Fw: Learn from the Research: Mental Health and Teens

>
>> Mental and Emotional Health Problems Among Teens: What Parents,
>> Practitioners
>> and the Public Can Learn About Prevention and Treatment From Research
>>
>> WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 (AScribe Newswire) -- Anxiety disorders.
>> Depression.
>> Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Eating disorders. Drug
>> and
>> alcohol addiction. While many adults hold a stereotype of American teens
>> as
>> moody and dramatic, these are examples of some of the serious mental and
>> emotional health problems confronting a significant minority of
>> adolescents.
>> How can we prevent these problems from occurring? What are the most
>> effective
>> treatments once teens are diagnosed?
>>
>> To help answer these critical questions, Child Trends reviewed more
>> than 300 research studies to determine the factors that contribute to the
>> development of mental and emotional health problems among teens and to
>> determine what research has shown to be the best treatments for teens.
>> The
>> review reveals which programs and approaches work, which don't work, and
>> which look promising and therefore warrant closer investigation. The
>> findings
>> are based on an extensive review of research studies done in partnership
>> with
>> the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
>>
>> The results of this comprehensive review are presented in two
>> companion
>> products: a research brief, Promoting Positive Mental and Emotional
>> Health in
>> Teens: Some Lessons from Research, and a web-based What Works table that
>> summarizes key research and evaluation findings. The What Works table is
>> a
>> point-and-click resource for the web. It presents information on specific
>> problems (such as depression, ADHD, drug and alcohol abuse) and gives
>> users
>> the option to access short, readable summaries or to delve deeply into
>> the
>> research studies.
>>
>> View and download this brief at
>>
>> www.childtrends.org/PDF/K5Brief.pdf.
>>
>> The interactive What Works table and the rest of the American Teens
>> series can be found at
>>
>> www.childtrends.org/youthdevelopment_intro.asp.
>>
>> Findings from the review include:
>>
>> -- Effective treatments for depression and anxiety include
>> psychotherapy (such as cognitive therapy), drug therapy (specifically,
>> serotonin-specific re-uptake inhibitors), making a youth's environment
>> more
>> supportive and changing a young person's environment from high-risk to
>> low-risk (for example, providing housing vouchers to move into a
>> neighborhood
>> with more resources).
>>
>> -- For ADHD, a combination of medication and psychotherapy appears
>> to
>> be more effective than the use of a single intervention.
>>
>> -- The impact of drug therapy on children and youth is
>> controversial
>> and new research for these age groups is needed.
>>
>> -- Homes and schools that are emotionally supportive and warm and
>> that
>> provide support for adolescents' autonomy may boost teens' psychological
>> and
>> emotional well-being.
>>
>> -- Prevention should begin as early as possible - many mental and
>> emotional health problems may be prevented with early intervention at the
>> individual, family and community level during childhood and early
>> adolescence.
>>
>> "From our review, the research shows that there may not be a
>> "single
>> bullet" for addressing all of the mental and emotional health issues that
>> teens face," said Kristin A. Moore, Ph.D., president and senior scholar
>> at
>> Child Trends. "Just as many of these problems may stem from a number of
>> influences, like a teen's family and environment, a number of prevention
>> and
>> treatment strategies may be needed."
>>
>> Child Trends' American Teens series summarizes and "translates" key
>> research and evaluation studies on preventing teen pregnancy, encouraging
>> better eating and exercise habits, promoting mental and emotional health,
>> motivating teens in school, promoting positive social skills and
>> encouraging
>> responsible citizenship.
>>
>> Knight Foundation's Community Partners Program works in 26 U.S.
>> communities to identify promising approaches to locally identified needs.
>> With Knight funding, several Knight communities are concentrating on
>> better
>> lives for children and families. The Child Trends American Teens work
>> helps
>> the communities better identify strategies that might work locally for
>> at-risk youth.
>>
>> Child Trends, founded in 1979, is an independent, nonpartisan
>> research
>> center dedicated to improving the lives of children and their families by
>> conducting research and providing science-based information to the public
>> and
>> decision-makers.
>>
>> The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation promotes excellence in
>> journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of 26 U.S. communities.
>>
>> -30-
>>
>>