Adolescents in Middle School: Part 2

Originally posted March 12, 2010 and has been updated By: Philippe Rey, Psy.D. Executive Director Let’s take a look at data from the California Adolescent Health Collaborative, which sheds light on issues affecting adolescents during the ages they are in middle school. Source: http://www.californiateenhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Mental_Health_Fact_Sheet.pdf Major depression strikes about 1 in 12 adolescents. Among those adolescents that develop […]

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What is “Hood Disease”?

By: Mayra Vargas, MFTI ACS Bilingual Intern in After School Program and Substance Treatment Abuse Program. “Hood Disease” is a new terminology that has been associated to describe a complex version of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) that affects the inner city youth. According to the CBS affiliate report it states that 30% is affecting […]

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What Does an Alcoholic Look Like?

By Liza Source: NotMyKid.org I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a lovely woman by the name of Brenna. As she sat in the black leather chair, her legs casually swung causing a small ripple through her long grey skirt. She wore a genuine smile and her brown eyes were peaceful. What you […]

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What is “Palcohol”?

By: Beverly Reyes ACS Intern in Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Program Source:  http://www.cbsnews.com/news/palcohol-powdered-alcohol-may-present-serious-health-risks/ A new product going by the brand name Palcohol got a rush of media attention this week. Palcohol is simply freeze-dried alcohol in powder form, packaged in small packets that promise an easy way to take a stiff drink on the go. Some health […]

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Audrie’s Law – Stricter Laws for Cyberbulling

After the devastating suicide of Audrie Pott in September 2012, a week after she drank too much vodka-laced Gatorade at a house party, passed out and woke up to find crude messages scribbled on her half naked body. Facebook messages she sent out looking for answers the next week suggested she knew photos had been taken […]

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Who’s In Your Teen’s Village?

by Martha Chan, LMFT Site Director at Terman Middle School By now the saying that “It takes a village to raise a child” has entered our language, but what does it mean for the parents of teenagers?  When our children enter adolescence, one of their primary developmental tasks is to branch out beyond the immediate family […]

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Partnership at Drugfree.org asks Urban Outfitters to Stop Selling Products that Promote Prescription Drug Abuse

Source: Drugfree.org Story By: Candice Besson, Published on 5/1/13 on the Partnership at Drugfree.org blog Urban Outfitters, the national retail store popular with teens, is currently selling pint glasses, flasks and shot glasses made to look like prescription pill bottles. These products make light of prescription drug misuse and abuse, a dangerous behavior that is […]

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May 9th is National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

May 9th, 2013 is the National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day and SAMHSA wants everyone to participate. National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day is a key strategy of the Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health Campaign, which is part of the Public Awareness and Support Strategic Initiative by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services […]

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Adolescent Brains-Not All That Bad

Reported by Jon Hamilton of NPR Article title: Teenage Brains Are Malleable And Vulnerable, Researchers Say Listen to Story on NPR.org Adolescent brains have gotten a bad rap, according to neuroscientists. It’s true that teenage brains can be impulsive, scientists reported at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in New Orleans. But adolescent brains are also […]

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Palo Alto Students Report Better Mental Health

Article from Palo Alto Weekly By: Chris Kenrick Palo Alto youth are emotionally healthier than they were two years ago, according to newly released data from the California Healthy Kids Survey. The percentage of ninth- and 11th-graders who said they had seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months dropped from 18 percent to 11 […]

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