The Teenage Space Race

Most of us realise  that developing a sense of independence or autonomy is central to the process of adolescence.   The need to cast off the identity defining reliance on significant adult care givers and establish a clear sense of individual definition and self reliance is a challenge that drives a great deal of teenage behaviour.  […]

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Acne, Mobile Phones, & Teenagers.

I have been doing some thinking about the number of teenagers with mobile phones.  There has been a  lot of talk in the media recently about sexting, cyber-bullying, and the like. While these are serious and important concerns, little attention seems to be given to the context of these evolving problems.  While not wishing to […]

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Teenage Depression: Causes and Prevention

In the previous post we looked at 5 things you can do if you think a teenager may be depressed. In this thrid and final post we will discuss what are the possible causes of depression, and how to lower the risk factors for teenagers getting depressed. What causes depression? There is no one definable […]

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When is a Teenager Depressed?

“I’m really worried about him.  He seems to be acting strange and is always angry.  I think he might be depressed!” Comments like this are not uncommon from parents of teenagers. Given the emotional roller coaster that is adolescence, knowing how to distinguish between normal teenage angst and genuine clinical  depression can be very confusing. […]

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