Posted on August 10, 2016
Smart phones, tablets, and computers are pervasive in the lives of young people day. Their work, school, relationships, and interests all intersect with these devices and the internet one way or another. When a teen finds that they have trouble stopping themselves from constantly checking messages, websites, social media, online games, or other apps, this dependence can prove damaging to his or her developing mind.
Posted on August 01, 2016
Being a teenager is an exciting but also frustrating period of life. Because emotions can run so deep, it’s natural for parents and teens to argue as they negotiate privileges and responsibilities. Sometimes, however, a teen really struggles with expressing these emotions and with managing their frustrations and anger.
Posted on July 27, 2016
Talking to your kids about drugs is often challenging. Drugs increase or decrease in popularity, and it can seem almost impossible to keep up with street names and lingo used to describe the substances. If you’re a parent, however, you may need to have a conversation with your son or daughter about the dangers of dextromethorphan addiction. Often referred to as DXM, dextromethorphan is a common ingredient found in cold medicines and cough syrups.
Posted on July 20, 2016
Adolescence can be a time of enormous stress and anxiety. Because it can be difficult for a teen to imagine themselves thriving in the future as an adult, they can often feel overwhelmed and even hopeless when they struggle with succeeding in school, fitting in with their peers, and overcoming challenges of mental health. Sometimes ending their life feels like the only way to make the pain go away, and this tunnel vision can prevent them from getting the help they need.
Posted on June 20, 2016
Dangerous synthetic drugs like K2, Spice, and Black Mamba are being sold to children in convenience stores, gas stations, head shops, and on street corners.
Synthetic drugs are a rising concern in the United States. Though touted as “safe” or “natural,” these drugs are anything but innocent. Hundreds of “designer drugs” are introduced into the United States every year, and many of them are manufactured in China. They are incredibly dangerous because they contain chemicals that have not been tested for their effects on the human mind or body.
Posted on May 26, 2016
People between the ages of 12 to 20 drink 11% of all alcohol consumed in the U.S. Although young people drink less often than adults do, when they drink, they drink more. That is because young people consume more than 90% of their alcohol by binge drinking.
Posted on April 25, 2016
Kik is an online teen dating app that can be used for people to meet anonymously online using an instant messaging chat system. It also allows its users to exchange videos and images. It may sound like an example of how the digital age of cell phones and social media have pervaded the lives of young people as well as adults, but it is important to understand that Kik, and other "dating" apps are anything but harmless.
Posted on January 08, 2016
Elk River Treatment Program for adolescents is now an in-network provider for Cigna, a global health service leader dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. "Cigna shares our belief that mental health is equally as important as physical health,” said Karen Lee who founded ERTP 10 years ago.
Posted on November 24, 2015
Video games these days get a bad rap from a host of critics, but at the Elk River Treatment Program, therapists and parents alike are excited about the results teenagers are getting from using them in a form of therapy called neurofeedback.
Neurofeedback is defined as “a technique in which we train the brain to help improve its ability to regulate all bodily functions and to take care of itself. When the brain is not functioning well, evidence of this often shows up in the EEG (Electroencephalogram). By challenging the brain, much as you challenge your body in physical exercise, we can help your brain learn to function better.”
Posted on October 28, 2015
Triple C, or Cordies are the slang term for Coricidin HBP Cough and Cold, contains Dextromethorphan or DXM which taken in large doses can produce hallucinations. The simplest way to put it, says ERTP CEO Karen Lee, “is that teens have discovered a way to get high yet fly under the radar. One of the issues we face with Triple Cs is that it is difficult to detect because there is no drug screen for it. Pot can be detected for a month after use,” she explained, “but Triple Cs are not picked up by drug tests.”
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