Youth at Risk

According to Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System and SAMHSA reports our children are living in fear:

• Two of every five boys (40%) and one of every four girls (25%) reported being involved in a physical fight within the last year
• One in four boys (27%) and one in fifteen girls (7%) reported carrying a weapon within the last month
• One in ten boys (10%) and one in seventy girls (1.6%) reported carrying a gun within the last month
• The presence of overweight in teens has tripled over the last 25 years.  In part this is attributed toward a lack of outdoor play

Mental illnesses are going untreated, and being self medicated with drugs and alcohol. This is leading to dual diagnosis concerns.

• While suicide rates for males ages 10 - 24 have fallen sharply since 1990s, the 12% prevalence of suicide attempts by female high school students remains a concern.  One national study found that an eighth (12.6%) of high school girls met the criteria for clinical depression
• Many mental illnesses in teens go untreated, an are therefore apt to be self medicated with drugs and alcohol according to a study entitled “Adolescents, Adults report Major Depression” (2006) which can be accessed at www.samhsa.gov
• Learning disabilities (attributed in part to excessive TV watching in the formative years) are linked to violence, alcohol and substance abuse, delinquency and suicide attempts which further diminish the hope of a bright tomorrow

Source: National Adolescent Health Information Center (2005) A Health Profile of Adolescent and Young Adult Males.

University of California, San Francisco, CA at www.nahic.ucsf.edu