Grief is a complex emotion that can be challenging for teens to navigate. According to the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM), 1 in 12 children and teens in the U.S. will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. While grief is usually...
Parents often wonder how to distinguish normal teenage mood swings and rebellions from actual symptoms of depression. Fortunately, there are several ways to tell. As many as 1 in 5 teenagers will experience depression at some point during adolescence. Unfortunately,...
What is Social Anxiety? Social anxiety disorder (SAD) affects 1 out of 3 adolescents between 13 and 18 years old. Over 19 million people across America suffer from social anxiety disorder (SAD) today. It is the most common anxiety disorder and third most common mental...
At any given time, one out of every five teenagers is experiencing major depression. If you are a parent to an adolescent or teenager, you are likely familiar with the moodiness inherent to this age group. Mood swings are common, as teens are experiencing a vast...
Talking to your teen about depression can be a difficult and intimidating task. The adolescent and teenage years are some of the most difficult, due to the immense amount of changes going on in both the brain and the body. These changes affect how teens think, learn,...
As a parent of an adolescent, your attitudes, actions, and beliefs can have a tremendous impact on your child’s well-being. Your teen is experiencing the challenging process of transitioning from childhood to adulthood and, as someone who has gone through this journey...
There is no simple test to tell if a child is transgender. Experts often refer to the idea of insistence, consistency, and persistence in terms of gauging whether a child is just going through a phase or not. This means the more insistent a child is, and the longer...
A psychiatric residential treatment facility (PRTF) provides out-of-home psychiatric care to children, adolescents, and young adults in a non-hospital, highly structured setting. PRTF’s serve clients whose mental health needs require more intensive treatment than can...
What Is Self-Harm? Self-harm (sometimes called self-injury or self-mutilation) is the act of intentionally harming oneself in a physical manner. Self-harm is an expression of personal distress and often a coping mechanism. Self-harm is not a mental illness itself (but...
When a person suffers from two or more mental health conditions, they are referred to as “comorbid” or co-occurring disorders. Anxiety and depression are the two diagnoses most closely related, and for adolescents and teenagers, the two mental health disorders most...
Oppositional defiant disorder in teens (ODD) is one of the more common mental health disorders and falls under the umbrella of disruptive behavior disorders. Adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder demonstrate disobedient, defiant and/or hostile behavior,...
Residential treatment centers provide individualized mental and behavioral health care for youth struggling with a variety of issues and struggles. Residential treatment programs often address the following: Trauma and abuse Depression and/or anxiety Eating...
Symptoms of ADD in Teenage Girls Images of boys being impatient, loud, or climbing on things often come to mind for many when talking about attention-deficit issues in youth. Because attention-deficit disorders are frequently associated with males, girls with...
Why Are So Many Teens Depressed? Depression is a serious mental illness that can affect anyone. Depression causes ongoing sadness, hopelessness, loss of interest, and in severe cases, suicidal thoughts. Adolescents and teenagers are one of the populations most...
What is Borderline Personality Disorder? Teens with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have particularly negative and distorted views of themselves, including a lack of self-worth. This contributes to feelings of inadequacy, and makes it difficult to create and...
This article will attempt to answer common questions that parents may have about teen transgenderism. Though the subject of being transgender has recently gained increased attention due to various social movements and media coverage, transgenderism is something that...
Being a parent of a teenager with gender dysphoria brings many challenges. Not only is it difficult to watch your child struggle with their identity, but it is often hard to know how to best support them. What is Gender Dysphoria The term “gender dysphoria” is...
What is Bipolar? Bipolar disorder is a mental health disorder characterized by dramatic or abnormal mood changes (or swings). The estimated number of teenagers with bipolar disorder is currently 2-3%. The mood changes typically fluctuate between major depression and...
Depression is a very real condition and it is something that is uniquely likely to have an impact on teenagers. If you are a parent who believes that your teenager may be suffering from depression, it is important to get a diagnosis from a licensed professional and...
The topic of residential treatment is something few parents talk about with any sense of enthusiasm. But when teens are struggling with various psychological conditions, residential treatment programs can be the most valuable experience for long-term healing. If you...
Statistically, the teenage years are the time in people’s lives that they are most likely to suffer from an eating disorder. These years are characterized by a tremendous amount of change. As teenagers struggle to establish their sense of self and gain a positive...
Eating disorders are amongst the most common forms of teenage mental health disorders. The constant stress of establishing one’s identity, the external pressures to satisfy an impossible beauty standard, and the hormonal changes associated with puberty are all...
For anyone, having access to a community of supportive people and environments are crucial aspects of healthy living. This is especially true when it comes to teenagers. This is because adolescence is a crucial time in development in terms daily habits, balanced...
Being a teenager with any sort of long-term psychological condition can be a difficult and frustrating experience. If you are a teenager with depression, anxiety, PTSD, or bipolar disorder, doing even the most mundane tasks—like getting out of bed in the...
The negative effects internet use has on teen mental health is being researched more and more every day. Talking with your teen can help to determine whether or not the internet has a negative impact on their life. Today, the internet and technology are constantly...
Bringing up the subject of drinking can be uncomfortable. That is why it is important to know what to avoid when opening up a discussion with your teen. When your child becomes a teenager, the role of being a parent can take a dynamic turn. Rather than helping them...
Parenting Tips for Teens with PTSD Teenagers who have been exposed to traumatizing events are not immune to the effects of these events, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is no exception. PTSD is something that, even though it may have been years since the...
Underage drinking is considered a serious health issue in this country. Alcohol is the most commonly abused substance when it comes to American youth, despite the legal drinking age being set at 21. In fact, in 2015, more than 30% of teens reported they had consumed...
What Parents Need to Know about Teen Eating Disorders Despite the fact that many teens suffer from eating disorders, body image issues, and numerous other related problems, these issues often go entirely unaddressed. But just because talking about the current eating...
If you are a parent of a teenager who is currently suffering from depression, it can be very difficult to know what to do or where to turn. Even though you may offer your teenager unconditional love and support, overcoming depression may require resources that are...
Imagine for a moment, you’re an insecure teenager struggling to fit into the world and a parent tells you that you need to loose ten pounds. Afterwards, every time you look in the mirror you see your body as being ‘fat and ugly’. Suddenly you are obsessed with loosing...
Imagine for a minute, your teenager comes home from school, stomps off to their room without saying hello or uttering a single word. Naturally you would be concerned and want to know why are they so upset. So you knock and they yell through the door, for you to leave...
If you believe your teen has a drinking problem, finding the right teen treatment center could be a lifesaver. It can be hard to admit that your teen’s drinking problem has gotten out of hand – and it can be even harder to admit that help is needed. Choosing a teen...