Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Adolescent Mental Health

The most recent edition of Penn's Alumni Magazine called my attention to an important website called Cope, Care and Deal which bills itself as "a mental health site for teens." It offers resources and information for successfully dealing with everyday stress, guidelines for spotting indications of the onset of illness, facts about depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and other common teenage illnesses, as well as instructions for where and how to seek help.

The pressures exerted on our youth in the rapidly changing world of instant communication and global economies, makes it imperative that we educate ourselves about and sensitize ourselves to the mental health of our teenagers. It is during the adolescent years that most mental-health disorders first appear. If recognized and treated there is a great deal that advances in therapy and medicine can do to ensure that our children live vibrant, well adjusted, and productive lives. If left undiagnosed and untreated we could be setting our children up for years, if not a lifetime, of anguish and frustration.

Have a look at the site and encourage your kids to do the same.

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