No parent wants to learn about their teenager messing around with prescription drugs. While drugs like marijuana, heroin, cocaine, and more get a lot of headlines, prescription drug abuse is just as much of a problem worldwide. It’s also often harder to detect, with prescription drugs...
Overall, the prevalence of cannabis use disorder has decreased over the last decade among frequent users, according to data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. As the perceived risk of smoking marijuana has decreased, teens struggling with depression are actually more likely...
Most people associate the phrase “addiction” with dependence on a substance, such as drugs or alcohol. However, many people are addicted to behaviors, not necessarily substances, and have similar experiences as they would if they were dependent on a substance. Some people argue that “getting...
Many teens turn to substances to self-medicate undiagnosed mental health issues, like bipolar disorder, depression, and anxiety. As medication is one of the most common and effective forms of treatment for bipolar disorder, it can influence teens’ attitudes towards prescription pill use and other drugs....
Nancy Reagan rolled out her “Just Say No” campaign, which was followed by the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in the 80s. Although their efforts in preventing teen drug use were well-intentioned, their abstinence models have been criticized for oversimplifying the problem and being...
Teenagers who start drinking young may argue that drinking alcohol is normalized socially by people who are of legal drinking age. Teenagers are more likely to drink for different reasons than adults and tend to drink more heavily with the intention of getting drunk. One...
Teen body image is an enormous part of the adolescent years. The state of someone’s body image during these critical years can shape not just their physical health, but their mental health for the rest of their life. Many studies now link various forms of...
“Drugs are the leading cause of accidental death in this country.” That's a quote from a recent article published by CNN that discussed the United States’ increasing issue with drugs. As the amount of drugs being used increases, the need for adolescent treatment facilities also...
Teenage attitude problems are not new to parents--if you’ve raised a teenager, you’ve probably experienced these first hand. Serious teenage attitude problems can be linked to mental health issues, though--and experts say stronger drugs like MDMA and ecstasy are causing more of those issues. BBC...
Adult and teen addiction is often looked at as a sinful behavior--something lifelong, incurable, tainting, and debilitating. This isn’t true, though, and Maia Szalavitz has made it her mission to transform adult and teen addiction treatment. NPR recently had an interview with her concerning her...