Categories
Mental Health

Learning Disability

A learning disability is a disorder that affects one’s ability to effectively learn or use basic skills such as reading, writing and mathematics. Knowing how the brain works, will help you to understand what can go wrong. Basically, there are four steps our brain goes through when processing information; input, integration, memory/storage and output.
Input – the brain receives information through either auditory or visual channels
Integration – the brain integrates or organizes the information
Memory/Storage – the brain retains the information so that it […] Continue Reading…

Categories
Mental Health

Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Many parents have been shocked at least once by a formerly cooperative teen resisting the house rules, talking back, or otherwise acting defiantly, but this type of behavior may just be part of normal growing up. More is required for a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder.

Why Oppositional Defiant Disorder Is Difficult to Understand

There are two main guides to health issues and disorders that are used to guide the diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Whereas in many cases, these […] Continue Reading…

Categories
Physical Problems

Teen Smoking

Teen smoking had been on a sharp decline since the mid-late 1990’s, but recent data shows that the adolescent smoking rates are rising slightly.

According to a 2005 study done by the CDC, 23% of high school students reported smoking cigarettes in the last month. This is compared with a previous study of high school students that showed 21.9% in 2003. While this data is somewhat discouraging it is far better than the 1997 level of the same survey at 36.4%. The […] Continue Reading…

Categories
Mental Health

Conduct Disorders

Why Conduct Disorder Is Difficult to Understand

The two primary guides to diagnosing disorders, both of which are used in the diagnosis of Conduct Disorder are the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) and the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10).

In some cases, the two guides have a similar analysis of disorders and how they relate to each other. In the case of conduct disorder, however, the two views are […] Continue Reading…

Categories
Mental Health

Bipolar Disorder

Teen Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is an illness that can have serious impacts on teens and their families. Teen bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder, causes teens to experience extreme moods, known as mania and depression. Mania causes a teen to feel overly energetic and irritable, while teens suffering from depression feel sad, tired, and unable to do anything. Scientists do not yet fully understand teen bipolar disorder, but it seems to be caused by chemical imbalances in the […] Continue Reading…

Categories
Troubled Teen Issues

Behavior Problems

Not everything that can happen will happen. This is a good thing to keep in mind when considering the range of issues that can afflict adolescents. It is also important to remember that because of chemical and hormonal imbalances, the difficulties of creating an identity, the sensitivities of adolescents, and the tensions between being cool to peers and respectful to parents, all teens are likely to—at least occasionally—behave in a way that their parents deem unacceptable.

But here, we’re not […] Continue Reading…

Categories
Troubled Teen Issues

Teen Pregnancy

Teen Pregnancy Statistics and Teen Pregnancy Facts

The United States has the highest rates of teen pregnancy and births in the western industrialized world. Teen pregnancy costs the United States at least $7 billion annually.

Thirty-four percent of young women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20 — about 820,000 a year. Eight in ten of these teen pregnancies are unintended and 79 percent are to unmarried teens.

The teen birth rate has declined slowly but steadily […] Continue Reading…