Research is emerging into the mental/emotional health challenges facing modern teens, particularly in terms of associated mood disorders, alcohol and the link between these things and suicide. Increased knowledge in this area should help to protect the mental wellness and emotional wellbeing of teens as they struggle through the difficult period of adolescence.
Scientists based at King’s College in London have been doing a study that looked particularly at teen alcohol use, and the place for alcohol therapy. Instead of taking a social or peer-pressure route to helping teens avoid excessive alcohol use, the team worked from a mental-health perspective, tailoring treatments to suit the personalities of various students. They found that there are certain personality types linked to alcohol use, and they include features such as impulsivity, sensation seeking, hopelessness, sensitivity and anxiety.
Students who displayed one of the traits were found to be at higher risk for alcohol dependence, and were sent to cognitive-behavioural therapy workshops, where they learned strategies to help them cope with their particular personality traits, rather than there being any kind of focus on the issue of alcohol itself.
Results showed a 29 percent reduction in drinking and 43 percent reduction in binge drinking as a result of the programme, and high risk students were deemed to be at lower risk of requiring intervention.
Teenage girls are at greater risk of being diagnosed with a mood disorder, too, such as depression, ADHD or an eating disorder, and all of these can be linked to alcohol use, too, as well as increased rates of suicide. Cognitive behaviour therapy techniques are also recommended for these types of mood disorders too, and research has shown that this kind of therapy can help to prevent suicide from being contemplated, let alone tried.
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