You have trouble sitting still in class. It’s hard for you to do homework, study, read, or pay attention for long periods of time. When you have a long conversation with someone, you zone out. So, do you have ADHD—attention deficit hyperactivity disorder? First of all, it’s important to consider environmental or lifestyle issues. Before you suspect ADHD (or ADD, as it used to be known), make sure you rule
Maybe you’re trying to read, but your thoughts keep wandering to your weekend plans. Perhaps you’re trying to listen in class, but your thoughts wander to what happened in the latest episode of your favorite show. You’re in a serious conversation with someone, but you keep zoning out. You find yourself thinking, “Why can’t I focus?” more often than you’d like. If you’re an adolescent, it’s normal to get distracted
To Perfect or Not Perfect In our society, we place a high value on personal achievement. That’s one of the things we’re taught about U.S. culture from a very young age. You work hard, you get ahead, you succeed. You live the American Dream. For many of us, hard work means working hard until what we’re doing is absolutely perfect. We accept nothing less. If we’re going to put the
Everyone gets anxious. Children, teenagers, adults – no matter who you are or where you are in life, things can get under your skin and make you worry. Young kids worry about getting in trouble with their parents and how things are going with their friends at school. Adults worry about paying bills, work issues, saving money for retirement, and saving money for your college fund, for starters. As an
The holidays are here. School’s out and you have plenty of free time. You’re supposed to be happy and cheerful. You’re supposed to enjoy good food and enjoy your family. And you’re supposed to give and receive gifts. But wait – there’s more. You’re supposed to be grateful for everything you have. Plus, you’re supposed to give every relative you see a big hug, and you’re supposed to greet every
How many times have you said this to yourself or one of your best friends? Probably about a thousand. Or more. The numbers aren’t all in yet, and it’s still early. By tomorrow it may be two thousand. It all depends on what happens. The thing is, there’s depression, and then there’s depression. Real depression is more than having a crappy day, week, or month. Let’s face it: life can
The short answer: no. Right now, at this very moment, there are thousands of teenagers across the country – and the world, for that matter – asking themselves this same question. And that’s probably a low estimate, because there are a lot of teenagers in the world. Probably way more than you realize. Let’s take a quick look at the raw population numbers, taken from the United States Census Bureau
The teenage years are filled with ups and downs. Some days you feel great, while others lead to nothing but drama, drama, drama. You feel as if you’re on a hormonal roller coaster. That roller coaster makes it almost impossible for you to tell the difference between typical teenage moodiness and an actual mental disorder without help. Find Out For Yourself The signs and symptoms listed below might prove your
