Updated 10/7: PEP gives encouragement, guidance to parents

In the beginning, PEP consisted of roughly 15 parents, who got together to discuss issues such as teen drinking, depression and discipline, as well as how to maintain a good relationship with their teens.

Over time, PEP decided it would be productive to bring in professionals to contribute to the group. McClain began talking with District 86 Superintendent Nicholas Wahl, who openly accepted PEP into the district's Parent Teacher Organization last fall.

"District 86 is a big proponent of reaching out not just to students, but to the entire school community to promote lifelong learning," Wahl said.

With Wahl's help, PEP was able to recruit speakers who touched on topics such as addiction, the raising of capable teens in the 21st century and the joys of parenting.

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Foundation gives grants to agencies helping kids

"Teen suicide is right up there in these statistics, so we want people to be able to talk about any depression they might be having."

NAMI curriculum is approved by the Springfield Public Schools, Goin said. She hopes to expand the program to even more schools with the grant money.

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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.

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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. .

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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.


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THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING

Rutledge slipped into depression. She thought of dropping out, a familiar option for teen mothers. Nationally, only 63 percent of teenagers who have babies before they reach 18 graduate from high school or get their GEDs, according to Planned Parenthood.

But then Rutledge meditated hard on the naysayers and her newborn - and the stay-in-school urgings of her mother, who says she had Rutledge when she was 18 - and used it all as motivation. She's had minimum-wage jobs, and didn't want a life stuck working the supermarket cash register. She's been sardined into public housing, and wanted a chance to own her own home, maybe in the suburbs, with a pool and a Jacuzzi. "Society always knocks kids who grow up in the projects," Rutledge says. "They think we can't do anything."

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the hard-drinking teen who turned into a world-beater

The most compelling part of Sonia's story tells of the long, dark months that followed when she slipped into deep depression, convinced that people were spreading rumours about her personal life, and that the world judged her a failure.

"It was lonely, so lonely," she recalls.

On Christmas Day: "The highlight was when I went for a run. I just cooked myself dinner and that was it."

And then the redemption. She climbed out of the pit and won her Olympic medal.

On a personal level she found true love with Nic Bideau (after a triangular tussle involving runner Cathy Freeman), married, and had two beautiful daughters.

And with all that, the loneliness of this remarkable middle-distance runner comes to a happy end.

My Story by Sonia O'Sullivan, with Tom Humphries, is published by Penguin Ireland

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Angry Teen Depression

In some ways, there is nothing more disturbing than an angry teen. There you are, getting along fine with your kid and then suddenly, hormones take over and everything goes downhill fast. Your kid starts to write angry poems, dresses strangely, and tries to stay out late, break the rules, and basically be difficult in every way he possibly can. Some angry teens even get more drastic than that. They can get into relationship problems, have issues with violent and self-destructive behavior, and really go off the deep end in a lot of ways.

The key to dealing with an angry teen depression is to realize that you were once like that yourself. The same issues that make teens angry never change. We live in a society where we are considered children long after our biology dictates that we are adults. Many angry teens depression are just trying to accept natural, inborn drives. They become interested in the opposite sex, attempt to to find their identity, and want to go out in the world and have more responsibility. A big part of what makes them angry is that society still sees them as children. They're suddenly going through all these changes and can't express their natural drives in a healthy way because our society constrains them.

When my daughter was an angry teen, I initially had the same problems that many parents have. Then, I started to think about what it was like to be that age. I sat down with her and had a long talk about what she was going through, what she wanted, and what we would require as her parents. Just telling angry teens that you understand and showing them that you respect the need for more freedom can do a lot to defuse the situation. Carrying through on that can do even more. If you trust your teenager's judgment, in general that trust will be rewarded. If you treat your teenager as a child, that teenager is more likely to be childish.

Then again, sometimes things get so bad for an angry teen that you really do need to get some sort of outside help. With my daughter, it was just normal teenage identity things, but a family friend had teenagers with more serious issues. Both their son and daughter were involved in unsavory relationships, using dangerous drugs like alcohol and tobacco, and in general getting into a lot of trouble. This wasn't your normal angry teen situation. This was a dangerous situation with a lot of risky behavior. They were such angry people that they weren't amenable to reason. They could not be talked with. They had to both go through long periods of counseling to get better.

Struck by SUV, Burbank teen dies with friends around her

McSheridan had helped a pal suffering with depression and volunteered with "To Write Love on Her Arms," a charity that helps teenage self-harmers, her sister Kelly said.

"I think that shows how selfless she was," her sister said.

Jeremy Naser, a close friend, was one of eight friends who rushed to Christ Medical Center on Wednesday night after learning of the accident. Though McSheridan never regained consciousness, they were with her at the end.

"She loved to draw her friends and her favorite band members," he said. "She was so kind-hearted and creative."

Rick McSheridan said the fact so many of her friends had come to the hospital so quickly was revealing.

"You wouldn't expect that teenagers would want to be in that room, because she was in pretty bad shape," he said.

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“Wishful Drinking” Puts the “Dis” in Dysfunction

As a teen, she witnessed the parade of stepmothers who came in and out of her father's life, one not much older than herself. In her 20s she rocketed to fame in Star Wars, had two failed marriages to the same man, wrote the very successful novel and subsequent screenplay for the scathingly funny semi-autobiographical Postcards from the Edge, and got admitted to rehab for the first of many times. A drug addict and alcoholic later diagnosed with manic depression (now called bipolar disorder), Fisher today at 52 could be considered the poster child for survival.

The sarcastically self-effacing actress and scribe refuses to tag herself with that label, however. She also venomously disparages tell-all celebrities while telling all on her own self and family. Fisher's seemingly absurd history - truth being far stranger than fiction - could easily devolve into self-serving 12-step confession.

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Teen, alleged abductor made hundreds of calls - court

Howard suggested taking her to the hospital "to see if I had depression or something".

While on the road trip he told her to text her friends and let them know she was alright.

Following the video screening, the teen was questioned by police prosecutor David Pawson who sought identification of photographic items found in the glove box of Howard's car.

Asked who a packet of condoms belonged to, she said: "They are certainly not mine."

A length of cable and some binding tape were, she assumed, Howard's. But she didn't know what they were there for.

Howard's lawyer, Craig Tuck, accepted a prima facie case had been established and entered a not guilty plea to the abduction charge.

Howard was remanded on bail for a callover on December 11.

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Parente: Saints, heroes and role models

My teen-age years, the austere depression's recovery years, were spent working in a downtown retail store to earn my spending money. I saved pennies, nickels and dimes to buy a blouse, a pair of shoes or to purchase tickets to the annual train classic, the Milford-Framingham football game special - A perfect segue into the real purpose of this week's column, the historical significance as well as the importance of completing the costly rehabilitation of the Jay DiAntonio Youth Center located in the Milford Armory.

I was purging old home files, news clippings and speeches and came across the comments I made on the opening day of the Jay DiAntonio Youth Center.

"I believe in sainthood, heroes and role models.

"On this grand opening day, we note that Jay DiAntonio, firefighter, community volunteer, cold water rescuer, youth counselor, came as near to the descriptions of saint, hero and role model, as anyone could."

The laudatory remarks continued, "Today, in this place and time, and due to some very special people, we are here to celebrate the opening of the Jay DiAntonio Youth Center."

It all began in 1992 when Jay DiAntonio inquired about the use of the decommissioned armory for a youth center.

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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.

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Bend seniors recall Great Depression's lessons

In 1929, Gene and Betty Harries weren't even teen-agers, and growing up in the Midwest. the Great Depression hit them hard.

"I remember that there wasn't much money back then. If you found any money on the floor, it was real money, and you kept it," said Gene Harries, who was barely 10 years old when the stock market crashed in October of 1929. And they say many had it harder than they did.

That was then, and now things are much different. Economists and historians say the most important difference between today's economic environment and the old days is the government's role.

"Our economy is depending on decisive action from the government," President Bush said in recent, tumultuous days."The sooner we address the problem, the sooner we can get back on the path of growth and job creation.

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Bend seniors recall Great Depression's lessons

In 1929, Gene and Betty Harries weren't even teen-agers, and growing up in the Midwest. the Great Depression hit them hard.

"I remember that there wasn't much money back then. If you found any money on the floor, it was real money, and you kept it," said Gene Harries, who was barely 10 years old when the stock market crashed in October of 1929. And they say many had it harder than they did.

That was then, and now things are much different. Economists and historians say the most important difference between today's economic environment and the old days is the government's role.

"Our economy is depending on decisive action from the government," President Bush said in recent, tumultuous days."The sooner we address the problem, the sooner we can get back on the path of growth and job creation.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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MNI researchers locate neurological basis of depression following sports concussion

Researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University have identified the neurological basis of depression in male athletes with persisting post-concussion symptoms. The study, published in this weeks issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, has important clinical implications for the treatment of individuals who have suffered a cerebral concussion.

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