Worried About a Moody Teen?

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runawaybunny

Guest
Worried About a Moody Teen? - Wall Street Journal

Mental Illness Often Starts in Adolescence. Telling Typical Angst From Serious Problems

Everyone warns parents about the drama of the teen years—the self-righteous tears, slamming doors, inexplicable fashion choices, appalling romances.

But what happens when typical teen angst starts to look like something much darker and more troubling? How can parents tell if a moody teenager is simply normal—or is spinning out of control? This may be one of the most difficult dilemmas parents will ever face.

Studies show that about 20% of teenagers have a psychiatric illness with depression, anxiety and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder being among the most prevalent. Yet parents of teens are often blind-sided by a child's mental illness. Some are unaware that mental illnesses typically appear for the first time during adolescence. Or they may confuse the symptoms of an actual disorder with more normal teen moodiness or anxiety.
 

DaisyFace

Love me...Love me not
These articles always infuriate me because they imply that there is tons of help and services out there for children--but that parents are too dumb, stubborn, etc to get it...whereas in actuality, it seems to me that parents are usually the first ones to ask for help--only to be told that they are "over-reacting".

I'm glad to read that more info is being provided to pediatricians to help identify mental disorders, though.
 
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