Parents Archives | Page 82 of 107

Why Summer Break is a Good Time for Residential Treatment for Teens

Summertime. Long lazy days by the pool, endless twilight, and family beach vacations. That’s what summer means for most families with kids, from toddlers through teenagers. But if your teenager struggles with a mental health or substance use disorder, then summer break might mean something completely different. It may mean practical opportunity to get your teenager into residential treatment. Your teen may have fallen into negative behavior patterns this year

June 21, 2019

Gay Pride Month: Spotlight on Substance Use and LGBTQ Teens

For decades, research on rates of alcohol, substance use, and addiction in the adult LGBTQ community yielded conflicting data. Many studies showed high rates of binge drinking and illicit drug use in gay men. Others showed high rates of alcohol use disorder in lesbians. Still, other studies showed no significant differences in alcohol and drug use between gay and straight populations, male or female. Despite the varying and inconclusive evidence

June 18, 2019

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month Part II: PTSD and Substance Use Disorders

In our first post about PTSD Awareness Month – June is PTSD Awareness Month – we offered a basic definition of PTSD, listed the potential causes and common symptoms, then provided statistics about the prevalence of PTSD in adults and adolescents in the U.S. Here’s a quick recap of all that information. PTSD defined: PTSD is a mental health disorder triggered by witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. Traumatic events

June 17, 2019

June is Gay Pride Month

Every year in June, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, and Intersex community organizes and participates in a series of marches, festivals, celebrations, and events to raise knowledge and awareness about the presence and history of LGBTQ individuals in our society. Collectively, the events are known as Gay Pride Month. It’s a worldwide phenomenon. Gay Pride events happen throughout the month of June all over the globe. They demonstrate to

June 14, 2019

Heroin Addiction: How it Can All Start With a Prescription From the Doctor

Daniel just had his wisdom teeth removed. His cheeks were as swollen as a chipmunk, and he could barely open his mouth because of the pain. As soon as he started taking the Vicodin that the dentist prescribed, things got better. It was a blessed relief that the pain went away. He felt like he was floating on clouds. A week later, the pain was completely gone, but he had

June 13, 2019

Anxiety & Mood Disorders

June is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Awareness Month

In 2010, Senator Kent Conrad of North Dakota moved to create a national day of awareness for the mental health condition known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He was moved by the heartbreaking suicide of Staff Sergeant Joe Biel, who suffered from PTSD and took his own life after returning home from his second combat tour in Iraq. Sergeant Beal was born on June 27th, so Senator Conrad chose that day

June 3, 2019

Sobriety Tips for Summer: How to Say No

Funny thing about no. It’s probably the first word you ever learned: “No.” You don’t remember it, but we can guarantee your parents do. Want cereal? No! Want cake? No! Want to play with Sally the Stuffed Seal? No! Toddlers love saying no. They’ll say no to anything and everything, just because. No one is quite sure why – because no one can ask a toddler. And even though every

June 3, 2019

How the Mediterranean Diet Can Help a Teen with Depression

If you have been diagnosed with depression, there are a number of lifestyle changes you can make that can help your treatment progress. One is diet. Specifically, the Mediterranean diet. A Spanish study analyzed the effects of the Mediterranean diet on almost 10,000 participants. Results found a correlation of the diet to a reduced risk of depression. This diet, inspired by the culinary fares of Italy, Greece, and Spain, emphasizes

May 29, 2019

Sniffing Heroin: Not a Big Deal Compared to Injecting, Right?

Everyone knows that injecting heroin is objectively dangerous. In addition to the damage caused by the substance itself, using a syringe and needle increases your risks of overdose, in addition to getting an infection. Those who use heroin intravenously have a higher risk of death than those who use heroin by other means. That’s why lots of adolescents feel better about snorting, or sniffing, heroin instead. Naively, they don’t think

May 28, 2019

If You’re Depressed, Spend Time in the Grass: Nature’s Amazing Effects on Mood

“Go outside and get some fresh air!” We’re sure you’ve heard that tons of times growing up. Maybe you were in a fight with your sibling or upset about something else or another. Whatever it was, you may have thought the adults were just trying to get you out of their hair. While that may have been true, the primary reason many kids are calmer after going outside is because

May 27, 2019