Month: April 2014

Find Well Reviewed Substance Abuse Programs for Teens in California

Residential substance abuse programs for adolescents have an enormous responsibility. Parents entrust the well being of their teens to these programs for several months with the hope that they will recover. The life of a teen is no small matter. For this reason, it is important for parents to choose a program that is trustworthy and has a good reputation. Visions Teen is just that.  

For more than a decade, Visions has been pouring into the lives of troubled teens by providing a nurturing environment designed to facilitate emotional growth and lasting recovery. Since its founding, it has garnered a reputation for having an innovative  program that produces results. Recovery.org, a well-established resource for finding quality substance abuse programs, rates Visions with 4.25 of 5.0 stars.

Visions’ rating on Recovery.org is well deserved. Visions has earned these high ratings and good reviews particularly for its emphasis on family and community involvement in a young person’s recovery process. Its philosophy is that family involvement in the therapeutic process produces the best outcomes. As such, five hours of family-focused therapy are integrated into the program (including multi-family group, individual family sessions, family education, and family passes). The family-centered approach of the program has been particularly effective according to parents.

Over the years, countless parents have expressed their gratitude for Visions.  Parents have lauded Visions with such comments as “Visions changes lives,” “Visions treats both the kids and the parents,” and “I’ll never be able to thank the staff at Visions enough.” See more testimonials here.

Moreover, the lives of the teens themselves speak volumes of the quality of Visions’ programs. Graduates of the program show immense improvement since the day they begin. Following graduation from an active treatment program, a teen is then given the opportunity to be inducted into the Visions Alumni Program.

Many teens happily participate, and some even volunteer at Wednesday Speaking Panels to encourage other teens who are dealing with the same problems they’ve dealt with. This is a testament to the level of personal growth teens experience through the program.

Undoubtedly, the outcomes of Visions’ programs shine in the lives of the parents and teens that they benefit.  If you want your teen to experience recovery like hundreds of other teens that Visions has helped, please click below to schedule your consultation or call us at 866-889-3665.

How Parents Can Find Help For Their Troubled Teenager

Finding help for your troubled teen can be difficult and challenging, especially for parents who don’t know where to look or what to look for. Many communities and private organizations offer programs for troubled youth such as peer support groups, parent support groups, and a wide range of specialized groups that address specific behaviors or issues.  

These can be a good start, but may not be enough on their own. Consider all of your options and collaborate with your child’s pediatrician, school, and counselors to find the right program for your teen.

Outpatient Programs for Troubled Teens

Outpatient programs allow teens to work through issues with the help of one-on-one counseling and therapy sessions, group counseling sessions or through structured support groups.

Outpatient programs are designed to allow teens to continue their daily routines at home and school while receiving treatment and working through issues.

Academic Learning Programs

Public school districts often work with parents to create a 504 Behavior Modification Plan or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for students who are struggling and have been identified as needing additional supports. Often times, these individualized plans are not enough and teens continue to struggle in school.

Academic programs for troubled teens, such as Visions’ Day School provide an alternative learning environment for teens who are struggling and unable to remain in mainstream public schools.

Residential Treatment Programs

Residential treatment programs are designed for teens who need more support than what can be offered in outpatient services and day programs. These programs provide a safe and supportive environment for teens with 24-hour crisis management.

These intense programs work with your teen for a period of 30 to 90 days addressing mental health issues and problems with substance abuse. As with outpatient and day programs, treatment is personalized and based on the teen’s unique needs. Teens leaving a residential program often continue on with an outpatient program for long-term support.

With so many different programs for troubled youth, it can be a challenge finding the right one. As you’re exploring all of your options, remember that you don’t have to do it alone. Please click below to schedule your consultation or call us at 866-889-3665.

What are Synthetic Drugs and are They Safe?

Synthetic drugs have become popular, almost replacing most illegal drugs. What parents have to understand early on is that these synthetics can be even more harmful than the substances they mimic.  

What are They?

Synthetic drugs are substances that are wholly manufactured in the laboratory, most often to mimic illegal drugs. They are a result of chemical reactions.

The main reason for this chemical processing is usually to sidestep the provisions of the law regarding illegal substances. Manufacturers already know about what is regulated and what is not, so they simply replace the banned components with newer synthetics that are not yet known to the authorities.

However, most manufacturers will also claim that the modifications are aimed at eliminating harmful side effects while enhancing performance of the naturally occurring drugs.

Harmful Effects

Synthetic drugs can be put into two categories: Cannabinoids and cathinones.

Cannabinoids, also known as Spice and K2, are synthetics of marijuana; they contain laboratory manufactured THC. If you are keen, you’ll realize that these products, as well as G-Four and Mojo, never list all their ingredients. This is because some of the components are not safe for human consumption. Cannabinoids can be between 2 to 500 times more toxic than naturally occurring marijuana. They cause serious allergic reactions and are known to posses most of the symptoms of natural marijuana such as nausea, anxiety, paranoia, discomfort, confusion, and a strong desire for the feeling to end. Cannabinoids also cause short term memory loss affecting reasoning ability and learning and have been proven to negatively affect motivation and emotional stability.

Cathinones, or bath salts, contain substances that mimic cocaine or meth. They come in different names such as Ivory, Blow, Wave, Vanilla Sky, and others and may contain designer chemicals such as pyrovalerone, methylenediozy or mephedrone. Bath salt has several side effects, both short and long term. Users are characterized by seizures, severe paranoia, decreased need for sleep, lack of appetite, chest pains, hallucinations, self-harm, and violent behaviors. In the long term, these people may suffer liver failure, kidney failure, mental illness, increased risk of suicide, and even death.

Parents should therefore do all they can to ensure that their kids do not come in contact with these drugs.

Click below or call 866-889-3665 for more information on synthetic drugs

Can Marijuana be Addicting in Teens?

The question of whether or not marijuana is addictive can be framed in more than one way. Can users withdraw when they want? Are there withdrawal symptoms if intake is suddenly discontinued? What should show that a user is psychologically addicted?  

Well, marijuana is slightly different from the other addictive drugs. While a user is likely to experience subtle withdrawal symptoms when he or she suddenly stops using the drug – irritability and anxiety among others – these symptoms are usually only mild compared to benzodiazepines and opiates. For example, a user of cocaine who suddenly quits usually suffers greatly increased pulse rates, high blood pressure, becomes dramatically uncontrollable and may even have seizures and die.

However, that it’s effects are mild in comparison to other drugs does not mean it is not addictive. Addiction doesn’t just mean being physically dependent on a substance; addiction is characterized by compulsion where users become partially out of control often resulting in severity and intensity.

What Causes Addiction to Marijuana?

Dependence on the drug is most common in heavy users. Continual use often results in increased tolerance which slowly produces pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes. Pharmacokinetics determines how the drug is absorbed, distributed, and even how it is metabolized and excreted. Pharmacodynamics defines how the drug interacts with target cells. These changes often require that the user increase doses to achieve a common desirable effect.

Are There Risk Factors of Addiction?

There is ongoing research on factors that might increase the risks of cannabis addiction with frequency of use and age being targeted. Evidence shows that frequent use at a young age is one of the risk factors. Other factors include affiliation with peers who use drugs and emotional distress. Adolescents are at even higher risk because they are at a stage in life when the brain is still developing. They may suffer poor neural development which leads to cognitive malfunctioning.

Click below to schedule your consultation with a Visions Adolescent Treatment professional.

Is Marijuana Really That Bad for My Kids?

Marijuana, often referred to as weed, pot, or cannabis is harmful to humans. You must do all you can to ensure that your kids totally abstain from the drug. Some of its negative effects include:

• Health problems – Marijuana makes people cough and easily catch a cold. It is known to cause panic attacks and ultimately heart problems. The drug also causes high blood pressure and loss of memory. It is also hard on the lungs often resulting in lung cancer. People who use the drug also get red eyes, have dry mouths, and become sleepy and abnormally hungry.
• It is illegal – Anyone who engages in using, buying, or selling the drug illegally risks being arrested and jailed. Use of marijuana in school is also prohibited; if you are found, you risk being expelled. Kids must also understand that using marijuana reduces their chances of getting a job with most employers.
• It is not always pure – Sometimes marijuana has several other additives that may make it even more harmful. For example, sometimes the drug is wrapped in tobacco leaves. This is referred to as a Blunt. This concurrent use of cannabis and tobacco is believed to increase cannabis dependency symptoms.
• It is addictive – Addiction is defined as the compulsive use of a substance, even when its negative consequences are known. Unfortunately, addiction increases the need to use increased amounts of a substance to get the same effect. Pot is known to be psychologically addictive, meaning that its withdrawal symptoms include depression, mood swings, and anxiety.
• It can make them do stupid things – Pot alters the functioning of the brain which can result in doing things one would not ordinarily do. The THC found in marijuana is known to disrupt functioning of nerve cells which affects memory. Users cannot think clearly nor can they make good decisions.
• Marijuana NEVER solves any problem – Finally, kids must understand that use of marijuana won’t solve their problems. Instead, research shows that kids who smoke pot perform poorly in school and lack critical thinking. If there is a problem, the kids are better off raising the issues with their parents.

Click below or call Visions Adolescent Treatment Center on 866-889-3665 to schedule your consultation.

Adolescents and Teenage Addiction Treatment

Adolescent and teenage addiction treatment at Visions aims at motivating residents to identify the harmful effects of drugs, help them stop abuse, and assist them in achieving and sustaining abstinence. At the end of the treatment period, the teen should be able to live a drug free life and become more productive at school, in the family and in the society at large.  

The path to addiction normally starts with the voluntary act of taking the first few doses or rounds. Over time, the user’s ability to choose when to use the drug is compromised; seeking and using the drug soon becomes compulsive. Such behavior results from an extended exposure on brain functioning. Addiction is therefore a disease of the brain that affects several brain circuits including those involved in motivation and reward, memory and learning, and inhibitory control over one’s behavior.

The first phase of treatment usually involves withdrawal from the problem/use of the substance. This can be a very difficult period on the addict because it comes with several physical and psychological effects, such as sleeplessness, nausea, vomiting, chills, sweats, muscle aches, and cramps. The teen might also suffer emotional stressors such as irritability, anxiety, fevers, mood swings, and even depression. While these withdrawal symptoms may not be life threatening, they may have a significant impact on the resident. Visions helps adolescents understand the misconception that drugs can solve their problems. Residents are helped to identify situations where drugs were used to cope with problems and assisted in developing new, effective problem-solving strategies.

The teens and adolescents must be accorded special treatment, because addiction is a personal condition. Some of the principles of a successful treatment plan include:

• Attending to multiple needs of the resident and not just the drug abuse.
• Attending treatment for an adequate amount of time.
• Counseling at both the individual level and in a group to help the individual deal with everyday stressors.
• Medication to relieve symptoms.
• Treatment must be continually monitored, assessed, and modified accordingly to ensure that it meets changing needs.
• Affected teens must be tested and treated for other mental disorders.
• Teens are also be encouraged to identify and change behaviors that may trigger relapse.

Call 866-889-3665 to speak to a Visions Adolescent Teen Treatment Center professional.

Find a Treatment Center for My Depressed Child in Southern California – Teen Depression Treatment

Children, from a young age into their teens, are known to be a rebellious lot, often sulking and quite emotional. However, as a parent you’ll have to be very careful not to confuse your teen’s depression with a normal teenage experience.  

You’ll hear most parents ask “and what is she supposed to be depressed over?” This already tells you that the parent imagines that childhood should be a carefree, stress free period. What these parents fail to understand is that even children worry about things like grades, peer acceptance, and even parental acceptance. No child wants to live with these pressures from one day to the next. The good news is that depression is very treatable.

Causes of Depression in Children

Depression in children is a bit different from adult depression because it is almost impossible to establish the exact cause of the depression. There are no tests that can tell whether or not the child is depressed, nor are there tests to pinpoint the causes.

There are, however, several predisposing factors that you should be aware of. These include a history of mental illnesses in the family, the loss of a parent at an early age, abandonment, divorce, and chronic illnesses.

Signs and Symptoms

Depression is rather personal, so you should not expect two children to exhibit similar signs or symptoms. A depressed child will possess one or more of the symptoms below.

• Extended period of irritability and/or sadness
• Low self-esteem characterized by statements such as “I am stupid”
• Losing interest in activities he or she used to enjoy
• Altered appetite, eating either too much or too little
• Lack of or too much sleep
• Struggles to concentrate
• Emotional, angry
• Physical pains such as head and stomach aches
• Recurring thoughts and mentions of suicide and/or death

What to Do

If you live in southern California, take the child to Visions Treatment Center immediately if you notice the symptoms named above. Doctors usually provide both medication and psychotherapy to deal with depression. Medication helps free the child of symptoms if the depression is caused, wholly or in part, by psychological factors. Therapy may help them deal with their past in a healthy way while arming them with skills to cope with the stresses of growing up.

Call 866-889-3665 to talk to our specialist about teen depression treatment.

How Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers Can Help Your Teen With Their Depression 

Findings show that one in eight teens suffer from depression. What is unfortunate is that sometimes you never get to see a clue of the depression on their faces! However, depression is treatable.  

What Causes Depression in Teens

Depression in teens, just like in adults can result from performing poorly in areas they expected to excel. For example, he or she expects to do well in class so when the results come out and they are below his or her expectations, they may feel worthless and inadequate. Other factors that can lead to teen depression include social status with peers, family life, and sexual orientation. Many also become depressed if they lose a family member or a close friend, if they are involved in independence conflicts with their parents, if they breakup with a boyfriend, or when bullied or harassed at school or elsewhere.

You can tell if your teen is depressed by observing any combination of the following symptoms;

• Difficulty in concentration
• Unexplained pains all over the body
• Irresponsible behavior such as forgetting obligations
• Use of drugs
• Episodes of memory loss
• Anxiety, sadness and hopelessness
• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Use of drugs

How Visions Will Help

Visions Adolescent treatment Centers implement a safe, supportive, and intensive program that helps affected teens come to terms with their depression and learn to make positive choices that enable them to live a healthy and productive life.

Depression mainly comes in when these teens face daily stressors but fail to formulate solutions to these challenges. Visions Centers help these kids develop effective problem strategies. They get to learn that everyone faces daily challenges and that each challenge can be solved in a unique way. There is never a need to engage in destructive behavior just because one is stressed. If you let emotions get the better of you, it will not just affect you, it will affect your family, friends, and even your future. At Visions, these teens learn to recognize and change behavior and problematic attitudes that may trigger relapse. The family is usually involved in the treatment process to foster understanding and encourage collective effort.

Call 866-889-3665 to speak to a specialist at Visions about teen depression treatment.