Troubled Teens Resources

“Well, I’ll be darn…”
“What?”
“This kid hates the sun.”
“Why are you reading that message board again?”

Jan and I were long time neighbors and parents of teenagers. Jan had recently become concerned that her oldest girl, Leah, was experimenting with drugs. Jan had a history of teenage drug abuse and was constantly monitoring for any signs that her own at-risk teens might be using.

She spent hours on the internet researching teen boarding schools and brat camps and I chastised her for putting out fires that weren’t there.

Jan continued, “But that’s it - you just don’t always know when it’s your teen that’s going a bad way, you have to really stay on them, watch them, look for mood changes.”

Teen Message Boards

She had lately been spending an inordinate amount of time on a teen message board, fascinated as depressed teens and drug abusing teenagers poured their hearts out, or, ranted against life.

“Listen to what this kid says.”

“This is going to sound f***! i know but i hate sunny days. I mean if I’m out with friends or something i love hot sun, same with beong on holiday, but when im in my room alone like this and its lovely outside i get pissed off.
I think its because i realise just how lonely i am and how everyone else is having fun.”
(Source)

“The reason it hits home is I was like that and so was my mother and nephews - we all felt depressed when the sun was out - for me it was like a slap in the face , it meant there was life and i hated life then. Now I hear Leah talking about how the sun bugs her too.”

Family History and Vigilance

Jan’s entire family battled depression and depression was the precipitating agent in her many years as a drug user. She was right to take her and her husband’s mental health history into account.

Jan had a plan and I admired her. It would be easier to just let Leah’s moods and slipping grades be, hope she snapped out of it. Jan ’s plan was to get her ducks in a row now.

She had spent time observing Leah and researching teenage drug abuse, depression and culture. She had a list of troubled teen boarding schools, brat camps and military schools to interview and three different therapists as well.

I hope Jan is proven wrong but if Leah is dabbling with drugs and exhibiting depression, then Jan’s pro-active measures will have saved Leah and the entire family a great deal of pain.