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 Parenting Related NewsI am betting that very few of you have sat through a week’s worth of sex education classes at your teenkid’s school. If your school district offers – or mandates – such classes, you no doubt have received a carefully crafted note listing the topics to be covered. And, if you have somehow managed to raise one of those rare tweens or teens who, in response to “so, what happened at school today?” replies polysyllabically, you might have a general notion of what goes on.
Truth be told, the lessons about alcohol consumption that are the most powerful may just be the ones that are not accompanied by a wagging finger and a tongue lashing. It is the small, accumulated lessons about drinking that add up to make a difference.
One in five teenagers has abuse prescription pain medication. Dr. Drew shares some reasons why teens are abusing pills and what parents can do if they suspect their child is using.
As a college student living 5 hours away from my parents, I have the freedom to do pretty much whatever I want. If I got into any real trouble, with the university or the law, only then would the school contact my parents. Otherwise, I can get away with a lot without my parents ever knowing. That’s a scary thought for parents reading this, right?
Let’s face it. Teens are not that interested in talking to someone whose sole intent is to pepper them with questions, judge their answers, and offer unsolicited advice. In fact, these forms of communication serve to obstruct rather than facilitate communication with our teens. As a matter of fact, they are part of a longer list of communication blocks that parents would do well to avoid if they’d want their teens to talk to them.
While it was hard to immediately see the outward effects of my pill intake, inside, I was detaching from reality. I always describe the feeling of being on pills as being inside a protective bubble. You feel like nothing can hurt you…and eventually, nothing can, simply because you’ve got no emotions left.
Do you know an outstanding youth coach or student athlete who demonstrates a commitment to fair, drug-free play and an overall healthy lifestyle? Does this person inspire others to give it their all, make the team smile after a big defeat, or show exemplary character and integrity on and off the field?
If you answered YES, [...]
Being a responsive parent instead of a reactive parent begins with more matter-of-fact interactions with our kids. This means speaking to them in a calm manner and not freaking out, overreacting and getting extreme with our emotions. Too often, when we see something in our relationship that we don’t like, we try to change everything wholesale. We say things like, “From now on, things are going to be different!”
She smiled and said she was proud of him. He had come to a 180 degree turn in his life. And with that, he turned to the other teens and thanked them for helping him change his life. His victory became theirs.
My colleague told me she was having her 10-year-old stepson practice his reading and comprehension skills while reading entries from my personal blog. Effectively, she noted, along the way she discovered that it’s a creative method of early drug prevention too.
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Benefits of Antidepressants May Outweigh Risks for KidsThe benefits of antidepressant medications likely outweigh their risks to children and adolescents with major depression and anxiety disorders, according to a new comprehensive review of pediatric trials conducted between 1988 and 2006. The study, partially funded by NIMH, was published in the April 18, 2007, issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Although we cannot ignore the possibility that antidepressants may exacerbate suicidal thoughts and actions in some children, it would be worse to let these children go untreated," said NIMH Director Thomas R. Insel, MD. "This study indicates that more children are ultimately helped by antidepressant treatment than harmed." In 2004, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required a "black box" warning on all antidepressants after a thorough review of published and unpublished data revealed a slight increase in suicidal thoughts and actions among children and adolescents taking antidepressants, compared to those taking a placebo (sugar pill). A black box warning is the FDA’s most serious type of warning. Jeffrey Bridge, PhD, of the Columbus Children’s Research Institute and The Ohio State University, corresponding author Dr. David Brent, MD, of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in Pittsburgh, Pa., and colleagues examined data from 27 clinical trials involving antidepressant use among participants younger than 19 years who were being treated for major depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or non-OCD anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder or social phobia. Their analysis included data from more recent trials that were not included in the FDA analysis. By pooling the data, the researchers found that antidepressants were significantly more effective than placebo in treating these disorders. Antidepressants were especially effective in treating non-OCD anxiety disorders, in which the overall pooled response rate was 69 percent for those taking antidepressants compared to 39 percent taking placebo. Among those with OCD, the pooled response rate of the young people taking antidepressants was 52 percent, compared to 32 percent of those taking placebo. Among those with depression, the pooled response rate of the young people taking antidepressants was 61 percent, compared to 50 percent of those taking placebo. Overall, there was a slight but statistically significant increase in the risk of suicidal thoughts and actions, but no suicides occurred. "The evidence suggests that treating young people with antidepressants is worth the small risk associated with them," said Dr. Brent. "New research should focus on developing the most efficient and effective methods for monitoring these young patients, to put both doctors and parents at ease, and to match patients with the best treatments." National Institute of Mental Health |
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