Teenage angst: recognizing serious problems
The Justin Lin film Better Luck Tomorrow, an official selection at Sundance called "a funny, sexy, scary powerhouse" by Rolling Stone--presents a dark and humorous look at the life of overachieving teens in Southern California.It might be easy to dismiss the film as a caricature, "life on the Big Screen."
But just like the characters in the movie, today's teens are losing sleep, committing violent or illegal acts, and spending excessive time worrying--largely because of school and family concerns, a Canadian study suggested this week.
Ten percent of 6,600 adolescents studied face at least three mental-health concerns, researchers from Toronto's Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Thirty percent admit to bullying others.
Other studies suggest that people strongly involved in a faith community--participating, not just showing up on the membership roll--are less likely to cope with stress in destructive ways.
But the study released this week points to the need for faith communities to help families learn the signs and symptoms of mental-health struggles and to find creative ways to intervene when a teen's coping style becomes dangerous to self and others.
.: Posted by Duane Bidwell on Tuesday, May 04, 2004
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