Good news about teenagers!

In more than 40 years of tracking today’s adolescents are smoking and drinking less and doing fewer drugs than their predecessors.  Some researchers speculate this may be a positive side effect of video games and social media.  It keeps kids busy and away from peer pressure to use alcohol and illicit drugs.  We do not often celebrate the good and positive attributes of this generation of adolescents.  But this type of discovery is something we want to emphasize, emulate and recognize.  Teenagers need to hear we are proud of them!  Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, texting and video games are a far better use of time than what previous generations of teens were doing in their free time!

 

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Calls to crisis lines surge post-election

Statistics released by crisis and suicide prevention lines indicated calls surged after the election Tuesday evening.  Most callers said they were calling in regards to the election but typically they were dealing with preexisting depressive, anxiety or other mental health conditions.  These are the issues they ended up discussing with the crisis counselors.   Hopefully, there is also a surge in people reaching out for mental health services and treatment who might otherwise not if the election had not happened.  Please spread these resources to your friends, family and community so that those needing help will find it easier to take that step.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Crisis Text Line

Trevor Lifeline

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Celebrities sharing their stories of depression

Actress Glenn Close  was diagnosed with Depression in 2008 and 2010 and told USA Today that  the “most powerful tool to breaking the barriers caused by stigma are personal stories.”  In addition to Close celebrities like Selena Gomez, Kristin Bell, Demi Lovato, Dwayne Johnson and Darryl McDaniels have shared their stories.  By opening up and sharing their experiences it allows for mental illness to be discussed on a larger scale which is evident in the tremendous amounts of social media activity following one of these stories. Glenn Close said “The more stories of those who have been able to start the conversation, get help and achieve a feeling of self-worth, inclusion and purpose — instead of silence, isolation and shame — the more lives will be saved. No one is their illness. Humans are social animals. To be marginalized and made to feel shame and fear can be life-threatening. We need connection. Without it, we die.”

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Half of teens addicted to their phones

I’m sure we could’ve all guessed this was a growing problem.  But the fact that 80% of adolescents indicate they check their phone hourly is disturbing although not surprising.  It’s an issue for us as parents as well!  We could all use some of the digital detox suggestions from the article.  Limiting social media posts to 3 times per week, keeping phones, computers and tablets out of the bedrooms at night and making family meals or family time a phone-free zone.

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Teens need sleep

Another reason adolescents need more sleep was discovered in a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The CDC analyzed 50,000 questionnaires given to adolescents.  Teens who got less than 7 hours sleep were more likely to engage in risky behavior versus those who slept 9 hours a night.  This type of “risky behavior” includes texting and driving, drinking and driving, riding with a driver who was drinking, and not wearing a seat belt in a car or a helmet while on a bicycle.

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