Troubled Teen Helpline » teenagers problems http://www.troubledteenhelpline.com Advice and Support for Parents of Troubled Teens Mon, 28 Sep 2009 04:52:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Teenager Problems http://www.troubledteenhelpline.com/teenager-problems/ http://www.troubledteenhelpline.com/teenager-problems/#comments Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:52:37 +0000 Tyler http://www.troubledteenhelpline.com/?p=247 Being a teenager isn’t easy. There are pressures to please parents and teachers, make good grades, fit in with classmates, and prepare for huge decisions such as where to go to college or what career to ultimately pursue. It is no wonder that teenagers often have problems. The most common teenager problems are as follows:

Depression/Self-Esteem

The teenage years are filled with highs and lows in terms of hormones. Not to mention that teenagers are trying to figure out who they are and what they believe. Low self-esteem is a very common teenage problem, especially for those who feel they don’t fit in with their peers. Some teens feel a lot of pressure to be popular, but instead they feel isolated and rejected. Other teenagers are severely depressed. Many go undiagnosed, while countless others are on anti-depression medications.

Eating Disorders

Some teenage girls develop issues with their weight. With all the pressure to be thin from the media as well as peers, some teenage girls resort to anorexia or bulimia to solve their problems. There are many telltale signs of these teenage problems such as sudden weight loss or gain and a resistance to eat with other family members. These teenage behavior problems should be addressed through therapy before it extends to adulthood.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Many teens turn to drugs and alcohol for fun or as a coping mechanism. They attend parties where drinking and drugs are involved, and they may start using them to be accepted by their peers. Often the situation can spiral out of control if the teen has a family history of drug or alcohol abuse, and especially when the teen comes from an unstable home environment. Drug and alcohol abuse are especially serious teenagers problems if the teens drives while under the influence, potentially endangering his or her life as well as the lives of others.

Sex and Dating

A very common teenager problem is learning to communicate with the other sex. This can be as innocent as learning how to ask someone out on a date, and coping with the nervousness this entails. However, if a teen becomes sexually active, that introduces a whole new set of issues and potential problems. Some teens are not emotionally ready for this experience, and may feel as though they are in love when it is purely lust. Others are not prepared by using proper protection, resulting in STD transmission or an unwanted pregnancy.

]]> http://www.troubledteenhelpline.com/teenager-problems/feed/ 0 Teenagers Problems http://www.troubledteenhelpline.com/teenagers-problems/ http://www.troubledteenhelpline.com/teenagers-problems/#comments Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:45:35 +0000 Tyler http://www.troubledteenhelpline.com/?p=116 As a rule, today’s teenagers problems are more complex than young people in years past, when life was simpler.  Years ago, the teens were expected to help their families with chores, housework, babysitting and numerous other occupations, so they didn’t really have very much leisure time.  In this modern society, teens seem to have more free time and therefore, more opportunities to get into trouble.  In many families, both parents work outside the home, leaving their children alone for longer periods of time than is desirable. Parents don’t seem to have as much time to spend nurturing and guiding their teens as they would like.  Discipline is also a problem these days, with parents being told not to be too harsh on their children, and no physical discipline allowed.  Peer pressure has always been a problem for young people and still is today.  It seems that teenagers feel they need to ‘fit in’ with the crowd and look like, act like and dress like others in their group of friends, or in the group they would like to be associated with.  They are afraid if they are different, they won’t be accepted.

Parents and guardians need to be very observant of their teen’s friends.  Young people should be encouraged to form friendships with children who have good morals, respect their parents and teachers, and spend their free time in worthwhile activities, since teens seem to mimic their friends.

Teens need to feel loved and accepted.  Their parents should make every effort to spend quality time with them and set good examples in all areas of life.  It is important that teenagers feel without a doubt that their parents love them, no matter what.  They should know they can come to their parents with any problem and discuss it calmly and that they will be understood.  Sometimes teenagers will ask their parents if they can do something they don’t really want to do, but are trying to ‘save face’ with their friends.  If the parents think it is in their teen’s best interest not to allow it, or feel they don’t really want to do it, they should just say no.

If children have been shown love, acceptance and consistent, fair discipline from an early age, they will have a much better chance of becoming a more trouble free teenager.  It’s far easier to instill worthwhile values in children if the training begins very early, before the child becomes used to being rebellious.

A teenagers problem can affect all of the people around him or her so if you have a teenager problem please look for help as soon as possible.

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