Troubled Teens Resources

A recent study reveals data about teen age girls that professionals at girls boarding schools or troubled teen boarding schools would most likely agree with. What may surprise some parents of troubled teenagers is that girls appear to be twice as aggressive and combative as teen boys and equal with boys in their drug and alcohol consumption.

“Girls in U.S. juvenile detention centers face different psychological issues than average teen girls and perhaps more severe issues than incarcerated boys.

In a four-state survey, girls were found to be twice as likely as boys to be aggressive, and just as likely as boys to have problems with alcohol or drug use, findings that surprised psychologist Elizabeth Cauffman, who has worked for years with troubled teens in California and Pennsylvania.”

Though in general girls tend to internalize their problems, incarcerated teen girls were more likely to erupt in fights. In addition to marked hostility and aggression, female prisoners experience higher degrees of anxiety, sleeping problems and depression than do boys.

“One helpful change, Cauffman said, would be to evaluate the mental health issues of teens – both male and female – when they enter the correctional system. The Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument, Version 2, which Cauffman used as the evaluation tool for her study, was designed specifically for juvenile offenders and can be administered by staff at juvenile detention centers. The screening flags areas for concern – such as depression, drug use, or aggression – that may require further evaluation by a mental health professional.”

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Teen age drug abuse can lead kids to some very lonely places. Lock-up is one of them. It depends on the teenager. For some, home is worse. There is no place to hide. There might be a drunken parent inside the house and gang members on the corner. Juvenile detention centers that utilize jail time to reach these teens are far ahead of those juvenile centers that simply warehouse their population.

While incarceration is not desirable, it sometimes puts troubled teenagers in a position to hear about a world he might otherwise never see. To hear words spoken that he never hears spoken in his home. Words spoken by Sedlak have reached many troubled teens.

At 16 she ran away, lured by the prospects of lazy afternoons and smoking pot in golden California. What she eventually ended up with was a year of hell.

“Sedlak talked about going cold and hungry, getting beat up on a regular basis and having nothing but the clothes on her back. After more than a year on the streets, the 17-year-old decided she needed to change her life.

“I got sick of never having the things I needed to be comfortable. Sick of the people I was hanging around with. Sick of the limitations my bad decisions were placing on me. I was 17 at the time and completely disgusted with how I was living my life.”

Seldak’s testimony demonstrates the power of choice. Teen help is the most powerful when a teen is taught about choices and accountability.

“Holding up a handful of gold medals, Sedlak challenges the students to turn their lives around by making the right kinds of decisions.

“I was told by my high school teachers that I had no ability in track and field events,” she says, holding the medals out for the students to see. “It’s so important that you don’t let people discourage you from doing what you want to do.”
[..]
“Stop blaming others for your failures,” Sedlak said. “I want every one of you to spend some time thinking about why you’re here and what you’re going to do to stay out of here from now on. None of you belong here. You are all bright, good people.”

(Source)