The Latest Trends in Teen Mental Health and Substance Abuse (Part 1): Drugs and Alcohol
Adolescent Counseling Services, a Bay Area non-profit devoted to the emotional and social well-being of youth, would like to welcome you to a four part series connecting you with the very latest in the world of teen mental health and substance abuse. We will be providing links to both informative articles as well as educational and preventive resources. Also, be sure to check out our list of categories on the left side of this page for an archived articles on these same important topics. The following is a posting schedule for the upcoming series:
Today, Wednesday January 19: Adolescents and Substance Abuse
Friday, January 21: Adolescents and Eating Disorders
Monday, January 24: Adolescents and Stress/Academic Stress
Tuesday, January 25: Adolescents and Depression/Anxiety
THE LATEST (Part 1): Adolescents and Substance Abuse
Youth Survey Provides Insights Into Substance Abuse
“The 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey, an annual survey funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), was just released. The results of the survey conducted by the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research and surveying almost 50,000 eighth-, 10th-, and 12th-graders in nearly 400 schools across the country, is a mixture of good news and bad news.” Click here to read both the good and bad news from this new survey.
ADHD in Kids Associated with Substance Abuse as Adults“Attention deficit disorder in children can often precede conduct disorders in teenagers, and this group of young people is more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol, according to a new study from the New York University of Medicine.” Click here to read more on this topic and for other resources courtesy of the “Teen Drug Abuse” website.
ER Visits Increase for Prescription Drug Use
“Of the 20 and younger population, there were nearly 170,000 pharmaceutical-driven emergency room visits in 2009, up from roughly 117,000 in 2004, meaning the youth population’s increase is not as high as the growth seen among the overall population.” Click here to read more about this recent study on the “Youth Today” website.
Resource: Ten Ways to Detect Teen Substance Use”
1. Do Their Laundry Occasionally: This non-intrusive technique often yields the first clues of substance abuse. Check shirts for vomit, pants for urine and pockets for left-overs.” Click here to read the other nine recommendations from the Decoder Blog, an extension of DrugFree.org.
Recommended Reading: “How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid” by Joseph A. Califano, Founder and Chairman of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse”
Every day, you work to be a good parent, doing hundreds of things to make a healthy, productive future come true for your child. But sometimes it’s hard to know if all the big and little things you do make any difference.” Click here for more information on this book and other resources from the “Straight Dope for Parents website.
Recommended Viewing: Dr. Drew Talks About Teen Prescription Drug Abuse
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