Many people have never heard of MDMA (short for methylenedioxymethamphetamine). On the flip side, most have heard of ecstasy. Otherwise known as the love pill or the club drug, ecstasy heightens perceptions of sound and color and is also known to increase the physical sensation of touch, especially during physical intercourse. Ecstasy contains hallucinogens, which…

Expressive therapy is a common practice used with young children, teens, and adults, in both individual and group settings. The intention of this unique approach to therapy is to help the patient develop and grow personally, and ultimately to transform to the person that they want to be. Expressive therapy for children and teens struggling…

Young adults are very vulnerable to addictions, and in many cases, are more vulnerable than any other age group. During the teen years, the brain and body are still in development. In particular, the area of the brain that makes rational decisions is not well-established. And in reality, these parts of the brain are often…

With nearly 300 million cell phones in use in the United States, that puts the country third overall in the world when it comes to total mobile phones in use. In a 2017 article, Bill Gates was quoted as saying that on average, a child gets his or her first smartphone at the age of…

It seems that the prevalence of marijuana use is on the rise among today’s teenagers, and this isn’t just because marijuana is becoming legalized in certain states across the country. Many teenagers are trying marijuana, and some are using it quite regularly. In fact, today’s teens are more likely to use marijuana than tobacco. Even…

It has to be hard to be a teenager these days. While we all were teenagers at one point in our lives, it is most likely that we remember all of the good times. We remember prom, barbeques with our friends, late study nights at the library, and graduation, among many other things. We probably…

Teen alcohol abuse has become a tragic element of our society’s evolution and a very real threat to the safety of teenagers in the United States. Teens today are drinking just as much, if not more than, the generations prior. In fact, a majority of teens will have tried alcohol at least once before they…

Social anxiety, sometimes known as social phobia, can be very difficult to cope with at any time in life and requires careful management. However, for young people who are still in school, it can be especially hard to handle as the isolating nature of the disorder. Social anxiety is an overwhelming and long-lasting fear of…

Most people experience some traumatic events in their life from time to time, and this includes children and teenagers. Some experts believe that up to 40% of adolescents and children will go through a minimum of one traumatic event at some point in their lives, but while the majority of people bounce back to normal…

With summertime comes time at the beach, fun in the sun, and hanging out with friends. But for teenagers struggling with mental health issues, especially those who avoid social settings, it can mean a summer spent in front of an electronic device, sleeping far more than what is healthy, and other poor behaviors. For many…