Helping Kids with Teen Angst

It is called teen angst and there is no doubt that teenagers have a lot more stress, or at least what they perceive as stress.  But if you look at the reality, it is a tough time to be a teenager.  There are many issues that teenagers face that really have to be dealt with psychologically.  Communication with parents can be key.  It's difficult as a parent, but if you can try to communicate with your teenager, you're going to help them through many of these times.  Teens are searching for your guidance.

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Teen Dating and Safety

First dates can be a real problem and a real stress for teens. Although most of us look back on them fondly, and the awkwardness is more or less joked upon, it is very serious for teenagers as they go through it. One of the things you should tell your teenage daughters, in particular, is that they should not be talked into anything they don’t want and they should have access either to a cell phone or a way to defend themselves if there is a problem. In other words, if there is someone they cannot trust, they have to make sure that there is the ability to get protection, if necessary.

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SSRI Antidepressant Use in Teens

There continues to be a serious debate in psychiatry. Does the use of antidepressant medications help teens, and does it help them with the condition, or do they increase a teen risk of committing suicide? Back in 2004, the Food and Drug Administration included what is known as a black box warning on a group of antidepressants called the SSRIs to alert healthcare providers to an increased risk of suicides in children and teens. New research revealed that information from 24 overall trials in over 4,500 pediatric patients taking one of nine antidepressant medications found that only one trial, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, found a significant increase in suicides and that was more than fourfold. However, when all 24 studies were combined, there was no increase. The conclusion? This is not a declaration of safety, but a further warning that these medications need to be used under careful supervision, if at all.

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Teenagers Should Limit Caffeine Intake

Caffeine is a drug that's being used more and more in teenagers.  It's a medication, in a sense, because, yes, it's legal, yes, it's accepted, but it does act as a stimulant.  Many teenagers use it now with the added pressures of staying up late and having pressures for work.  They tend to push themselves.  It's very important that teenagers do all they can to try to control the amount of coffee they have.  Let them have a cup of coffee if they want to, but that's about it.  You should back off after that.  

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Smoking Rates in Teenage Girls

A major warning for family physicians, pediatricians, and adolescent health officials should be a warning for women as well. Doctors are being asked to pay special attention to whether or not teenage patients are smoking cigarettes, in particular, females. It seems to be growing in this group. If you think about it, if doctors are being told to look out for a problem, it means adults should as well. Why all the attention? Well, after steadily decreasing in the 90′s, adolescent smoking rates have increased. They’ve reached a level well above national goals. Part of the problem…it’s being dramatized in the media.

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