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For Parents
Warning Signs that your child may need help:
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Suicide threats, direct and
indirect;
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Obsession with death;
-
Poems, essays and drawings
that refer to death;
-
Dramatic change in
personality or appearance;
-
Irrational, bizarre
behavior;
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Overwhelming sense of
guilt, shame or reflection;
-
Changed eating or sleeping
patterns;
-
Severe drop in school
performance;
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Giving away belongings.
Things to consider if you are considering special schools or treatment
centers:
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Will the school or program provide my teen the
proper therapy, if needed?
-
Is the treatment center licensed (specialty
boarding schools are typically not required to hold licensing as they don't
provide therapy)?
-
Does the treatment program or specialty school
have an aftercare / follow up program? If so, for how long after successful
completion?
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Is the staff properly licensed / trained?
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It is always recommended to walk through the
facility before placement. If you can't do it - try to send someone in your
place.
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Always ask for references from other parents who
have made the same decision.
-
Does the specialty school or treatment center have
verified statistics showing that they are experienced in helping troubled
teens?
Teen Drug Use Effects:
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Amphetamines/methamphetamine: Irritability, insomnia, convulsions, tremors,
anxiety, paranoia, aggression, violent behavior, stroke, psychosis
resembling schizophrenia, cardiovascular collapse, and death.
-
Inhalants: Memory loss,
learning problems, increased heart rate, distorted perception of reality and
spatial relations, lethargy, nausea/vomiting, slurred speech, loss of motor
coordination, wheezing, organ and muscle damage, sudden sniffing death
syndrome which can cause heart failure, and withdrawal symptoms which can
include grand mal seizures.
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Marijuana: Impaired memory,
anxiety, panic attacks, symptoms of chronic bronchitis, daily coughs and
phlegm, more frequent chest colds, and abnormal functioning of lung tissue
injured or destroyed by marijuana smoke.
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MDMA (ecstasy): Depression,
anxiety, paranoia, muscle tension, teeth clenching, tremors, increased heart
rate and blood pressure, dehydration, hyperthermia, brain damage, and death.
Web sites that may be helpful to parents:
www.familyfirstaid.org
www.questia.com/library
www.parentsandteens.com
www.cwla.org
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