TEENAGE - Normal & Abnormal Psychology

TEENAGE:::::::DELICATE ---HANDLE WITH CARE

A THIN LINE BETWEEN NORMAL AND ABNORMAL

Being a teenager is hard. You face life-altering exams at a time when your brain is going through huge changes. While they have a responsibility to manage their own behaviour, by understanding the changes and challenges they face,parents and teachers can guide their practice to help them navigate this as happily and successfully as possible.

neurobiological processes that define adolescence and influence risk-taking are complex, and the role they play is emerging as a key factor in adolescent behavior. These processes must be understood in the context of psychological development and social influences.

It is not uncommon for parents to wonder whether their child is acting like a normal teenager or behaving differently due to mental illness, drug use or behavioural difficulties. Normal teenagers are often moody due to hormonal and physical changes that happen during puberty. However, when mental illness is involved, it may be difficult to differentiate "normal teenage behaviour" from the symptoms of depression, anxiety and other emotional difficulties.

Teenagers may be short-tempered and get angry easily, especially when they begin to naturally separate from the family and feel they do not have enough distance or privacy. The natural process of separation begins in early adolescence; this is when parents see that their child begins to be embarrassed by them and spends increasing amounts of time with friends and very little time with the family.

You may be worried that your teenager spends hours on end on the computer or locked in his or her room chatting on the phone and gets defensive when asked what he or she is doing or who he or she is talking to. This type of behaviour is normal. Teenagers need to naturally separate in order to gain their independence in early adulthood and often react defensively in order to attain this goal. During this time, you should be able to see that even though your teenager may cringe at spending quality time with the family, he or she is still able to enjoy time with friends and engage in healthy social and extracurricular activities outside of the home. If you see that your teen is not engaging in other activities or with friends and is chronically disconnected, angry and sad, this is when the behaviour becomes abnormal and requires intervention.

Some concerning behaviours
• Decrease in enjoyment and time spent with friends and family
• Significant decrease in school performance
• Strong resistance to attending school or absenteeism
• Problems with memory, attention or concentration
• Big changes in energy levels, eating or sleeping patterns
• Physical symptoms (stomach aches, headaches, backaches)
• Feelings of hopelessness, sadness, anxiety, crying often
• Frequent aggression, disobedience or lashing out verbally

.. Excessive neglect of personal appearance or hygiene
• Substance abuse
• Dangerous or illegal thrill-seeking behaviour
• Is overly suspicious of others
• Sees or hears things that others do not exist.

*It’s important to remember that no one sign means that there is a problem. It’s important to examine the: nature, intensity, severity and duration of a problem.

　

　

Know who your teenager is
Although your child is growing up and changing rapidly, as his or her parent you are in the best position to know who your child is. You have raised your child with values, beliefs and a set of guidelines to work from; you know when your child is acting out of character and when he or she is having difficulty. Trust your instincts and don’t be afraid to act on them. Even though your teenager may give you attitude when you ask him or her what’s wrong, asking on occasion lets him or her know that you care and that if he or she wants to talk, you are open to it.
Pride and denial can often get in our way of accepting that there is a problem with our child. As parents we have dreams and hopes for our children and we begin to see them come together in the teenage years as the adult personality emerges. Often teens who are intelligent, talented and creative become ill just as they are becoming mature enough to use these skills in a productive way. This can be earth-shattering for parents and makes it very easy to deny that a problem exists.

Ignoring the problem does not make it go away and can contrarily make the problem worse. As with any illness, not getting the appropriate treatment prolongs the symptoms, which will likely get worse with time.

Being open, honest and non-judgmental with your teenager about his or her difficulties will help you to be more in tune with his or her needs and facilitate a trusting relationship between the two of you.
Talking to your teen about your concerns
If you have major concerns about your teen’s behaviour and moods, it is very important to have a conversation with him or her about it. Try to identify specific concerns, i.e., "I’ve noticed that you haven’t really been going out much lately and you don’t answer the phone when your friends call." Or "I can’t help but notice that you haven’t been eating much at dinner and your stomach aches have been getting worse." Your teen will most likely not want to talk about it, but give him or her enough space and time to respond. Let him or her know that you are there to help and that you can work out the difficulties together. Seek help from a family doctor or local Counsilar, who can evaluate your child and offer the appropriate services.
It is never easy to start a conversation with someone about mental illness, but the following tips offer a way to lessen tension during

• Speak in a calm voice.
• Say what you mean and be prepared to listen.
• Try not to interrupt the other person.
• Avoid sarcasm, whining, threats and yelling.
• Don’t make personal attacks or be demeaning.
• Don’t assume your answer is the only answer.
• Try not to use words such as "always" or "never."
• Deal with the now, not the past.
• Don’t try to get the last word.
• If things get too heated, take a break and come back to the discussion later.
• Make allowances for the other person.
• Parents: Remember what it was like to be a teen.
• Teen: Remember that parents frequently react strongly because they know the stakes are high.
• Acknowledge that you are in this together.
The teenage years can be the most difficult for a parent. During this time, there are many changes that make it difficult to know how and when to intervene

STRESS....

STRESS.... Stress is probably the most common one word describing our lives... Each one of us feel stressed at some point or other. lets know the keyfacts about it-

• WHAT IS STRESS
• WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF STRESS
• WHEN DOES STRESS REQUIRE TREATMENT
• HOW TO MANAGE STRESS
• SOME TIPS

LETS START TO DE-STRESS:::::::

WHAT IS STRESS:-----
People feel stressed when they feel like the demands or pressure on them are more than what they can cope with. Everyone feels stressed at times. You may feel under pressure, worried, tense, upset, sad, and angry – or maybe a mixture of uncomfortable feelings. These feelings can be entirely normal, but sometimes stress can get too much and can even trigger a mental illness. Sometimes people try to deal with stress by using drugs or alcohol.

It is important to get help if stress is getting too much or you are using drugs or alcohol to try and cope.

WHAT ARE SIGNS OF STRESS---
Signs of rising stress:

Disturbed sleep
Loss of pleasure in things once enjoyed
Appetite changes
Irritability and impatience
Tiredness, lack of energy
Inability of concentrate, meet deadlines or make decisions
Increasing cynicism or loss of trust
anxiety
sense of loosing control
WHEN DOES STRESS REQUIRES TREATMENT:::-- Signs that stress is getting too much and that you should get help:
You feel that stress is affecting your health.
You feel so desperate that you think about stopping school, leaving job, running away    or harming yourself.
You feel low, sad, tearful, or that life is not worth living.
You lose your appetite and find it difficult to sleep.
You hear voices telling you what to do, or making you behave strangely.
You have worries, feelings and thoughts that are hard to talk about because you feel people won’t understand you or will think you are ‘weird’.
　　
HOW TO MANAGE STRESS:--
Stress Management through F.A.C.E.S.{by Dr. Spiegel} is very effective method

[F]ace rather than flee

"If you have a problem, face it rather than run away." Running away from your problems does not make them go away. Working through them in a constructive manner is the only way to put them to bed for good.

[C]OPE ACTIVELY

There is no situation you can't do something about. "I deal with dying patients all the time," Dr. Speigel began. "I can't keep them from dying... I can't keep any of us from dying. But you can think a lot about how you are going to live in the face of death."

[E]xpress Emotion

"Emotion is not your enemy, it is your friend. Your emotions are there to help you figure out what's important and what isn't. Your brain process more a lot more information than most computers and what keeps it manageable is our emotion system saying this matters and the rest doesn't. So when you think about emotion, use it to identify what matters."

[S]ocial Support

"We are not independant individuals we are social creatures. We can handle stress a lot better when we do it together."
　
SOME TIPS:---

. Make sure you take time to do what you love to do.
. Get to done with something that stressed or bothers you
. If it does not get done then there is a day tomorrow too
. Limit your daily information intake.
. Listen to yourself
. ASK for help
. Take one day at a time.
. Its ok to be not perfect sometimes
　
Dr Swapnil Deshmukh, MD Psychiatrry (9923291312),  Pune.