentrate on teaching the teen how to manage conflicting emotions, criticism and failure. They train the teen in the disciplines necessary to live a productive life.

Parents simply must study both sides of the issue and then see which school of thought best addresses the behavioral problems that their troubled teenagers are exhibiting.

Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder is not the monster that the media sometimes portrays it to be. Though listed as a root cause for a number of behavioral problems that could set teens at risk towards a path leading to and including teen age drug abuse, studies and statistics more and more support that, handled correctly, the “disorder” need not derail your teens life.

Parents have to make sure that they educate themselves to all of the data available on both behavioral therapies and drug therapies. Moreover, they should trust their heart and their gut as to what is best for their teen.

“Never give up YOUR responsibility as your child’s parent to any professional (medical, psychological, or educational). If they are experts, get information and opinions based on their experience. Trust their judgment and learn from their wisdom. But YOU are the parent. Once your child or teen has had a good work up, and you have a “righteous” diagnosis you will have a lot of decisions to make regarding treatment. But always remember that YOU are the parent.

It is YOUR job to get all of the information that you can from the experts and make the decisions regarding your child’s treatment. No professional will ever love your child as much as you do. Educate yourself until you are an expert!”

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A suggested resource with which to begin your research is the ADHD Library.

Schools for troubled teens are a tremendous boon and have been a strong factor in the recovery of drug addicted teens and teens with behavioral problems. However, they are often unfairly portrayed by the media as if they were prison camps. When parents are considering enrolling their teen in a troubled teen boarding school or a summer brat camp, it is advisable not to depict the school as punishment, but as a means of ultimately helping the troubled teenagers reach their dreams.

“I know that is why Brooke ran away, sobbed her best friend Diane, ” and if she ever finds out that I told you where she was thinking of going,well, she won’t ever forgive me”

What Brooke doesn’t realize is that she probably saved her friend’s life. What ever reason a troubled teenager may have for running away, they often put their “best friends ” in a terrible position when confiding in them. Brooke finally went to Dianne’s mother who described the school Dianne was to attend, convincing Brooke that punishment was not the goal, but that attending would help Dianne who had been depressed and suicidal. Convinced, Brooke told them where Dianne went.

“Talk with your friend about what’s bothering him or her and put your heads together to find better — and more constructive — solutions. At the same time, speak with an adult you trust as soon as possible, and tell him or her that your friend is talking seriously about running away. If you don’t feel comfortable telling your parents, there are other adults in your life who may be able to help out: another relative, a teacher, a coach, a school counselor, your family doctor, or a religious leader, for example.

A trusted adult may be able to help your friend understand that there are better alternatives to running away.”

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Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder varies in intensity and attendant impairment with each diagnosis. Some teenagers are able to manage getting a handle on their ADD symptoms before the usual problems with ADD escalate into anything worse.

However, some children remain undiagnosed and emerge as the stereotypical troubled teenager, beset by behavioral problems, drug abuse, and lost time in school.

Fortunately there are youth camps as well as troubled teen boarding schools that offer a whole constellation of programs and therapies for the at risk ADD teenager.

“Camp Avanti in Hudson is designed for children coping with learning and neurological disorders such as attention-deficit disorder, autism and Asperger’s disorder, which is a high-functioning form of autism. The activities are designed to build confidence, coordination and camaraderie.

“It’s just the best camp ever,” said Joan Soward, of River Falls, Wis. Her son, Nick, 10, completed his fourth camp this weekend, and his brother Michael, 6, completed his first. Both boys have sensory integration problems.

“When they come here, they are accepted for who they are,” Soward said. “Outside here, other kids look at them like they aren’t quite right. But here they fit in.”

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“Fit in.” Two simple very telling words. So many parents complain that once their teen was labelled “special needs” after diagnosis, fitting in was no longer an option. Public education was never meant to deal with teenage problems and though they do they best, many parent find private boarding schools offers the best choice for their troubled teen.

Teens at risk can manifest symptoms of behavioral problems in peculiar and very destructive ways. An acquaintance recently enrolled her daughter in a troubled teen boarding school. She had been having problems for almost two years prior to coming to the conclusion that Jenny would not get the support she needed from the public school system. When I asked her what the last straw was she had a one word answer.

“Cutting. I’d read about it and thought it too weird to contemplate- never thought for a second that Jen would do something that harmful, but, well, I walked into her room when she was getting dresses and saw all of these fresh scabs and scars and when I confronted her she broke down into a sobbing mess. That’s when I knew her depression was beyond what I could handle. I needed help.”

Believe or not, such a painful practice can become addictive. Here is how one teen on a bulletin board described it.

“Before you make that first cut remember: You will enjoy this. You will find the blood and pain release addictive. Even though you think you can make a couple tiny cuts that’s aren’t deep and that will heal easily, they will get deeper. They will scar. They will take sometimes months to heal and years for the scars to fade. If you think you can limit the cutting to one part of your body, think again; it will spread when you run out of skin.”

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To educate yourself about cutting, or self-harm, Psyke.org has information, testimony and a collection of very unpleasant pictures.