A new study shows that mental health problems like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common among kids who struggle with their gender identity, according to the US Department of Health and Human Services. Unfortunately, these mental health issues can be overlooked in teens when gender identity is the primary issue. What Is Gender Identity? Some [...]
Continue ReadingIt’s the season for anti-drinking and driving messages; it’s time for prom and graduation and spring break, after all. However, according to a survey completed by Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD) and Liberty Mutual Insurance (LMI), alcohol is no longer the largest danger for teens behind the wheel. Currently, marijuana is more commonly the cause [...]
Continue ReadingPrevious studies by Yale University have demonstrated that a teen’s growing brain actually defends itself against the effects of different substances of abuse. Researchers at the university decided to identify which genes were responsible for this protective action hoping they could gain more insight into the addiction and recovery process, especially in adolescents. The findings [...]
Continue ReadingA new study published in the journal Pediatrics reports that one in three young adults in the United States has an arrest record. Among those who are 18 years of age, 25 percent (or one in four) have been arrested but among those who are 23 years of age, the rate of arrests is between [...]
Continue ReadingBinge drinking is a problem in all age groups, but college-aged young people are more likely than any other group to indulge in the behavior. In fact, on a survey recently conducted by Studentbeans.com found that 20 percent of students say that they couldn’t get through a semester without drinking, and at least 66 percent [...]
Continue ReadingThe next time your child tries to convince you that school is unnecessary or that missing a few days here and there won’t hurt anything, consider the findings of a new study: Kids who miss school are more likely to exhibit symptoms of a mental health disorder as teenagers. Additionally, mental health disorders can increase [...]
Continue ReadingAccording to the US Department of Justice, teens are abusing and using illicit drugs in larger and larger numbers and a number of national-level studies are supporting their assertion. Here are a few statistics culled from those studies, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH): An estimated 8.7 percent of Americans over the [...]
Continue ReadingA new study has been released that investigates the connection to a teenager’s response to caffeine – found in coffee and energy drinks – and how that response relates to or predicts their response to stimulant drugs like cocaine and crystal meth. The results of that study show that while not everyone who likes a [...]
Continue ReadingA new article published in the Archives of General Psychiatry says that about 30 percent of American teens between the ages of 12 and 17 abuse alcohol and drugs on occasion. Specifically, 32 percent reported abusing alcohol, 19 percent reported abusing drugs, and 15 percent said that they used both. Based upon data pulled from [...]
Continue ReadingThe numbers are in and the facts are scaring parents across the country – crystal meth is quickly surpassing marijuana when it comes to popular drugs of abuse among teens. More teens are indulging in “crystal,” “ice” or “meth” – the street names for the drug – than in “pot,” “weed” or “Mary Jane,” as [...]
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