Teen Behavioral Problems

What your son isn't telling you ...
... Could be exactly the issues causing your teen's current behavioral problems.

How can you tell if your teen's behavior is a problem? Is it a behavioral disorder, such as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder, attachment disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), defiant, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), bi-polar, or depression?

You may know that your teen has a behavioral disorder if the "acting out" has carried on for a long period of time and goes against what is socially acceptable for your teen's age and situation. Your teen's behavior is a problem if it is self-destructive and adversely affects your family.

The realization that your teen's behavior needs professional attention can be painful or frightening to you as parents who have tried to support your teen, or it may become accepted and internalized as a personal failure by you as parents, but please DO NOT let this happen.

Teen behavioral problems usually stem from the lack of ability to cope with certain situations such as anger, anxiety, the need for attention, drug abuse, negative peer association, depression, low self-esteem, behavior disorders, traumatic events, or separation and abandonment issues. Many behavior disorders are a substantial cause for teen behavioral problems.

A particular teen behavioral problem like oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is a persistent pattern (lasting for at least six months) of negativistic, hostile, disobedient, and defiant behavior in a child or teen without serious violation of the basic rights of others.

Symptoms of ODD may include the following behaviors when they occur more often than normal for the age group of your teen: losing their temper; arguing; defying authoritive figures or refusing adult requests or rules; deliberately annoying others; blaming others for their own mistakes or misbehavior; being touchy or easily annoyed; being angry and resentful; being spiteful or vindictive; swearing or using bad language; or having a low opinion of themselves.

Teens with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) are moody and easily frustrated, have a low opinion of themselves, and may abuse drugs.

Diagnosis is complicated by relatively high rates of co-morbid, disruptive, behavior disorders

ODD is a psychiatric disorder that is characterized by two different sets of problems. These are aggressiveness and a tendency to purposefully bother and irritate others. It is often the reason that parents seek treatment for their teens. When ODD is present with ADHD, depression, tourette's, anxiety disorders, or other neuropsychiatric disorders, it makes life with that teen far more difficult. For Example, ADHD plus ODD is much worse than ADHD alone, often enough to make parents seek treatment for their teens.

In addition, teens with OCD have a higher risk of also having depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or (ADD), learning disorders such as dyslexia, and habit disorders such as nail biting or skin picking.

Teens with OCD may experience the following common obsessions (your teen may experience multiple obsessions):

• Fear of dirt or germs
• Fear of contamination
• Fear of illness or harm coming to oneself or relatives
• A need for symmetry, order, and precision
• Religious obsessions
• Preoccupation with body wastes
• Lucky and unlucky numbers
• Sexual or aggressive thoughts
• Preoccupation with household items
• Disturbing sounds or words

For many teens with OCD, the symptoms may get better for a short time and then get worse during stressful events in their lives.

Some symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder overlap. Researchers have suggested that, in some teens, ODD may be the developmental precursor of conduct disorder. Comorbidity of ODD with ADHD has been reported to occur in 50-65% of affected teens.

Another teen behavioral problem is Major Depressive Disorder, usually brings on social impairment, constant sad or depressed mood, apathy, irritability, hostility, hyperactivity, feeling worthless or guilty, fatigue (physically tired all day), poor concentration or attention, sleeping problems, risk of self mutilation, appetite or eating problems, and decreased speech and emotion.

Many teen behavioral problems can also be related to addiction with substance abuse. Drug abuse teens display a wide variety of teen behavioral problems.

To learn more about teen behavioral problems caused by drug use, this link can provide important information. www.liahonaacademy.com/infopages/drugProblems.htm

Do not let the procrastination of time cause your teen's behavioral problems to become worse. Allow Liahona Academy to provide you and your troubled teen the assistance they need.

Take action promptly and let us assist you. Liahona Academy can help; allow us to be an answer to your teen's problem. Contact Us Now!!! 1-800-675-8101