Earlier this year, an article in The Guardian out of the United Kingdom reported that hospital admissions resulting from young people experiencing anorexia and bulimia were on the rise. Though a variety of groups aimed at reducing the amount of imagery of skinny models has helped, today’s teens are still facing eating disorders. And when [...]
Have you ever seen anyone out in the community talking to themselves and acting what you perceive to be strange or erratic? Did they make you nervous because you were unsure if they would behave in a way that we believe to be socially acceptable? This person could have been experiencing schizophrenia. Perhaps they were [...]
You may have heard of a drug referred to as K, Special K, Kit Kat, Purple, or Super Acid. These are all street names for the drug Ketamine. Ketamine is a drug that is used legally in the medical system as an anesthetic. It is a Schedule III drug under the Controlled Substances Act. It [...]
So many of us look forward to the holiday season. We get to see family, attend special events, dress up, eat delicious food, and partake in religious ceremonies. No matter what holiday you celebrate or when, what’s universal about celebrating important dates is that celebration and stress often go hand-in-hand. As [...]
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, the prevalence of eating disorders in adolescents is 2.7% of the population. This number may seem small, but the impact that eating disorders have is incredibly significant on a person’s life who is being impacted. Disordered eating is the experience of eating [...]
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, more commonly referred to as PTSD, is a disorder commonly discussed in the military communities. PTSD was first coined a term in the 1970’s as veterans returned from the Vietnam War. They displayed what many may refer to as “classic symptoms” such as flashbacks, nightmares, and other behavioral concerns. These symptoms were [...]
Are you the parent of a teenager with significant mental health issues? Perhaps your teen has multiple diagnoses, takes medication, sees providers regularly, and is still struggling. We want you to know you’re not alone and it is okay. It might not seem like it now. You might be racking your brain to determine where [...]
Nationwide, cyberbullying is on the rise. Unfortunately, bullying of children isn’t new, but with the access to technology that we have now, there is access to children in ways that never existed before. As teens spend an average of nine hours per day online participating in social media, watching television, and more, the concept of [...]
If you are the parent of a teenager, we know you have spent the last sixteen or so years thinking about what it will be like to watch your child grow up. You likely imagined them doing well in school, playing a sport or an instrument, having wonderful friends, and someday going to college or [...]
According to recent statistics, one in every five women and one in every 71 men will become a victim of rape at some point in their lives. Rape isn’t limited to unwanted sex between a person and a stranger, either. In fact, over half of female sexual assault victims indicate that they were raped by [...]
The teenage years are difficult. It does not matter if you are the most neurotypical, healthy teenager with plenty of friends. These years are still difficult. They are full of developmental milestones, learning consequences, identifying who you are, and learning to establish healthy relationships. You do all of this while balancing school and deciding what [...]
Cyberbullying is the experience of being bullied over a technology device such as cell phones, computers, tablets, social media, forums, and gaming. It is unfortunately occurring at a rate that is steadily increasing and very high. Federally collected data from 2017 shows that 15% of school aged children 12-18 have experienced bullying by text message. [...]
Recovery means something different to every person. Most of us are in recovery from something. Recovery from the end of relationships, from substance use, from an addiction to eating or shopping, or really any struggle that has impacted life in difficult ways. As a teenager I needed help find recovery from the struggles that high [...]
You’ve probably encountered someone in your life and have written off their quirky behaviors to OCD. Perhaps this friend was overly neat and organized. Maybe they were excessively clean and were taken to be a germophobe. Possibly, this person just seemed uptight and needed to learn to relax. Or, so you thought. In reality, OCD [...]
How often do you see young people on their phone? If you answered anything other than all the time, you are not interacting with the same teenagers that we are. Phone and tablet use is so common that it is even being added to their school curriculum. Prompts such as “find this resource online and [...]
Mood disorders are very common mental health diagnoses. Experiencing a mood disorder can be characterized by a distortion in mood that makes functioning difficult. A person may be very sad, depression, happy, angry, and may struggle to maintain a mood state. At any age, people who experience mood disorders may be more likely to engage [...]
Today’s teenagers face a multitude of pressures, among which include the need for good grades and the ability to get into a good college. But aside from academics, teens also experience several pressures that can be quite worrisome for parents, including pressures to try drugs or to have sex. With both drugs and sex, once [...]
Though it seems that teen drug use as it pertains to cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamines is stable, if not on the decline, drug use and abuse is still prevalent. Whether it be alcohol abuse, prescription medication misuse and abuse, and one of the more common behaviors that we are seeing, vaping, teens today are still [...]
