A high percentage of teens -- nearly one-half -- had experienced some
traumatic event in their adolescent years. Nearly one-fifth of the
nation's teens are suffering from emotional disorders.
Some have faced violence and abuse in their lives and have
enormous difficulty dealing with it. The result: clinical depression,
even posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For others, the trouble is
internal -- they battle an inherited anxiety disorder, triggered by
troubling life experiences. Unfortunately, few adolescents are getting
the psychological help they need.
People with good emotional health are in control of their
thoughts, feelings and behaviors. They feel positive about themselves
and have good relationships.
They can keep their problems in perspective. They have both
self-awareness and self-control.Your child's teenage years can be a
difficult time. Teens may feel overwhelmed by the Emotional and physical
changes they are going through. At the same time, teens may be facing a
number of pressures -¬ from friends to fit in and from parents and
other adults to do well in school, or activities like sports or
part-time jobs.
The teenage years are a time of transition from childhood into
adulthood. Teens often struggle with being dependent on their parents
while having a strong desire to be independent. They may experiment with
new values, ideas, hairstyles and clothing as they try to define who
they are. Although this may be uncomfortable for parents, it is a
normal part of being a teenager.
Communicating your love for your child is the single most
important thing you can do. Children decide how they feel about
themselves in large part by how their parents react to them. For this
reason, it's important for parents to help their children feel good
about themselves.Don't ignore a problem in the hopes that it will go
away. It is easier to cope with problems when they are small. This also
gives you and your teen the opportunity to learn how to work through
problems together.
Is it a behavioral disorder such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder
(ODD), a pattern of negative, defiant, and disobedient behavior, or
Conduct Disorder, where your child repeatedly and persistently violates
rules and the rights of others without concern or empathy? Perhaps the
most important question of all for parents to consider is, how much
distress is your child’s problem causing you, the child, or other
members of the family?
