Parenting Troubled Teen

Parenting Troubled Teen - The teen years can be tough for both parent and child. Teens are under stress to be liked, to do well in school, to get along with their family and make important life decisions. Parenting troubled teen is just as difficult for the parent as being a teen is for the teen. Parenting troubled teen could, in fact, be more difficult than actually being the troubled teen. Most of these pressures are unavoidable and worrying about them is natural. But if your teen: is feeling extremely sad, hopeless or worthless, these could be warning signs of a mental health problem, an environment problem or a general instability.

Parenting troubled teen problems are real, painful and can be extremely severe. They can lead to school failure, loss of friends, or family conflict. Parenting troubled teen means recognizing the need for outside help and being able to "spot" the classic signs and symptoms of a troubled teen. Some of the signs that may point to a possible problem are listed below. If you are a Parent or other caregiver of a teenager, pay attention if your teen:

Is troubled by feeling:

• very angry most of the time, cries a lot or overreacts to things
• worthless or guilty a lot;
• anxious or worried a lot more than other young people;
• grief for a long time after a loss or death;
• extremely fearful-has unexplained fears or more fears than most kids;
• constantly concerned about physical problems or appearance;
• frightened that his or her mind is controlled or is out of control.

Experiences big changes, for example:

• does much worse in school;
• loses interest in things usually enjoyed;
• has unexplained changes in sleeping or eating habits;
• avoids friends or family and wants to be alone all the time;
• daydreams too much and can't get things done;
• feels life is too hard to handle or talks about suicide;
• hears voices that cannot be explained.

Is limited by:

• poor concentration; can't make decisions;
• inability to sit still or focus attention;
• worry about being harmed, hurting others, or about doing something "bad";
• the need to wash, clean things, or perform certain routines dozens of times a day;
• thoughts that race almost too fast to follow;
• persistent nightmares.

Behaves in ways that cause problems, for-example:

• uses and/or abuses alcohol or prescription drugs or illicit drugs;
• eats large amounts of food and then forces vomiting, abuses laxatives, or takes enemas to avoid weight-gain;
• continues to diet or exercise obsessively although bone-thin;.
• often hurts other people, destroys property, or breaks the law;
• does things that can be life threatening.

If your teen experiences any of these symptoms "often", hear their cry for help. They may not consciously want help, but these behaviors are "acting out" for the sake of attention and/or for the sake of help. Most of us act from a logical standpoint, but teenagers are different. Teenagers are more emotional and desperately want to be accepted by their group of peers.

No one said parenting troubled teen would be easy. You have already completed the first step in parenting troubled teen: Which is recognizing the need for change and intervention from outside resources. In fact, you have already successfully completed the second step, which is searching and finding the outside resources that are going to assist you. We offer resources that will change your teen's behavior, change the way they treat themselves and the way they treat others, and most importantly, give your teen's life meaningful direction. We also have an article about Tough Love.

The third step is making a decision on the resource and taking the necessary action to make it happen. Now its your turn. Go to our contact page, complete the form and call us. The faster you take these steps, the more time you have to help your teen.