Parenting Troubled Teens
A ‘troubled teen’ is a term used for a youth that is having problems which are causing negative behaviors and if these problems continue to affect the teen, he/she will not develop into a happy successful adult. These problems are beyond the normal issues that all adolescents face or they could be the inability to deal with the normal issues teenagers face. They can be anything from the teen’s environment like abusive relationships, poor peer groups or unsafe neighborhoods to physical and mental health issues like ADHD or diabetes
Teenagers are known to explore new things, but they don’t make severe switches in personality just out of the blue. If they’re making drastic behavioral changes, there’s a reason. It’s a cause-and-effect situation. As a parent, it’s your responsibility to identify what’s behind the change. It may be a recent event, or it may be something deep-rooted.
Troubled teens with Schizophrenia may display: psychotic symptoms - hallucinations (false perceptions) such as hearing voices, delusions (false beliefs), disorganized thinking or speech (unable to sort out what is relevent or not relevant to a situation), bizarre behavior.
A troubled teen unlike others,sometimes finds it difficult to pluck the confidence to continue school after high school some may not even finish high school. In case this happens, GED may be a good option. Community colleges run this program and do not require a high school diploma, and if a child performs well academically, after two years they may be able to go on to a four-year college or university.
Although it is tempting to compare your child to other adolescents in an attempt to measure the seriousness of the situation, this is not truly indicative of a teen’s need for outside intervention. Parents will do best if they look at their individual situation and decide for themselves if the teenager is on a self-destructive path. This is not to say that parents should not avail themselves of support groups or other sources of information that might guide them in their choices. It simply means that you know if your child is in trouble. Trust your instincts and take action before the situation deteriorates.
Some troubled teens (and adults, for that matter) have mental illnesses, as well. However, troubled teens are not making poor choices because, for example, they have ADHD, depression or anxiety disorder. Many children and adults with ADHD, for example, behave responsibly, they just can’t concentrate. Sometimes troubled teens ares diagnosed with a mental illness and that mental illness is considered the reason for their misbehavior. Treatment of the mental illness, if there is one, is separate from the treatment for the antisocial behavior of troubled teens.
Thinking positive has always been a way to uplift one’s mental outlook. By focusing on the conscious choice that one can make in order to see the glass as half full rather than empty, troubled teenagers can make the decision to benefit their own mental well-being. “MindSigns Personal Billboards” is a book composed of 52 signs which can help motivate your teenager to stay positive through affirmations and thought-provoking questions, despite the problems that an adolescent may face. The book has one sign for every week of the year which can be utilized as visual motivation.
