Month: April 2020

Categories
Mental Health Substance Abuse

How Does Social Media Influence Teen Drug Use?

The average teenager spends nearly eight hours a day on a phone or computer. This is more time than spent daily in a classroom, and often more time than is spent sleeping. Much of this time is spent interacting with others through social media.

Social media refers to internet sites and applications which allow for information to be shared rapidly, and with a wide audience. Popular social media sites with teens include Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. There is also much information that is shared through video posts on Youtube, where the concept of the internet influencer was born.

As with most other things, the advancement of social media has both positive and negative consequences for our youth. For the teen who is susceptible to mental health disorder and is looking to the online peer group for direction, the messages portrayed within social media may prove to be a destructive mix.

The Role of Peer Influence on Teen Drug Use and Decision-Making Skills

Teenagers are particularly susceptible to the suggestions provided by those who are admired, popular, or trending. The teen years are a period of time when children make their greatest strides toward adulthood. As part of this journey, there is a tendency for the influence of parents to decrease, and the importance of peer opinion to increase.

As much as it might tear at a parent’s heartstrings, the substitution of parental guidance by peer suggestion is a normal, healthy, part of maturation. Breaking away from parents in order to form an identity as an independent adult is an important stage toward establishing a successful life. A parent’s best hope during this time is that the decisions made by their fledgling adult will be healthy ones.

For most people, peer friendships are formed based on what the individuals have in common. Common interests and perspectives can provide a starting point for forming more concrete bonds. In modern times, these friendships are often formed virtually. The numerous social media sites that are available means that a teen is never far off from finding a social group by which to receive support in exploring his or her individuality and interconnectedness.

Shared interest in healthy or neutral things – such as fashion, video games, sports, art, computers, and the like – can provide a teen with a social group by which he or she can be encouraged to progress in personal interests and future goals. When the shared interest in in unhealthy activities, however, a teen can be encouraged to progress along a destructive path.

In a quest to be an independent adult, such a teen is prone to view the rebellious behaviors of peers as part of the quest for liberation from parental restraint. A teen with a peer group who promotes substance abuse is continually exposed to temptation to engage in similar behaviors.

Establishment of Cultural Norms

While the United States has overarching cultural standards which guide the behaviors of the majority, there are also subcultures within it. Factors such as academic and personal interests, sexual orientation, political ideology, and race can all play a role in which social subgroup a person is drawn to. Age is also a factor in determining a subculture, with both older and younger people tending to identify with the ideals of their particular generation.

Just as the ideas of Hollywood and marketing influenced the first generation to have a television in their homes, social media influences the generation of today. However, while the content of television was controlled by a small group of people, social media outlets know no such bounds. Any person with charisma, an idea, and access to technology can gain a devoted following.

As implied by the term, “influencer,” there are certain internet personalities who hold a large amount of sway over their fanbase. Popular internet influencers are rewarded with endorsement contracts, as businesses recognize their ability to market and promote new ideas and products. If an influencer recommends it, their fans are likely to try it out.

Many of the popular trend setters are well aware of the malleable state of identity that a teenager is operating in. If the ideas of the influencer are implanted early enough, these ideas can become a solidified part of the teen’s adult perspectives. Once these ideas have been internalized by a large enough group of young people, a new cultural norm is established. Any older person who has uttered the phrase “back in my day” is already aware of how these norms can shift.

Some of the notable shifts in teen culture which have been promoted through social media are positive ones. Teens are encouraged to practice tolerance and acceptance for various social groups, and are encouraged to think about the world on a global scale. On the other end of the spectrum, ideas such as excessive drinking and daily use of marijuana have also been integrated. The concepts of tolerance include acceptance of substance use as a normal behavior.

Social Media Influence on Teen Drug Use and Mental Health

Direct influence from social media in regards to promoting teen drug use is worrisome enough. When the suggestion to engage in teen drug use or alcohol use is presented to someone in a state of poor mental health, the effect can be exponential. Researchers have long determined that those with existing mental health disorders are more at risk of teen drug use and abuse. In the mental health field, this connection is known as co-occurring disorder and self-medication.

There are some studies which have suggested that excessive social media use is a key factor in the development of mental health disorder. Increases in depression, anxiety, low self esteem have all been linked to the self conception that a teenager conceives from the messages delivered within social media. The temptation to compare oneself to others and to react to public opinion is present within all human beings.

For teenagers, it is doubly so. Their developing personas will be busy integrating the delivered information into a cohesive mental conception of themselves, and of the young adult world.

Categories
Mental Health

Telemental Health: Bridging the Gap Between Care, Coronavirus

We are living in unprecedented times. A deadly pandemic has surfaced, the likes of which have not been experienced since the early 1900’s. The impact of this current pandemic has the potential to be even more devastating than the last, as the world is much more interconnected and interdependent than before.

On the other hand, the potential for people to receive applicable treatment for both the physical and psychological impact of this pandemic is in a much better place than in decades past. Thanks to the technological progress which has been made over the past several years, people are often no further from a phone call or video conference away from being able to consult with professionals regarding their concerns.

What Is Telemental Health?

Telehealth refers to any type of health service which is delivered via a medium other than face-to-face contact. It can include telephone calls, texts, video conference, and online interaction. Telemental health refers specifically to the ability to deliver and receive mental health support from a distance. It encompasses other, more familiar, terms such as telepsychiatry, telepsychology, and teletherapy.

Proponents for the widespread availability of telemental health services have long pointed to statistics which indicate that certain portions of the population are lacking in mental health support due to lack of access to physical mental health locations. Individuals who live in rural areas, those who suffer from mobility difficulties, and those who lack transportation and time are often unable to make the journey from their locations to a facility which provides quality mental health care.

The progress toward providing telemental health services has met with some resistance from regulating agencies. These types of agencies were constructed along with the growing popularity of mental health treatment from the mid 1900’s, and were charged with overseeing the requirements of mental health care providers to include best care practices for their patrons. Changes in these regulations have not quite kept pace with the growth of technology, leaving access to quality telehealth services in a gray area.

How Mental Health Care Rules Are Evolving for Coronavirus

With the coronavirus pandemic and associated social distancing guidelines arriving suddenly on the scene, regulators were compelled to take a closer look at the convenience of receiving therapy from a remote location. Data indicating that telemental health is similarly effective in treating a multitude of disorders was placed in the forefront, and privacy rights of patients and clients receiving remote care were scrutinized.

Similarly, insurance companies began to be pressured toward accepting claims for mental health services provided through such avenues. The result is a temporary lifting of former restrictions so that providers can deliver much needed therapy to those who are suffering from mental health symptoms while simultaneously heeding the call to avoid excessive social contact. There are many providers who hold out the hope that these current progressions in acceptance of telehealth as a viable treatment option will remain far into the future.

Telemental Health Services and Support

Telemental health services rely on the effectiveness of talk therapy toward treating mental health concerns and disorders. Talk therapy has been the go-to treatment since its early application by psychotherapy pioneers such as Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. It has been demonstrated as being effective with disorders ranging from anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, addiction, and personality disorders.

When it comes to deciding upon the right type of telemental health treatment for you, some insight into how you best learn and communicate can be helpful. If you are a visual person, support provided through video conference may be what provides you with the best outcome. An auditory person will tend to benefit most from sessions provided over phone. Someone who gains more from reading and writing is likely to find therapy bulletin boards and interactive journals useful.

Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety is already the most common disorder experienced in the country. With the stress of COVID-19 in play, there are even more reasons to feel anxious. Our health, finances, and future  plans are all at risk. Receiving telemental health support during this time can help you to examine your core values, reframe your fearful thoughts, and develop coping mechanisms to use when the anxiety levels are high.

Depression Treatment

Experiences of depression run a close second when it comes to prevalence of mental health disorder in America. While anxiety tends to focus on fear of the future, depression tends to focus on current and past situations. Many people are feeling the weight of our current crisis, yet are unable to engage in activities which might otherwise work to alleviate and distract from depressive thoughts and feelings.

Bipolar Disorder Treatment

A hallmark of bipolar disorder is that a person’s mood shifts from highs to lows. While largely thought to be due to a chemical fluctuation in the brain, moods can definitely be negatively and positively affected by situations and mindset. Talk therapy can assist in helping a person with bipolar disorder to learn to recognize the impending mood shifts, and mitigate the drastic responses and behaviors which often result.

Substance Abuse Treatment

Mental health disorders and tendency toward substance abuse are highly correlated. Mental health disorders can prompt a person to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol, and substance abuse can exacerbate pre-existing mental health conditions. With so many people stuck at home, and with idle time on their hands, even old habits of abusing drugs and alcohol may creep back in. Talking with a therapist can help to weigh the pros and cons of giving into the temptation to use substances, and can assist you in finding more healthy ways to cope with the stress and boredom.

Personality Disorders Treatment

Personality disorders are those which tend to influence a person’s entire approach and evaluation of life. One of the most diagnosed personality disorders is that of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Talk therapies have been shown to be extremely successful for those struggling with this disorder, as such therapy is focused on providing the client with new ideas and techniques for navigating life situations.

Categories
Substance Abuse

What You Need to Know About Teen Substance Abuse

Life for a teenager can be extremely stressful. Teens have to balance the demands of school and home life, the constant influence of the Internet and social media, and worries about their future. Under all of this stress, the risk of developing ineffective coping styles is high. Research indicates that over half of all mental health disorders are developed during this period of life.

Teen substance abuse shows a similar statistic, with up to half of all high school students reporting that they have used drugs, and over 65% admitting to using alcohol. While substance use is often excused as being fun or relaxing, addictions formed and the poor choices made while under the influence can end up sabotaging a bright future.

Risk Factors for Teen Substance Abuse

In order to protect yourself or a loved one from the temptation to self-sabotage through teen substance abuse, it is important to be informed about circumstances which can put a teen more at risk of giving in to addiction. A teen’s own mental health, the habits of parents, and the friends around can all play a role in moving a teenager into a vulnerable spot for using drugs or alcohol.

Underlying Mental Health Issues

As our knowledge of mental health problems and the effect on human behavior grows, it has become increasingly clear that those who struggle with diagnosable mental health disorders are at a higher risk of engaging in substance abuse behaviors. The explanation for why this is the case typically points to the substance abuse as an attempt by someone with a mental disorder to self-medicate. Instead of seeking lasting treatment through therapy, counseling, and prescribed medication support, a teen suffering from depression, anxiety, or other mental illness will turn to drugs or alcohol in an attempt to experience short-term relief.

Family Substance Abuse

Studies have shown that children and teens are more at risk of engaging in substance abuse when their caretakers are also abusing substances. Family systems are very interconnected and dependent on one another. A teen who observes parental figures as avoiding reality through getting drunk or high will be simultaneously learning that such avoidance is the way to handle things. A teen is likely to have more access to these substances in a home where the parent is abusing, and is likely to be more willing to experiment with it.

Parental Approach

A parent doesn’t have to be using substances in order to play a role in the risk of teen substance abuse. Parents who are too busy with their own lives to take an active role in the experiences of their teens, or parents who are overly controlling, are often unwittingly playing a part in the development of substance abuse disorders. Just as healthy parenting styles can help a teen to succeed in life, ineffective parenting styles can work to frustrate and sabotage that healthy mental and emotional growth.

Substance Abuse by Peers

Even though parental influence plays a large role in how a teen approaches use of drugs and alcohol, peers play a significant part. Studies have shown that having as few as four or more friends who use substances can influence a teen toward using. Having friends who condone substance abuse also negatively affects how well likely a teen is to seek out and succeed in substance abuse treatment programs.

Signs of Teen Substance Abuse

While some people can secretly get away with using substances, it is inevitable that many will end up showing signs that something in their life is not quite right. Apart from being caught with the drugs or alcohol, directly, there are some other tells which are often involved in the behaviors of someone who is on the dangerous path of teen substance abuse.

Hanging Out With a Different Set of Friends

As previously mentioned, the friends that a teenager chooses to spend time with have a large influence on behavior. The teen years are designed as a period of self-discovery, and is the point in time where children begin to separate from the idea of relying on parents. The influence of friends take on much greater importance, and popular opinion is often what a teenager uses to gauge success. If a teenager begins swapping out old, reliable, friends for a new, questionable, circle, he or she may be heading down the spiral of addiction.

Isolating From Friends and Family

Another sign of potential risk of substance abuse is the tendency to isolate from those who care about you. Most people who care about us do not want to see us damaging our lives through using drugs or alcohol. For a teen determined to continue using, deceiving others about it can become a daily ritual. It is easier to hide away from those who might notice than to keep up the lying. The trap in doing this is that isolation also increases the risk of substance abuse.

Neglecting Responsibilities

There is a reason that substance abuse and addiction often results in a downward spiral of an array problems. Countless people have already experimented with trying to maintain control over the substances, only to have the substances win the game. As the focus on using substances increases, other priorities in life fade to the background. A teen who is involved in substance abuse may begin to experience problems in school, may stop participating in chores at home, and may even end up having run-ins with the law.

How to Seek Help for Teen Substance Abuse

There has been a lot of progress made toward acknowledging both the existence of mental health problems, and the reality of teen substance abuse. Most communities provide multiple low-cost and non-profit treatment programs for teens struggling with substance abuse and mental health issues. The Internet is valuable resource for finding the type of treatment that is right for you or a friend who is going down this dangerous road. If you need help finding where to start, call the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Categories
Mental Health

Teen Mental Health and COVID-19: Strategies for Adjusting to a “New Normal”

You may have heard the phrase a “new normal” being applied to our current situation. What we consider to be normal has changed throughout time. During this COVID-19 outbreak, we are in a temporary state of new normality which involves a large amount of social distancing. Schools are closed, social activities are postponed, parents are home from work, and technology is being utilized more than ever before. These changes to our routine require that we adapt our behaviors, and find new ways to go about our daily lives.

Studies show that one out of every five teenagers struggles with mental illness. This time of change involving the risk of COVID-19 transmission and the social distancing measures can create the type of stress which has been linked to the development and increase of these disorders. The sooner that you recognize the signs of teen mental health distress in your own life, the sooner you can get a handle on them.

Anxiety Symptoms

Anxiety in teens occurs when our primitive flight-or-fight responses go into overdrive. While being able to defend ourselves from danger works well in a physical situation, this instinct doesn’t tend to work in our favor when it comes to psychological stress. Worry about what dangers might happen in the future can cause the body to stay in a constant state of alert, resulting in physical symptoms such as muscle tension, headaches, elevated heart rate, and lowered immune system.

Depression Symptoms

Teens suffering from depression tend to lose any vision of a hopeful future. It may seem like this current situation will never end, or that the emergency orders surrounding social distancing have ruined some of your plans and dreams for good. A person with depression is likely to notice a lack of interest in activities that were once enjoyed, and may be more prone toward crying spells or anger outbursts. There may be less desire to interact with others, and more desire to just stay in bed and sleep.

Psychosis Symptoms

Psychosis refers to a tendency to see, hear, think, or believe things that most people find to be strange or bizarre. During high times of stress, there is a risk that our brains will attempt to make sense of things through creating an alternative reality. While escaping reality for a bit through daydreaming, watching television, or playing games can be healthy, a psychosis can take over a person’s entire life. A person with psychosis may become paranoid or obsessed with odd activities, and may begin to hear and see things that are not observable by others. The use of illegal drugs can increase the risk of developing psychosis.

Five Teen Mental Health Strategies for Adjusting to a “New Normal”

If you do notice that you are beginning to experience signs of teen mental health distress, there are steps that you can take to lessen their effects. These overall strategies involve being kind to yourself, staying engaged in activities you enjoy, and asking for help if necessary.

1. Create a Healthy and Productive Routine

You’ve spent many years getting to a place of having your life routine set up in a way that has worked for you. Now, suddenly, that routine has been disrupted.  The fact that it is a temporary change may even mean that, as soon as you get on top of it, it will be changing, again. Just as your previous way of life wasn’t set up in a day, these new habits will take time to build, as well. This type of rapid change can stress out even the most capable of adults. Don’t be too hard on yourself if you find that you struggle to stay on top of things.

2. Do What You Can and Let Go of the Rest

This time of rapid change can be particularly stressful for those who are still in school. Public school systems are scurrying to put procedures in place to support online learning, and many of these schools found themselves utterly unprepared for the task. Many teachers are having a hard time complying with the requirements of their job to provide you with an education, which makes the student job harder. While this may go on until the end of the semester, this won’t go on for the rest of your life. Complete what tasks you are able, and put the rest on hold.

3. Find Creative Ways to Connect (Virtually) With Family and Friends

Teens are already ahead of the game when it comes to technology. This is definitely a benefit during a time where social activities are being confined to the Internet. While you aren’t able to go to your usual hangout spots, or spend a fun evening with extended family, you can use this time as an opportunity to get everyone together through video and social media. Try engaging friends in multiplayer games. Have a video sleepover, complete with simultaneous binge watching of your favorite shows. Teach grandma and grandpa how to use a video chat app. Staying social can be a good defense against stress.

4. Practice Self-Care and Mindfulness

Being cooped up in the house with people for too long can be stressful on even the best of relationships. During this time of uncertainty and change, the possibility of getting on each others’ nerves is even higher. If you notice that you are starting to lose patience with others during your household interactions, take it as a sign that you might need some private time to yourself. Find a quiet place to relax, meditate, or engage in some other form of self-care.

5. Utilize Teen Mental Health Support Services

Teen mental health services and professionals have been deemed as essential workers during this stressful time. Without the ability to meet for sessions in person, many local and national organizations have developed ways to support clients through telephone and video conference. If you or someone you know doesn’t already have a teen mental health team, contact the SAMHSA Treatment Referral Helpline (1-800-662-HELP) to be linked to a local area teen mental health provider.

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