Troubled Teens Resources

Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADD, ADHD, and all of the other “disorders” that troubled teenagers are tagged with will continue to be challenged by those in and out of the psychiatric field. This presents the parent of such a teen with the arduous chore of carefully examining both sides of the conflict and seeking advice from more than one source when determining the route they wish to proceed with a teen diagnosed with any one disorder.

“With increasing international concern about the large number of children labeled with so-called psychiatric disorders and prescribed mind-altering drugs, even the pioneer of psychiatry’s billing bible and “godfather of ADHD,” Dr. Robert Spitzer, recently admitted that normal children are being inappropriately labeled by health care professionals. Spitzer, a Columbia University psychiatrist, told BBC2 that children experiencing perfectly normal signs of being happy and sad are being labeled as mentally ill. While admitting this, he stopped short of informing BBC viewers that there is no scientific evidence that any of the millions of children so diagnosed have any physical abnormality that justifies the diagnosis. Nor that because of this, psychiatrists cannot agree on who is sick and who is well. Yet despite this fallible “science,” worldwide sales of psychotropic drugs prescribed to treat “mental disorders,” including stimulants, antipsychotics and antidepressants, now exceed $80 billion annually.”
(source)

Carol is a parent that opted out of a chemical solution, instead choosing to vigorously research alternative educational options for her at risk teen daughter.

“I interviewed staff at troubled teen boarding schools, brat camps and specialty schools. Andrea does beautifully if she is fully engaged. Her love of math and science seem to magically make her ADD disappear. I found a great private boarding school that basically prepares the budding scientist for college. Combined with her regular therapist teaching her how to manage her ADD and use it to her advantage, I think I really made the right choice. She is thriving now without any meds.”

Girls boarding schools must be experiencing quite a bit of business these days if a close friend of a teen age daughter serves as a barometer.

“I don’t care what she calls me, she will not have girl friends who think oral sex is just a form of affection. I will not have it. I caved for her nose piercing, I caved in and let her have a tattoo but I am not going to cave on this. She going to an all girls boarding school and learn something more valuable than how to shake her booty.”

Jan was incensed to find graphic materials in her daughter’s room depicting oral sex. She was even more enraged upon discovering that her daughter’s best friend’s mother had supplied the material in the hopes of “being open.”

If today’s sexual climate causes you grave concern, your apprehensions are not misplaced. Study after study records the debilitating effects on teens who pursue sexual activity that they haven’t the least maturity to cope with. And this recent study confirms that peer influence is a strong factor in a young teens sexual activities

“Young people select friends whose attitudes about sex are consistent with their own attitudes. The effect of friends’ attitudes on sexual behavior was stronger for females than for males.

High-risk sexual behavior in adolescents appears to be influenced by the sexual attitudes of peers, and young people select friends whose attitudes about sex are consistent with their own attitudes.”

(Source)
Troubled teen boarding schools for girls are designed to provide programs that inculcate a sense of pride based on accomplishment, not sexual prowess. If an all girl’s school is not an option, do not put your head in the sand regarding your teen daughter’s sexual activities. Ask questions and be absolutely firm aboput the standards that you expect her to keep.

One gets discouraged reading about the insane excesses of America’s teenagers, but from two articles that I read this morning, it seems the UK’s parents have more to combat than we presently do here in America.

The first article explains that it is legal in the UK for parents to give alcohol to children as young as five as long as they are at home. They have only recently proposed enacting laws to raise the drinking limit to 15 and to prepare to provide alcohol education in schools.

Now here is an amazing statistic: “the amount of alcohol consumed by girls aged between 11-13 has increased by 82.6% between 2000-2006, while for boys the number has gone up by 43.4% during the same period.”

Which perhaps accounts for this amazing report of the most rabidly abusive disrespect that I have heard of in a great long time. If your teen has a MySpace account, they perhaps should read this. Apparently rock star Annie Lenox’s teen daughter posted an invite to “30 close school friends” to come party while her father was out of town.

“The mayhem happened after Annie’s teenaged daughter Lola innocently let slip she was having a get-together at home while her film producer father Uri Fruchtmann was away.

But the email which was meant to get to just 30 close school friends ended up frenziedly circulating to hundreds of others. It is understood that the information about the party spread on websites like MySpace.

Their £2 million family home in north London was trashed when more than a hundred youngsters forced entry.

Party-goers daubed graffiti on walls, broke pictures and lampshades, tore apart books, urinated and vomited on carpets, flooded the kitchen and had a pitch battle in the garden.

It was not long before it was standing room only at the house and in its grounds and the party quickly got out of hand.”
(Source)

One hopes that there are troubled teen boarding schools, boot camps and other programs in the UK, considering that this MySpace type “call to party” is reportedly becoming a trend.

There are probably many times when a teen ends up in a compromising situation that they never had any intention of becoming involved in. They think they are just going to hang with their buds at the park or mall and then the teen driver diverts everyone to a party he got word of. If your teenager is the only one in the car who doesn’t want to attend they will be under incredible peer pressure to keep their objections to themselves.

The less exposure a teen has to drugs the less chance of teen age drug abuse. Wouldn’t it be better if your teen could ease himself out of the situation by making a quick phone call that guarantees a cab ride home?

Another scenario is the date gone bad. Where does your teen daughter go if the date she is on becomes uncomfortable or threatening. What if her date gets stoned or drunk? If she has to get out of the car or leave a party, how will she get home?

There is a nationwide service that addresses those concerns and it seems a simple solution.

“For parents, SafeCar means not having emergency cab fare saved or spent elsewhere. When a cab ride “feels free,” parents help students who are unable or unwilling to spend their own money on a taxi (a big issue). Load as much or as little as you like. Reload as you go.

SafeCar’s network of over 40,000 local taxicabs across the country means that we can get you home from virtually any location. Plus, we work with the best partners in every area so you don’t have to ride in a random taxi.”

SafeCarServices

They offer a free 30 day trial and with prom season around the corner, it might be worth testing. The above link will tell you more. Let us know what your experience is if you try it.