Therapeutic Boarding Schools - Boarding Schools for Troubled Teens

Parents who want their troubled children to receive education and therapy at the same facility often seek therapeutic boarding schools. This is a place that set up to provide an environment for positive emotional growth, with an emphasis on behavior modification. The goal of the residential therapeutic school is to help troubled teens begin living a more fulfilling and less self-destructive lifestyle.

Teenagers who are troubled are often confused and frightened. The defiance, anger, and rebelliousness reflect their confusion and fear. The first step in saving a child from a self-destructive path of academic failure, dangerous drug and alcohol experimentation, and even brushes with police is to realize you need professional help, and therapeutic boarding schools can be a good choice for you and for your child.

Therapeutic boarding schools provide regularly scheduled mental health and, when necessary, substance abuse counseling and treatment. They may also include periodic family therapy sessions. Unlike residential centers, therapeutic schools provide a strong educational program to assist students with a history of poor academic performance, a lack of motivation, and who experience self-esteem issues.

Students admitted to therapeutic boarding schools typically have a diagnosis of a mental health problem, including depression, bipolar disorder, dysthymia, ADHD, opposiotional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse or dependence, or an eating disorder.

Therapeutic schools vary in their operations and focus. Most of these schools are credentialed to grant a high school diploma or at least provide credits for transfer. The average stay is usually a full school year. Scientific outcome studies of these schools indicate that most students maintain or continue to improve on a long-term basis after they leave their programs. Before selecting a school, check out the schools accreditations, and the credentials of the staff. If you are unsure about what accreditations the school should have, check with the state education department in the state where the school is located.

What is Bipolar Disorder?

What is Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder, which until the 1980s was called manic-depression, is an illness which involves the brain. The majority of people who have got this condition have a relative with a mood disorder. Mood changes are normal. However, the mood changes of the illness bipolar disorder are extreme. People with bipolar disorder cannot control their mood changes.

People who have bipolar disorder experience extreme changes in mood, energy, and behavior. They alternate, or switch, between two opposite emotions. Their mood repeatedly alternates from extremely happy, or high, to sad and hopeless. In between the extremes, their mood might be calm.

Types of Bipolar Disorders
Bipolar disorder has four categories, or types, that range from mild to serious, including bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, Cyclothymic disorder, bipolar disorder NOS (not otherwise specified). Doctors use these distinctions to more accurately diagnose patients according to the range and severity of symptoms they present.

Bipolar I disorder is considered the classic form of the disease and is characterized by one or more manic episodes, usually alternating with major depressive episodes. Type II bipolar disorders could be one of the categories with greater comorbidity and higher risk of suicide. Cyclothymic disorder is a milder form of bipolar, in which the person suffers short periods of mild depression alternating with short periods of hypomania. Another kind of bipolar is Bipolar NOS (not otherwise specified), which is a bipolar disorder that does not fall into any of these categories.

Who Gets Bipolar Disorder?
Bipolar disorder affects up to 3 percent of popularion. The illness affects males and females in equal number. It can develop at any age. In fact, more and more children are being diagnosed, or identified, with the disease. Usually, however, symptoms, or signs, first appear in the late teens or early twenties. The illness may take several years to develop fully. Often people don't realize they have bipolar disorder becayse they don't think of the highs as part of the illness. If untreated, bipolar disorder grows worse as the person gets older.

What Causes of Bipolar Disorder?
No one knows the exact cause of bipolar disorder. Brain chemistry, genetics, and environment all seem to have a part.

Is There a Cure for Bipolar Disorder?
There is no cure, but in most cases it can be treated and controlled with medication. Bipolar disorder is often a life-long, permanent condition that must be carefully managed and continuously treated. If left untreated, bipolar disorder can upset a person's life. About 20 percent of people with untreated bipolar disorder commint suicide every year. For teens with bipolar disorder, there are various Therapeutic Boarding Schools for Bipolar Teens.

Signs and Symptoms of Drug Abuse in Teen

Drug abuse is an issue that a lot of teenagers deal with, particularly if the teenager has repeated thoughts of not fitting in, poor self-esteem or depression, or if there is history of drug use in their family. Parents must know the signs and symptoms that might indicate potential substances abuse in their teen. Despite the fact that a variety of substances have unique physical side effects, the signs and symptoms of addiction are similar regardless of drug. Listed here are the primary behaviors that may warn you of possible drug abuse.

signs of drug abuse

Physical
Frequent and unusual tiredness, frequent health problems, red and glazed eyes, a long lasting cough, smell of drugs inside your teen's bedroom or on his or her private stuff, significant weight-loss or gain, immediate careless physical appearance.

Emotional
Noticeable personality change, immediate swift changes in moods, fear, anxiety, being easily annoyed, irresponsible behavior, overreaction to critique, rebelliousness, general unhappiness, poor self-esteem, poor judgment, depression, frequent necessity for cash (drugs are pricey), general low interest.

Social
Dishonest, thieving, troubles with legal issues, immediate change to less conventional styles of clothing, joining with new friends who're less enthusiastic about regular home and school activities.

Family/Home
Consistent initiation of fights, direspects, breaking regulations, pulling out from your family, not telling the truth about activities or when they have been, not being home in time, harassing to members of your family.

School
Dropped interest, bad attitude, decrease in grades, many absences, truancy, discipline problems, sleeping in class, attention/memory decrease.

Most of these may also be signs and symptoms of other problems, so talk to a physician, psychologist, or psychiatrist when you have any reasons to believe that something is wrong. Fortunately there are many treatment programs that can be a good place to start if you suspect your teen is using drugs. Treatment programs for drug abuse in teen including, inpatient: hospitalization, outpatient drug treatment program, day treatment, residential treatment center or best boarding school troubled teens.

Teenage Depression: Causes, Signs, and How to Help

Teen depression is among the most common adolescent problems. Depression can dramatically affect a person's ability to perform in school and handle social situations and relationships. Depression is now considered to be the most common factor leading to adolescent suicide. This disorder occurring during the teenage years marked by feelings of sadness, hopelessness and discouragement. Teen depression should be taken seriously because it can damage your teen's life. With that in mind, it's important that we take some time to look at, define, and understand the problem of teenage depression.

Causes of Teen Depression
Different factors play roles in the causes of adolescent depression. Depression can be a transient response to many situations and stresses. In teenage, depression can be cause by stressful life event or accumulation of damaging experiences, such as a breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend, the death of a friend or relative, or failure to school. There are also several medical causes for depression in adolescents. These include problems with hormones, such as a low thyroid rate.

The warning Signs of Teen Depression
Signs of teenage depression are difficult to see because adolescence is stereotyped as a time of irritable moodiness, signs of teenage depression can be missed. Following is a list of many of the most common warning signs of depression.

• Depressed mood, exhibited by crying, social withdrawal, or irritability.
• Noticable changes in eating or sleeping habits, either eating or sleeping more or less than usual.
• Intense, persistent withdrawal from friends or family.
• Impulsive and aggressive behavior and frequent expressions of rage.
• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions.
• Drug or alcohol abuse.
• Expression of low self-esteem on a persistent and pervasive level.
• Loss of pleasure or interest in activities that were once enjoyable.
• Unexplained drop in the quality of schoolwork, grades dropping significantly.

How to Handle Teen Depression
It can be frustrating, dicouraging, and overwhelming for parents to figure out what sort of help to get for their depressed teenager. Finding the right treatment for your teen will depend on the severity of his symptoms, how long he has had symptoms of depression, the underlying causes, his current situation, and other such factors. Generally speaking, the most productive approach to a case of full-blown teenage depression is a combination of therapy and medication. If you have tried therapy and other options to help teenage depression, but not working, a therapeutic boarding school or residential treatment program may be the answer.

Therapeutic boarding high schools

Raising and working with adolescents in today's world is challenging task, leaving many adults bewildered and confused about the most effective ways to interact with teens. The challenge is rendered even more daunting when adolescents display troubling emotions and behaviors such as substance abuse, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and self-destructive actions, including suicide attempts and cutting themselves.

Students who struggle with behavioral or emotional problems, substance abuse, significant learning difficulties issues, will have a great challenges to success in conventional high school environments. Fortunately there are many types of alternative schools have emerged to support these types of students, one of them is therapeutic boarding high schools. They combine the traditions and academics of regular boarding schools with intense therapeutic interventions. Well-trained and supervised staff are available at these schools, students usually enjoy small class sizes so every student is known and every need is addressed.

Therapeutic boarding high schools offer a better an environment than traditional high schools for teens that are struggling and need to work on improving their behaviors. So if you believe that your kids have been unable to make satisfactory adjustments in their school, then it's possible that the ideal education setting for them is at a therapeutic boarding high school. Talk to your child's doctor, teachers and therapists to find out if they recommend therapeutic boarding high school for your child.

Another alternative programs for students who struggle with behavioral or emotional problems are residential treatment programs, wilderness programs, boot camps, therapeutic boarding schools, therapeutic summer camps or Christian boarding school.