If your teen wears all black and listens to Marilyn Manson, is she suicidal or just artistic? If your son likes to mosh to Limp Bizkit's "Break Stuff," is he a healthy male or a psychopath? If your daughter is "pro-Anna," is she taking an interest in activism or developing an eating disorder? Authoritative and incisive, "Is My Teenager Ok? delves into the world of teens and illuminates their struggles with today's problems and challenges: sex, alcohol and drugs, food and eating disorders, home and family, acting out, the Internet, anger and depression, and school life. It also explains today's youth subcultures, so parents can understand what falls into the range of "normal" behavior and what does not. Understanding the difference empowers parents to nurture their adolescents' individuality without missing the warning signs of serious problems in need of professional attention. Dr. Paul, a highly respected MD and the executive director of the Karen Horney Clinic in New York, covers each topic with an overview, statistics, risk factors, signs to look for, and what to do. Using these guidelines, parents can understand what their teens are going through and why, as well as when to wait things out and when it's time to seek therapy. The topics are cross-referenced, so parents can understand the overlapping roles different issues play, such as depression's influence on bulimia or the relationship between tattooing and gangs. Definitions for all the most current slang helps expose what kids are really talking about, enabling parents to make informed decisions as to whether or not they need to intervene. Informative and reassuring "Is My Teenager OK? is a seminal book in the tradition of"Staying Connected to Your Teenager by Michael Riera and "Queens, Bees, and "Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman that will help every parent determine when to worry and more importantly, when not to worry.
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