COULEE CONSUMER: Who is more important to teens -- parents or peers?

In addition, friends are a much-needed source of social support during adolescence and can serve as a protective factor against teen depression and suicide.Parental opportunities to influence their child's friendship choices occur before, as well as throughout, adolescence. Parents can influence their children's friendship choices by where they choose to live, the schools they choose for their children to attend, their parenting practices and the values they instill in their children from the earliest stages of life.All these parental choices can have a powerful and lasting (although indirect) influence on the friends that their children choose during the adolescent years.Parents faced with the unique challenges presented by their child's adolescence can benefit from new knowledge and learning specific to that age period � as well as support from others experiencing similar issues.Stephen Small, human development and family relations specialist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension and director of the UW-Madison Center for Excellence in Family Studies and Rebecca Mather, a UW-Madison graduate student are conducting a study of parents of preteens and teens age 11-16 who are interested in learning more about raising teenagers.

Read More

CURRENTLY PLAYING October 2, 2008

Solo artist Kristina Wong unveils a string of imaginative surprises as she supposedly examines the high rates of depression and suicide among Asian American women. She darts around this grim subject with the kind of meta-theatrical wit that creates one of the funniest shows in town and engenders a level of audience participation that’s enthusiastic without becoming embarrassing. Then she ends with a sobering coda -- another kind of surprise after all the laughs. It’s a wild ride, and Wong’s a magnetically energizing artist. TeAda Productions is the host. Miles Playhouse, Santa Monica. (310) 998-8765. teada.org. Closes Oct. 5.

Wicked. Teal Wicks and Erin Mackey now play Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, in the long-running musical steamroller about the formative years of Oz’s Wicked Witch and Glinda.

Read More

Tips to keep cyberbullies away from your kids and identity thieves

Missouri girl with a history of depression committed suicide after being sent hateful e-mail from what turned out to be an adult posing as a teen boy.

More often, teens use harsh or profane language against other teens they're trying to ostracize from their social groups. This includes spreading false rumors about personal or sexual behavior or simply being catty, by making rude comments about someone's looks. If you have a teenager, then you already understand the hours of time spent texting one another, or the importance — in their minds — of using social marketing Web sites such as MySpace and Facebook.

Dublin schools are certainly aware of this issue and are working to better educate parents and students.

Read More

Amy Winehouse needs a hug, and some serious help

Once upon a time she was just an awkward looking rebellious teen, breaking the dress codes at school just to piss of her high school teachers.

She was just looking for attention. Winehouse is obviously terribly insecure. We all know how that feels.

Amy's talent is a blessing and a curse at the same time.

It's what keeps the little amount of sanity she still has. It's what makes her know she's special.

It's what has given her access to the drugs she's become addicted to.

It's what has put her under the microscope she can't escape.

Winehouse's personal problems have grown so out of control she's admitted to doing self-harm, suffering from depression, and having eating disorders.

Her grandmother, who first suggested she go to music school, passed away in 2006, causing Winehouse's behavior to spiral further out of control.

Read More

Teen Talk: Read up: Ecstasy has its bad side effects

Research has shown it may cause confusion and memory loss, depression, anxiety, paranoia, mania, sleeplessness and psychotic episodes. This can occur weeks and even months after the drug has been used.

A term has been coined for post-Ecstasy use: the "Tuesday Blues" or "Suicide Tuesday." Not everyone gets it, but it's acknowledged among Ecstasy users that the days following an E-trip can bring on a mild and sometimes major bout of depression.

Anytime you take something to alter your brain chemistry, you are playing with fire. You have to ask yourself, "What am I ultimately putting in my body?"

How do you know where the drug came from, if it's given to you or you buy it off the street? Since this is a synthetic drug, Ecstasy can be altered with different chemicals or contaminants.

Read More

Walk/Run to benefit teen suicide prevention

All proceeds from the event, a yearly fund raiser for the CHADS (Communities Healing Adolescent Depression and Suicide) Coalition for Mental Health, will be used to support research and suicide prevention programs.New at this year's event are a 10K, Masters Division Walk/Run and a "Critters Who Care" event for walkers."Critters Who Care" encourages people to bring pets of all friendly species to participate.Registration for participants before Oct. 7 is $20 and $25 after Oct. 7.; There is an additional $5 charge for the Critters Who Care walk.Prizes for the events include gift certificates, medals and plenty of mums, pansies and homemade pies.For more information or to register log on to www.chadscoalition.org. .

Read More

Teen insomniacs at ‘increased depression, substance abuse risk’

Teenagers with insomnia are at an increased risk of developing depression and substance abuse problems in adolescence and young adulthood, a new study has found.

The study showed that adolescent insomniacs were also at an increase the risk of suicide ideation and attempts, and the use of alcohol, cannabis and other drugs such as cocaine.

The research involved 4,494 adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age at the beginning of the study, and 3,582 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 years in a six-to-seven year follow up.

The findings revealed that adolescents who had symptoms of insomnia were 2.3 times more likely to develop depression in early adulthood than adolescents without symptoms of insomnia.


Read More

What Causes Depression?

If you have never been through depression, you may not understand what is and why happens. When something bad happens in our lives, we are generally sad for a while, but we do get over things and life goes back to normal. Those with depression, however, tend to be sad for no obvious reason, or can’t come out of their funk when something bad happens in their lives. This overwhelming sadness can lead to suicide if is not treated properly. Some argue about what causes depression, but most understand is actually an imbalance in the brain that can be treated.

Someone with moderate depression may not know they even have . They may just assume they feel like everyone else. In this case, what causes depression to deepen to dangerous levels can be a bad or troubling event in their life. It might even be a small annoyance, but might be enough to make someone sink into a deeper depression that needs immediate treatment. When the chemicals in the brain are not working correctly, the feel good hormones that make us happy and optimistic are blocked, and that is one of the major causes of depression that can lead to someone ending their lives.

Some debate about what causes depression, but there is one thing that should never be debated. When someone feels that they have to end their life, they need help immediately. There are many medications and even lifestyle changes that can turn what causes depression around, but they can’t be helped if they will not see a doctor. A psychiatrist is trained to spot depression and other mental health issues, and they can pinpoint what causes depression in each person so the proper medications can be given.

If you think you are suffering from depression, but those around you are telling you to ‘get over ’ or to ‘just move on and forget ,’ you have to ignore what they say. Those dark thoughts that lead to suicide are not anything that anyone asks for, and most would never dream they would have them until they happen. Any talk or thought of ending a life should be taken seriously immediately, and proper treatment should be undertaken as soon as possible. What causes depression may be something people cannot agree upon, but that doesn’t mean each and every case should not be taken seriously.

Over-scheduling may be overrated

High school students pressured to beef up their resumes can suffer from depression and anxiety.

It takes a toll on parents as well, not to mention the cost to shuttle kids among all those activities.

Despite what the neighbors might say, the truth is that our kids will still get into college even if they've never watched a Baby Einstein video or been president of the Medieval Literature Club.

"The parents who are over-the-top, you're never going to change," says Alvin Rosenfeld, a child psychiatrist and author of "The Over-Scheduled Child: Avoiding the Hyper-Parenting Trap." "It's about the incessant pressure on the rest of us. It's very hard to have the inner fortitude to resist that pressure."

The irony is that our strengths -- independence, thinking outside the box, creative problem-solving -- develop best when kids have time to play, to dream, to dawdle.

Read More

Chastity advocate pulls no punches

Evert stressed that taking this route leads to greater happiness, noting that the potential for depression rises sharply among teen boys and girls who become sexually active. Lest young people fear losing their popularity, he pointed out that football's Philip Rivers, quarterback for the San Diego Chargers, was a virgin and so was his wife, Tiffany, when they got married.

Evert noted that chastity and abstinence are not the same things: Whereas abstinence means not having sex, chastity also includes pure thoughts and speech. He also pointed out the difference between infatuation and true love, declaring that "a lot of people think if the feeling goes down, love is disappearing. That's not true at all."

Evert asserted that true love is not really a feeling, but "an act of the will to do your best for someone else" that has a much greater permanence.

Read More

No better time to talk to your kids about money

While your preschooler may remain happily oblivious, your interested teen may be a little different. It is best for them to learn something from you than to leave it up to the negative and depressing illustrations in media. So when you sit your kids down to talk, what do you say?

Here are some suggestions: You can start by teaching them that everything in life is cyclical — and that goes for financial markets also. Things go up and things go down. And then they go up again and down again. You can liken it to a wave which goes up and down, or to a glass of water you set down on a flat surface. If you knock the glass, the water is disturbed but, in time, it will once again level out. A good way to illustrate this is to enlist a grandparent to talk to your child about growing up during the Great Depression.

Read More

Teen suicide attempts can stem from wanting to ‘escape’

Depression, bipolar disorder or other psychological disorders, as well as alcohol and drug use. • Feeling of distress, irritability or agitation.• Feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.• A previous suicide attempt.• A family history of depression or suicide.• Physical or sexual abuse.• Lack of a support network, poor relationships with parents or peers, and feelings of social isolation.• Dealing with homosexuality in a non-supportive family or community or hostile school environment.Suicide among teens often occurs following a stressful life event, such as a perceived failure at school, a breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the death of a loved one, a divorce, or a major family conflict.A teen who is thinking about suicide might:• Talk about suicide or death in general.• Talk about "going away."• Talk about feeling hopeless or feeling guilty.• Pull away from friends or family.• Lose the desire to take part in favorite things or activities.• Have trouble concentrating or thinking clearly.• Experience changes in eating or sleeping habits.• Self-destructive behavior (drinking alcohol, taking drugs, or driving too fast, for example).For parents, it’s important to know the warning signs, to keep your eyes and ears open, and to keep the lines of communication with your teen open.

Read More

How Reader Girl Got Her Groove Back

Eventually I had to admit that I was going through a literary depression. But I trudged along dutifully until the day I had one of them there Joycean epiphanies—I couldn't remember the last time I had stayed up reading into the squeaky hours of the night because I couldn't bear to put the book down.

How had that happened? I searched my memory for the last time reading had been a pleasure: age 15. Fantasy had been my favorite genre back then, so I checked out a few fantasies from my library. On the sly, of course. I read them huddled in my bed, nightlight and all. And felt punched in the gut. I'd been spoiled by all that fine literature and couldn't read past the sometimes unpolished and awkward writing enough to enjoy the story.

Well then, I thought, pulling myself up by my boot straps (oh, for genuine boot straps!), if your ideal book isn't out there, then go write it.

Read More

Forum to focus on teen suicides

Although youth suicide is the topic of the workshop, Bowles prefers to focus on suicide as a product of depression, an illness that can be treated successfully. Bowles said he's been invited by schools to talk to students in the wake of a suicide.

"I talk mostly about depression because you don't know which one of those people are going to kill themselves," Bowles explained. "There is a lot of emphasis on suicide, but it should be on depression."

Everyone goes through bouts of depression, but red flags should go up if the depression lasts beyond two weeks, he said.

Individuals can try to overcome depression by talking to friends, exercising, eating healthy, getting sufficient rest, avoiding drugs or alcohol (which is a depressant), problem solving, doing something for others, not striving to be perfect ("nobody is," he said), laughing or taking a break from the sadness by deciding to "feel sorry for myself for (only) a half-hour today," he suggested.

Read More

Forum to focus on teen suicides

Although youth suicide is the topic of the workshop, Bowles prefers to focus on suicide as a product of depression, an illness that can be treated successfully. Bowles said he's been invited by schools to talk to students in the wake of a suicide.

"I talk mostly about depression because you don't know which one of those people are going to kill themselves," Bowles explained. "There is a lot of emphasis on suicide, but it should be on depression."

Everyone goes through bouts of depression, but red flags should go up if the depression lasts beyond two weeks, he said.

Individuals can try to overcome depression by talking to friends, exercising, eating healthy, getting sufficient rest, avoiding drugs or alcohol (which is a depressant), problem solving, doing something for others, not striving to be perfect ("nobody is," he said), laughing or taking a break from the sadness by deciding to "feel sorry for myself for (only) a half-hour today," he suggested.

Read More

Antidepressants, Depression And Suicide

Suicidal thoughts and depression can and have worsen in adults, children and adolescent while taking antidepressants.

Antidepressants that can induce depression and suicide
citalopram (Celexa)
duloxetine (Cymbalta)
venlafaxine (Effexor)
escitalopram (Lexapro)
fluvoxamine (Luvox)
paroxetine (Paxil)
fluoxetine (Prozac)
mirtazapine (Remeron)
nefazodone (Serzone)
bupropion (Wellbutrin)
sertaline (Zoloft)The FDA has recommended that those on antidepressants should be closely monitored and observed for an increase in depression or suicidal thinking while taking any of the above antidepressants.

What warning signs you need to watch for if you or a loved one is taking antidepressant?Increased anxiety

Increased agitation

Increased irritability

Increased hostility

More panic attacks

impulsivity

insomnia

extreme restlessness

manic episodes and suicidal thoughts (if you've been diagnosed as bipolar)
Your doctor needs to know immediately- if you notice any increase in the symptoms mention above.

Read More