Stress is making America sick | Plazas

The worries that young people confess to clinical psychologist Amy Mariaskin have changed drastically over time.

Just a few years ago, they stressed about stereotypical pre-teen and teenage problems, such as how to fit in.

Today, they fear they will die in a mass shooting.

“I’ve seen a shift from the sources of anxiety,” said Mariaskin, director of the Nashville OCD and Anxiety Treatment Center. “It went from, ‘Does this person like me?’ or ‘Am I going to be successful?’ to ‘What’s going to happen to my country?’ and ‘Am I going to be targeted?’” (Excerpt from an article by David Plazas in the Nashville Teneseean- read more)

 

 

Learn how to kick your stress

Up until about a year ago, the Santa Fe Prep junior suffered frequent episodes of stress-induced sickness. She is not alone. According to a 2013 study by the American Psychological Association, teens in the United States are even more stressed out than adults.

Not only are teens navigating schoolwork and social pressures, but they’re also growing up “in a world of gun violence and terrorism, social media and lack of good health care in schools,” said Erin Doerwald, a licensed clinical social worker and the Program Director at the SKY Center (New Mexico Suicide Intervention Project). “You guys have been handed a really huge, hard baton. You have to deal with all the age-old troubles of the human condition while also figuring out how to live in a society with a collective ADHD and disconnect from nature, a world that is overscheduled, chronically sleep-deprived, and has essentially forgotten how to slow down.”

(Excerpt from Isabel Gallegos and Hanna Abrams’ article in the Santa Fe New Mexican- read more)

Teen works through his rare disease

FRUITLAND — At a time when he should be going to school and being active, Bryce Fisher, of Fruitland, can do neither. This is because he has a very rare disease that is making it hard to get around. It keeps him inside his home, away from other people.

Bryce, now 13, has been dealing with chronic recurrent multifocal osteomylitis, a rare disease in which the immune system attacks healthy bones, said his mother Carolyn Anderson. The disease can cause a number of problems with the skeletal system, including inflammation, bone deformity, broken bones and intense pain. The disease strikes one in 300 people world-wide, she said.

(Excerpt from Larry Meyer’s article in the Argus Observer- Read more) 

 

5 Things Teens Wish Their Parents Knew

Working with teens for 20 years, I asked them a simple question, “What do you wish your parents knew more of to improve your life?” Here are their answers. – See more 

Navigating life’s highs and lows with teenage girls

 

FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 8:42 AM|From power struggles to angst over body image, the teen years are filled with new challenges. Psychologist Lisa Damour, author of new book, “Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood,” joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss how to have smarter conversations with your teenage daughter on topics ranging from choosing friends to dealing with sexuality.

From CBS broadcast- listen to segment

Serious Side Effect of Poor Sleep Quality among Teens Revealed

The effects of sleep deprivation on teenagers has been widely studied, and new research published in Physiology and Behavior adds to the mountain of evidence that indicates Americans are not taking sleep issues among teenagers seriously enough. Seven out of 10 American teens are sleep deprived. Not getting enough high-quality sleep has been shown to cause poor physical health and lower cognitive functioning.

The newest research shows that not getting enough sleep can also make teenagers more reactive to stress. What if the explosive, dramatic responses to stress from teenagers could be curbed? What if it wasn’t just the age and stage of development that caused teenagers to be so reactive, but rather the unhealthy expectations of trying to perform well with inadequate sleep?

Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/2714026/serious-side-effect-of-poor-sleep-quality-among-teens-revealed/#ugxR3ITm8jMykDt6.99

7 Ways to De-Stress and Totally Chill Out This Finals Season

Stress — we all have it. Between tests, term papers, finding a date to winter formal, working a part-time job, and dealing with family drama, it’s amazing we get anything done. The American Psychological Association defines stress as “an emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological and behavioral changes,” and 80% of college students experience it daily.

Excerpt from Kate Dwyer’s article in TeenVogue– Read more.

Stress Management for Teens in Davis

Recently I gave a talk on Stress Management for Teens at Davis High School for about a hundred students and parents. I went over sources of stress for teens and how it affects their bodies, moods and behaviors. We looked at different kinds of stress: the routine kind – unavoidable and normal responsibilities; stress from change – moving, family illnesses, breakups with boy or girlfriends, social stress, family stress – like chronic arguing and divorce; and finally, traumatic stress – a death in the family, experiencing or witnessing domestic violence, a major accident, physical or sexual abuse, assault or natural disasters.

Excerpt from David Hafter’s Article in the Davis Vanguard- Read more

Over 300 Facebook Friends can Increase Stress and Depression in Teens

In the study, researchers enrolled 88 teenagers aged between 12 and 17 and asked them to fill out a few questionnaires about their Facebook use, such as how many friends they now have, how often did they logged in, how did they interact with the platform in terms of self-promotion and what did they do to support their friends online.

Excerpt from Abel Hampton’s article in Bills Insider- Read more

Confronting challenges of teen mental health, stress, suicide

As in Garrison Keillor’s Lake Wobegon, many parents in the heart of Silicon Valley see their children as all above average, well above average. Those parents’ incomes, educational levels and aspirations for their children are also well above average.

On Monday night, more than 350 people gathered at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton to hear a panel talk about concerns affecting those above-average children: their mental health, the stress they are under, and what can be done to improve the former, relieve the latter, and ultimately, combat teen suicides.

Excerpt from Barbara Woods’ article in The Almanac– Read more