Troubled Teens Resources

Teens at risk for self destructive behavior, such as teen age drug abuse or indiscriminate sex, stand to benefit by a new test called the adolescent risk inventory (ARI). Experts purport that this verbal assessment will reveal indicators that the tested teen is vulnerable for, or tends to, risky behavior.

“Researchers studied 134 youth ages 12 to 19 with psychiatric disorders. Each study participant was given the adolescent risk inventory (ARI) (a paper and pencil measure). The ARI included questions about sexual history (have you ever been pregnant or been a dad?), self-harm (have you ever attempted suicide?), and attitudes towards acting out (do you break rules for no reason?).
“We found that the ARI is reliable and comprehensive and can be useful in quickly identifying a wide range of teen risk behaviors,” says Lescano.”
(source)

The intent is for the family doctor to administer these tests as part of the teens medical assessment so that if any concerns are raised that the teen can be referred to a program that could serve as a preemptive measure against trouble down the road.

It is something that will have to be closely watched. Do schools have access to these results? Though the questions seem straight forward, the answers still require an evaluative process. What criteria is used to judge responses? Can such materials be used against a teen in juvenile court? Just like any tool for possible good, the negative aspects have to be considered as well.

Parents will want to look at such an assessment in light of their possible misuse, misinterpretation or intrusion into a family’s privacy. If parents are satisfied that the assessment will be handled in a constructive way, parents can make requests for the test to their family physician, if available.

Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)has been debated for the last twenty years with many parents still feeling confused when their teen is diagnosed.

What we do know for sure is that teenagers who display the noted traits of ADD are vulnerable to more at-risk behaviors, if for no other reason than that their inability to pay attention and tendency to cause distractions sets them up to be viewed as a trouble maker.

One parent pulled her son from the public school he attended and placed him in a troubled teen boarding school. Not because she disagreed with the diagnosis but because the public school’s method of dealing with ADD was so counter productive. When speaking with the public school counselor about her concerns that one of Ritalin’s long term affects might be a shortened life span, the counselor blithely responded that even if that was the truth, better a short “quality” life than a long life as he was.

If they had no more vision for her son than that, she would place him in the hands of those professionals who could teach him the coping skills that have proven effective in teaching teens to mitigate and control the effects of ADD. She found that the training he received at boarding school taught him to use his ADD as an asset by employing methods to utilize it instead of be ruined by it.

The poor behavior that he had begun to exhibit was soon replaced by self-discipline, conscientiousnes and a strong sense of responsibility. Instead of heading down an ever spiralling self-destructive path, he is now preparing for college.