Troubled Youth Doesn’t Only Mean Anger & Defiance Issues

When looking for help for their teen, some parents may not consider a residential treatment center for troubled teens. They may believe that the troubled youth label only applies to defiant or aggressive teens. However, the services provided by a residential treatment center help far more than teens with anger issues and defiance problems.

So What Does “Troubled Teen” Mean?

While issues like anger management and defiance are serious, there are other types of youth issues that fall in the troubled teen category. Teens who are struggling with prolonged issues without any positive progress often are categorized as troubled, especially if their condition worsens.

For instance, take a teenage boy with clinical depression. This teen’s slide into deeper depression likely led them to start having poor grades, lose interest in hobbies and friends, and steadily become more isolated. To help deal with these feelings of depression, he might turn to substance abuse, ranging from alcohol to prescription medications that belong to family and friends.

While the example teen isn’t typically what is thought of as a troubled teen, he is undoubtedly troubled and can benefit from the therapeutic environment and support of a residential treatment center.

Watch Out For These Signs Of A Troubled Teen

Some types of troubled teen behavior are obvious to a mildly observant parent. However, there are times where this behavior can be disguised as typical teenage rebellions. The most common signs and symptoms of a troubled teen are:

Extremely low self-esteem
Isolation from family and friends
Risky sexual behavior
Lying and secretive behavior
Constant rule-breaking
Body dysmorphia
Academic failure
Substance abuse
Excessive usage of social media, video games, etc.
Self-harm and suicide ideation
Bullying (either as the bully or being bullied)
Truancy
Poor personal hygiene