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Maudsley Family Therapy ‘Very Effective’ in Treating Teen Anorexia

Posted on May 25, 2013 in Recovery

Anorexia nervosa is a form of disordered eating that centers on an obsessive relationship to weight control and food intake. People with the disorder commonly view themselves as overweight, even when their restrictive eating habits drop their weight to dangerously low levels. Many treatments for anorexia emphasize one-on-one or group psychotherapy and avoid active involvement of a patient’s family members. However, another treatment approach, known as family-based treatment or Maudsley family therapy, emphasizes family involvement for the treatment of anorexic teenagers. Evidence gathered throughout the 2000s indicates that the Maudsley approach is beneficial in a large percentage of cases.

Cigarette Smoking Among Teens Reaches Record Low

Posted on May 22, 2013 in
Research & News

According to the American Lung Association, 68 percent of adults who smoke started when they were 18 or younger. Children who start smoking are more likely to succumb to a cacophony of smoking-related illnesses, including respiratory conditions and lung cancer. It’s easy to forget about the substantial risks associated with society’s legal drugs, but smoking has a fearsome and wholly deserved reputation as a killer. However, there has been some positive news from the recent Monitoring the Future survey: teen smoking is at its lowest rate since the study began.

Health Effects of Caffeine Intoxication

Posted on May 18, 2013 in
Research & News

Caffeine intoxication is a condition that occurs when your level of caffeine consumption alters your central nervous system enough to produce symptoms that disrupt your normal ability to participate in everyday life. It belongs to a group of caffeine-related psychiatric disorders officially recognized by the American Psychiatric Association. While the effects of the condition typically appear in people who consume unusually high or excessive amounts of caffeine, they can also appear in caffeine-sensitive people with average or less-than-average consumption of the drug. Depending on individual circumstances, the impact of caffeine intoxication can range in intensity from relatively minor to serious or even life-threatening.

Short-Term Counseling Can Reduce Teen Substance Use

Posted on May 15, 2013 in
For Parents

Large numbers of US teens have what the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) describes as “moderate involvement” in the use of drugs and alcohol. People with this level of involvement participate in abusive patterns of substance use, but don’t have physical dependencies on their substance(s) of choice. However, they have clear risks for some form of future addiction. According to findings reported in early 2013, teens moderately involved in substance use significantly lower their involvement after only brief counseling sessions based on two separate therapeutic techniques, known as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy.

High School Gambling: American Youth at Risk

Posted on May 8, 2013 in
For Parents

Gambling addiction has traditionally been confined to the shadows, largely unseen and unacknowledged by those outside the closed circles in which problem gamblers used to operate. But with the rise of online gambling, the disease has become even more difficult for friends and family members to detect, since gambling addicts are now free to squander their money and destroy their lives from the privacy of their own homes.

Is ADHD Really on the Rise?

Posted on May 1, 2013 in
Mental Health

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder is a behavioral and mental disorder that most often affects children and teens. In many cases, the disorder continues into adulthood, especially when it is left untreated. Less common is a new diagnosis of ADHD in an adult, but it does happen. There are several symptoms characteristic of ADHD including difficulty paying attention, hyperactivity, and behaving in an impulsive way.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder in Children and Teens

Posted on April 3, 2013 in
Mental Health

Oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is an officially recognized mental health disorder in children and teens. People affected by the disorder have symptoms that include such things as recurring temper tantrums, defiant or non-compliant behavior toward adults, spiteful or vengeful behaviors, and a tendency to blame others for mistakes or problems. ODD is closely related to other mental health conditions called conduct disorder and antisocial personality disorder, but differs in several key ways. Children and teens affected by the disorder have increased risks for substance abuse when they also have symptoms of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).