We all know that teens have their own world filled with their own worries. They worry about school, worry about their friends and their relationships, and they worry about upcoming life decisions which involve themselves and their family. These are all normal things for a teenager and they can’t be avoided, but in some cases teens don’t know how to cope with these issues and that may lead to depression, sadness, extreme hopelessness or a feeling of low self worth and other mental health issues.

Mental health issues can be as painful as a punch or physical wound, some of them can leave far greater side effects than any wound can. They can lead to your teen failing in school, losing his friends and to conflicts with the family members. Each of these issues has warning signs, mental health warning signs that we can look out for. It is our jobs as parents to protect our children and to help them, so it is our job to look for these teen mental health warning signs.

There are many things to look for, the most important thing to remember that each of these signs individually probably means nothing, they can be normal, but if combined with several others of these warning signs it is time for you to step up and offer help. It is normal for our teens to be angry or to overreact, that is what teens do, but when you notice that they are feeling depressed, worthless, overly guilty, anxious that is where you need to start worrying.

We all feel grief when someone dies, but if that grief lasts for a long time we should pay attention. Also with things like unexplained fears and irrational thoughts it is time to talk to our children and maybe offer our help or even professional help.

These are all teen mental health problem warning signs, but it is not only important to know what they are, but when to look for these signs. Certain changes in teen’s life may lead to these situations like a drop in academic performance, losing interest in things once loved, changes in sleeping patterns and eating habits as well as avoiding his old friends.

Other warning signs and situations to watch out for include:

-    Lack of concentration
-    Poor judgment
-    Lack of focus and attention
-    Irrational fears
-    Compulsive behavior
-    Constant nightmares
-    Alcohol and drug abuse
-    Eats too much, or nothing at all
-    Forces him or herself to vomit
-    Extreme workouts and diets
-    Destroying things and other people’s property
-    Breaks the law
-    Or engages in life threatening activities

If these teen mental health warning signs appear you should consult with your family members, teachers, school counselor or even your family doctor, a professional psychologist or a social worker. In some cases parent’s attention and help is all that is needed, but in some cases professional help may be necessary.
 

We covered the rising use of steroids by teens in the last post, now we are actually going to cover what are anabolic steroids. Anabolic steroids are man made synthetic hormones used to stimulate the effects of testosterone male hormone.

We said that there are two types of teens that use steroids, athletes and emotional liable teens that back down under media pressure. Not just media pressure, but also school and peer pressure influence teens decision to use steroids.

Teens are under pressure because of their grades, because of sport tryouts and they also have pressure from teammates to do their best and to give their best for the team. Some teens work hard, practice, exercise and achieve everything with dedication and hard work, other give in to pressure and high demands of their better looking or better athlete peers and they start using steroids.

The most common way teen use steroids is orally, but they can also be taken through injection and gels and creams. Teens that use steroids through injection are also at risk of blood transmitted diseases like AIDS. There are few obvious signs that your teen is using steroids, a great speed of obtaining muscle mass, a great outburst of acne and sudden mood swings.

You have to be aware of the long term consequences of using anabolic steroids. Some of the well known risks of using anabolic steroids over a long term period for boys are reduced sperm count and shrinking of the testicles, also there is an increased risk of prostate cancer, development of breasts and permanent liver damage. It poses an even greater risk because teens are in their development and their bones may suffer.

But teen boys are not the only ones using anabolic steroids; girls are using them as well. In the last 20 years the use of anabolic steroids by teenage girls has doubled. Long term consequences and risk for teen girl anabolic steroid abuse can be baldness, shrinkage of breasts and even deepening of the voice and enlargement of the clitoris.

Warning signs of teen anabolic steroid abuse:

-    Sudden gain in mass
-    Sudden aggressive behavior
-    Purple or reddish spots on the body
-    Jaundice, which is yellow color of the skin or the eyes
-    Swelling of feet
-    Trembles
-    Unpleasant breath and body odor
-    Severe acne outbreak

Anabolic steroids cause an even greater risk for our teens because they are mostly found from shady and illegal sources, this will increase the risk of potential consequences. Preventing teen anabolic steroid use is essential, if you notice any of the signs of steroid use you have to act fast and get your teen proper treatment.
 

Although we think that our children are safe from steroids because it is illegal for teens to buy them in a store, it is however very easy for them to order them online or find a friend that is 21 to buy steroids for them. The bottom line, we are wrong, our teens are in danger of steroids all the time and they can get them very easy.

For those of you not familiar with steroids we are in fact talking about hormones, various types of hormones. The most common type of steroids which is commonly used in sporting circles are anabolic steroids. These are artificial steroids that are made to resemble testosterone and are used for muscle tissue development.

Now why would your teen child take steroids? Two obvious reasons, the first one is sport and to get some advantage. But in the long run steroids have been proven to only cause damage to our body and no evidence was found that they actually help with our athletic performance. The other reason is our appearance. Most boys are pressured by the media with great looking models and athletes, the same way as girls are pressured by female model standards, so they want to look better and to have more muscle.

The bad sides of steroid use are plenty, starting from acne, baldness, aggression, mood swings and paranoia to chances of testosterone overdose and even man boobs. Steroids also cause long term damage to our body and our brain. Studies have revealed that steroids cause destruction of brain cells and as such the use of steroids increases the risk of getting Alzheimer’s or Huntingdon’s disease. They also cause a great deal of damage to the liver, in some cases it can lead to liver cirrhosis and diabetes.

What makes steroids so dangerous is the lag in effects and symptoms; we can clearly compare it to smoking as it will take years or even decades for these signs to appear. So while teens think that they are on the top of the world and that there are no side effects they might as well be throwing away their health and their future. Things become even worse when the initial dosage doesn’t work anymore so teens start increasing the dosage or even worse, mixing the steroids without any knowledge of what they are actually doing.

Also a great danger is that a large number of teens are not so good at getting steroids, especially when they start needed them in larger quantities, so they turn to various sources. As with regular medicine or drugs there are altered steroids that people make in their home labs, so there are cases of poisoning or even immediate death due to overdose on various substances found in the steroid mix.

Teen steroid use is a threat great as drug abuse, in some cases more sinister, as the signs and symptoms of the damaging effects that steroid causes cannot be seen and teens are made to believe that they are perfectly healthy.
 

We are all aware of the privacy issues that come with using a computer and internet, but our teens mostly aren’t. Even though they are more tech savvy than we are they seem to act on impulse and forget about the ground rules of safety when it comes to using the internet.

There are two types of safety issues regarding internet use, the computer safety where your computer is at risk of loosing data, crashing the operation system or even hardware malfunction due to a bios update and there are privacy issues, like identity theft, solicitation, cyber bullying and even disturbing material.

This is a broad subject that requires attention to every specific bit of information on these safety issues. So let’s talk about the three most used safety breach issues today. Not the ones that cause the most fear, although they do, but the ones that are used the most.

The first place is taken by Spyware. Although most people think that spyware only consists of cookies and background apps that will only slow down your computer they are far more malicious than that. Yes, 90% of spyware is harmless, but the other 10% is used mostly for stealing information and identity theft. Teen safety is compromised every time they use a site that needs cookies enabled, because they can leave their personal information on that site and the info will be up for grabs. Also teens tend to download all sorts of freeware, which is exactly where the spyware is. Most of the freeware programs and applications are free because they have a spyware or adware app running in the back and gathering info. Teens need to learn to recognize safe websites from malicious websites that hold dangerous to our privacy and to our computers.

The second internet safety issue is viruses. Yes we live in the era where software is developing fast and there are plenty of capable anti-virus software’s out there. But the same goes for viruses. When a new computer virus is created it takes days before they can come up with a countermeasure for it, so we are at constant risk. Again, it is important to know which sites are safe and what mails to open. Sometimes the spam filter will let through some emails that are not from our friends, so if you are not sure what it is or where it came from, delete it, you won't lose anything.

The third common internet safety issue is direct soliciting of minors, which is the greatest direct threat to teens and teen online safety. There are plenty of online predators out there, lurking on Facebook, MySpace, twitter or any other social media website. The same safety principle applies to these sites as it does for your mail. If you don’t know the person and the invite didn’t come as recommended skip it, ignore it. I know that most of these online predators will post pictures of young teens on their profile making it appealing to add them as friends, and most of them appear to be popular having hundreds and thousands of friends on Facebook, so it is hard to recognize the real safety issue. But once you get an inappropriate mail in your inbox be sure to delete the person and report it to the support team of that website.

Teen internet safety and general online safety is becoming a greater issue each day. Teens are dependant on the internet as all of their friends are online and that makes them careless. The fact that 99 teens out of 100 will never meet such a threat makes it easier for everyone to relax, until that 1 out of 100 cases happens. But somehow teens tend to forget that and keep to their old routines like nothing happened. As parents it is your duty to watch your teen’s safety, whether in real life or online.
 

When teen depression is determined it is important to get appropriate therapy. In some cases group therapy is necessary, in other even medication is an option, but one thing is absolutely necessary, and that is that the teen is comfortable with the treatment or it will not be a successful one.

In most cases teen depression is treated with medication. The most common type of medication give to depressed teens is SSRI type of medication or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. Genetic forms of depression are usually related to serotonin levels so these medications are given in order to suppress or increase the serotonin levels in our body.

In most cases the medication treatment is based on trial and error, so your teen may have to go through several types of medications and doses until the right treatment is found. The fact is that some of these antidepressants have side effects, so it is important for the family and friends to watch out for those side effects.

The best case scenario would be a group home therapy or a residential treatment center. There your child can learn and the therapy itself can help your teen learn about the negative thought pattern and learn how to change it and identify the causes of depression. Other things that can be achieved with such therapy are improvement of emotional balance and social skills like finding a better solution to the problems and increasing social skills.

Other form of teen depression therapy includes family therapy, which is needed especially if there is a family history of depression. One form of teen depression therapy that is not so popular but is still used in some cases is the electroshock therapy, ECT or electroconvulsive therapy. This is not a recommended form of therapy for any form of depression, but people still tend to opt for it due to lack of success of other forms of teen depression therapies. You should know that side effects of this type of therapy include memory loss, nausea and headaches.

There are some things you yourself can do with your friends and with your family to treat your depression, like making sure that the therapy is going to plan and that you do not stray off or try any alternative methods without the consent of your doctor. Eating healthy and getting enough exercise will help your body relax and relieve stress. Do anything that makes you feel good, participate in positive activities, try keeping a journal and think positive, believe that you will be better.

These are just some forms of therapy available and things you can do to help your depression treatment succeed. If you suffer from depression or if you are a family member or a friend of someone that suffers from depression, be sure to help that someone and always be at disposal, so for those that suffer from depression it is always good to have someone around.
 

There is no method that will guarantee the prevention of depression, but there are plenty of things you can do to greatly reduce the chances of teen depression. There are genetic causes of teen depression and life causes that surround us, obviously genetic ones cannot be changed, but we can influence the things around us to diminish the chances of depression episode.

In order to prevent teen depression we have to be aware of the risk factors involved and lower them to the best of our possibility. Again, some of these factors can be influenced while others can’t, like the history of family depression. Physical or mental disabilities are also great causes and risk factors for teen depression, as well as any major trauma and difficulties that surround us. In cases of teens, these are mostly friend and school related, or again, family issues.

In order to decrease the risk factors and chances of having a depression episode you should do the following:

-    Avoid any form of substance abuse
-    Avoid friends deemed to be a negative influence like those that suggest alcohol and drug abuse
-    Develop good relations with your friends, family and teachers to provide support
-    Learn to deal with stressful situations, like hard choices and changes
-    Avoid negative thoughts, but not in a way that will make you leave them aside, but by focusing on positive things as almost everything has a positive side
-    Avoid medication without doctor prescription
-    Get physical exercise as that relieves our body of stress
-    Get enough sleep, our body needs to be well rested
-    Find positive things in life, like special activities
-    Avoid things that trigger stress or anger or depression, like certain activities or even people
-    If you have any disorder seek immediate help

For parents that want to reduce stress environment and the possibility of teen depression we suggest the following:

-    If you have or have had depression seek help and set a good example for your child.
-    Practice positive discipline, harsh discipline stimulates stress and leads to depression
-    When trauma or loss occurs make sure to provide support, but if the grieving process seems to continue over a longer period of time, seek professional help
-    Encourage your teen to some positive activities, like exercise, eating right and avoiding bad crowds and substance abuse
-    Develop a positive relation with your teen and let him know that you are there to provide support at all times

As far as seasonal depression goes there is not much anyone can do about it except spending some time in the open. Fresh air and a bit of sun are well known to bring some positive thoughts back into our lives and are a natural cure for depression.
 

The causes of depression in general are not quite determined from the scientific point of view, but some of the major factors have been identified, especially when we talk about teen depression. Well, there is not only one cause; there are several causes that are combined that lead to teen depression.

Some of the factors are emotional while others are clearly of physical origin. The most common cause of teen depression according to research is neurotransmitter imbalance, which are the chemicals that send signals to our brain. Although scientists are sure that this is one of the major causes of teen depression they are not sure what is the actual cause of the imbalance, nor are they sure if this is hereditary and gene related.

Their research shows some signs that teens with depression issues in the family are more likely to become depressed themselves, but nothing so far is conclusive enough to be stated as a fact. The only question here is if the cause of teen depression in such situations is actually hereditary or genetic or is it actually a learned behavior.

Some of the known causes of teen depression are sudden changes, like death in the family, sudden move, or any other change that was unexpected. In most of these situation sadness is a normal reaction, but when that sadness lasts for a longer period it can develop into depression.

Trouble at home, school, relationships, or simple life as a teenager is full of stress, and all of that can eventually lead to teen depression if not acted upon. Low self esteem or general negative mindset often leads to depression with most teens. Any teen that is emotionally unbalanced and doesn’t know how to handle stressful situations is at risk of developing major depression. Major life trauma, abuse, they are all causes of major depression and such cases should be subject to therapy when the event that causes the trauma happens so that all later complications can be avoided.

There are plenty of other causes of teen depression among which the most common are:

-    Peer pressure
-    Chronic illness
-    Injury
-    Medication
-    Mental disorders that are untreated, anything from anxiety disorder to ADHD
-    Use of drugs and alcohol
-    Poor health condition
-    Lack of sleep
-    Puberty itself has plenty of influence over teen depression

Most of these causes are out of our control, but some decision our teens make or we as parents make can be one of the causes of teen depression. The bottom line is that most depression patterns can be discovered in time and treated with success, so parents, and friends, keep your eyes open and react.
 

We covered the teen depression statistics in the last post, but to understand teen depression better and to take the first step in dealing with teen depression we need to learn and understand the warning signs.

We all feel sad or even moody, that is normal, but that doesn’t mean we are depressed. Depression is when those feelings stick around for a few weeks or even more. Since it is normal for teens to be sad or feel down we fail to recognize depression, and teens are left without proper help.

The most terrifying forms of teen depression are bipolar disorder, dysthymia, major depression and lately very popular, seasonal depression. Major depression is a great feeling of loneliness and sadness that lasts at least two weeks and it usually causes sleeping problems, eating issues and even school problems for the teen. The most common warning signs of major depression are crying for no reason, constantly feeling sad, feeling useless, apathy, lack of interest and a great desire to be alone all the time. Additional warning signs of major teen depression include:

-    Mood swings
-    Inability to concentrate
-    Eating problems, weight shifts
-    Sleeping problems, insomnia
-    Extreme sensitivity
-    School absence
-    Behavioral issues
-    Delusions
-    Suicidal thoughts

Unlike major depression dysthymia is less sever, but it is a great issue because it lasts much longer than major depression. All of the above warning signs apply, but they will be presented in a milder form, but for a longer period of time, usually not less than a year. What you especially need to look for are constant sadness, hopelessness, low confidence, lack of self-esteem, sleeping issues, fatigue, concentration issues and severe change in eating habits.

Another form of depression developed by teens, about 2% of teens with depression issues, is bipolar disorder. The issue is more sever as the bipolar disorder borders between mania and depression. The usual warning signs of teen bipolar disorder are:

-    Lack of sleeping
-    Sudden bursts of energy
-    Increased movement
-    Lack of appropriate social behavior
-    Bursts of ideas
-    Sudden burst of emotions
-    Lack of proper judgment
-    Speeding thoughts
-    Disorganized behavior

The last one is seasonal teen depression. This form of teen depression is less common, but again a great number of teens go through this as well. All of these warning signs apply to teens with seasonal depression, but it lacks only through one part of the year, which is in most cases winter. This is most likely a physical condition, although more research is needed to prove that theory, but it has to do with lack of sun during the winter which in return causes low levels of melatonin and creates physical signs of depression.

If you find your teen with more of these signs repeating over a certain period be sure to seek professional assistance. Over 80% of teens with depression can be treated, so make sure to act immediately as the sooner you react the better the chances of treatment.
 

More and more teens are officially having depression issues; in fact, depression is the number one mental health disorder in the world for both adults and teens. As such it causes a great risk for out teen youth. To better understand this problem we will present you with some statistics and facts about teen depression.

-    One fifth of all teenagers will have serious depression problems
-    Over 10% of all teens are suffering from depression at this moment
-    Over 5% of teens are having serious depression issues at this moment
-    While 5% of the general population suffers from depression over the course of one year or more, that number for teens is above 8%
-    More than half of the teens that suffer from depression will have a serious depression episode before they reach adulthood, those episodes last for 8 months or more.
-    15% of teens with depression develop bipolar disorder
-    Some teens (a very small percentage) suffer from seasonal depression, mostly during the winter

Teen depression doesn’t choose, gender, income, race, social status, none of that makes teens immune to depression. Girls have reported to have more issues with depression, but they are better at dealing with it and seeking help, while boys, although in smaller numbers, have a harder time dealing with depression.

For boys and girls different factors are causes of depression, usually because of expectations from boys and girls and their difference, some of the known risk factors of a teen depression episode include:

-    History of depression
-    Trauma
-    Abuse
-    Disability
-    Family history of depression
-    Over one third of teens that suffer from depression have a history of depression in the family
-    Mental disorders
-    Drug addiction and substance abuse
-    Anxiety

There is a great chance of developing other mental health issues because of untreated depression, like the above mentioned bipolar disorder. Some other issues caused by teen depression are:

-    One out of three teens with depression issues will develop a substance abuse problem
-    Depressed teens are less likely to move on in life and make successful careers
-    They are more likely to struggle with their relationships
-    Depression often leads to suicide, in fact it is the number one cause
-    90% of suicide victims have a form of mental illness, those with depression are 10 times more likely to attempt suicide

The fact remains that teen depression is a serious issue that needs to be addressed. A very alarming teen depression fact is that one out of three teens won’t get any help. Seeing that over 80% of teens with depression issues can be treated that is a very high number. These teen depression statistics will help you realize the seriousness of the issue.
 

Unhealthy teen relationships can start very early, usually at teens age, the fact is that such behavior can last for a lifetime. Most people don’t realize that dating violence starts with simple things when we are kids, such as name calling and teasing. Most people think of this type of behavior as normal, but in some cases the very same type of behavior can ultimately lead to physical abuse, serious dating violence and even rape. But teen dating violence is a reality we live in, the statistics show that one out of three teenagers has been a victim of abuse in a relationship; this is definitely a number that we need to lower down considerately.

To better understand dating violence and relationship abuse here are the basic warning signs to look out for:

-    The most noticeable signs are physical signs, bruises and even cuts
-    If your teen is missing from school too often or even failing in school
-    Insecurity is one of the main symptoms with teens and adults that are abused in a relationship
-    Some people will change their behavior suddenly and have mood changes, but this can be subscribed to many other types of teen issues
-    Substance abuse
-    Emotional issues
-    Going into isolation

These signs must be considered very seriously if more of them show for a period of time. For teens and for adults here are the warning signs that a person might turn out to be abusive in a relationship.

-    Uncalled for and irrational jealousy
-    Acts controlling all the time, dominant
-    Pushes the relation on a very fast pace, unnatural pace
-    Has bursts of anger and rage
-    Tries to isolate you from your friends and family or even turn you against them
-    Blames other for everything bad he does, never takes responsibility on his own
-    Abuses you verbally
-    Shows signs of cruelty on other people, kids and animals
-    Threatens you
-    Abuses drugs and alcohol

So, you know the warning signs that a teen might be abused in a  relationship and a victim to dating violence and the signs that a person might be abusive, so to fill the gap here are a few things that can help you stay away from an abusive relationship.

-    Until you get to know a person it is a good idea to double date with someone you trust
-    Make sure that you are well aware of the dating plans so you can let your family and friends know where to find you if you are late or just to be safe
-    Always stay sober. Most abusive people will claim they were provoked and it will be hard to prove otherwise if you were drunk or under the influence of a drug. Staying sober will help you be in charge of the situation.
-    Never leave a club or any other place with a stranger. If it is absolutely necessary for you to leave make sure that your friends know where you are going.
-    If something happens that you don’t want or don’t like be sure to let your partner know, in most cases just saying no will do the trick as other teens are also confused and may really misinterpret the signs. A plain no can bring them back to their senses.

This is basically all you need to know to stay away from abusive relationships and teen dating violence. Make sure that you trust your instincts, if something feels off be sure to back off and never leave everything up to a person that you don’t know much about. People tend to take advantage of such situations, be sure to counter them at all times by staying sharp.