Controversial topic!

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pegasus said:
Would you as a parent prefer that they went on a website specifically aimed for their age- range?

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The bottom line is this . . . if any teen feels suicidal, I hope that he/she reaches out to any mental health site.

Psych Central is the BEST mental health community. Psych Central should not exclude any teen.

yes, i do not think exclusion is the answer here.

Im a teen and when I need help I come to this site.
I hope I can still do this, without people judging me.
I have been through alot, but not the same as everyone, and I can respect that. I have people in my family with mental disorders, and I help them everyday, even though I get no help in return.
I was raped when I was 12 by my best friend, then he shot himself right in front of me. I did cocaine, pot, and speed. So when I get no help with my problems, it is hard not to come here to get support.
I think this site is safe for ALL ages.
-Megan-

thank you! it is good to have the side of a teen as well!

Jennie we don't deal with the suicidal issues here. not like we did at doc's old website....we are not trained for the but we do refer them to call 911. thank goodness it rarely comes up here.

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bebop said:
I don't think we have our heads in the sand at all. We deal with these kids every night and frankly most don't listen to the adults in here. Some do but most don't. I do feel all kids are different. Some are more mature than others. You would think some 13 yr olds are alot older than some of the 16 or 17 yr olds. again my opinion as I am sure some of the others here share. We deal with it every night in chatroom.

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Why would you expect "these kids" to listen to you (not you specifically ) anymore than anyone else on this board does? Some adults on this forum can be pretty darn bullheaded at times::waves her hand::

Anyway, I think a teen chat and section would be a great idea.......but do not exclude them from boards you think might be too "adult".........sigh, sometimes they deal with those "adult" things also......sad isn't it?

I think anyone coming in seeking advise should listen. lol but I think really all we have been really saying is a teen chatroom is badly needed.

I think that is all we are saying.

Give them a place of their own so that they can interact with people on a similar wavelength.

Also keep some space aside for those of us who are a bit older, like perhaps part of the chat rooms.

The boards I don't see as being an issue, there are some intelligent posts made by younger people.

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bebop said:
Jennie we don't deal with the suicidal issues here. not like we did at doc's old website....we are not trained for the but we do refer them to call 911. thank goodness it rarely comes up here.

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bebop . . . true, we don't directly tolerate suicidal threats. however, we do read posts from suicidal people here all the time.

i've been suicidal and came here to my Psych Central family. don't tell me that i was the only person that has done that. it's not too difficult to hide the pain inside while online. i never said "help, i'm gonna do it" . . . but i posted stuff as my last resort.

jennie yes I am sure that does happen...no the teens would never be excluded in my opinion. I do understand what you are saying too. I know for sure I hide alot of pain in here myself.

Ok now this is my opinion (and) Unless I am missing something here - something that I have not been witness to or been aware of on PC.... I personally would not mind letting my teenage child or teen family member come here if they were dealing with a mental disorder / depression..... for I have seen nothing on the forums that could harm them or create deeper issues for them - I see hope, support, love, acceptance, understanding and the great need to learn from the experience of others - in other words AWESOME ADVICE & HELP!!!.

So........... why shouldn't the young leaders of tomorrow be aloud to make themselves better now and not later? - the sooner they heal the better of an adult (person of this society) they will be.


LoVe,
Rhapsody -

P.S.

Now as far as the CHAT room goes.... I know when to hold my tongue and when to fold it away, no matter if I am talking to an adult or a teenager. Respect for ALL!!

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bebop said: I know for sure I hide alot of pain in here myself.

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((((((bebop))))))

I believe anyone who needs the help and support of this site should be allowed to view and be in the chat rooms, that nobody should be discrimated against. What next no seniors or people in their 30 because some people can't relate to their ages or that their views are different than ours?.

I feel if someone doesn't like who is in the chatroom or what is being discussed, they can start up their own chat elsewhere or try again later. Some chat rooms have an ignore button where you don't even have to read that person's chat. Why get your panties in a bunch, just do something else?

Maybe only my higher power knows how much a place like this could've saved me from so much as a teen and thereafter...so much.

So, yes, I would allow my child to come here and gain whatever they can to help them in any way that it can. Teen life is soooooooooo hard. Teen life with issues of abuse, MI, etc. can be unbearable.

I dare say that MUCH more is seen/heard on t.v., in school, and just about everywhere else than could be seen here for a teen. PC just might be the only place of stability and support for many.

Food for thought...

Yep, had I had PC when I was wondering if I'd live to see another day as a teen, I may have gotten help more quickly... at the VERY LEAST I may have had someone somewhere... it could've saved me from alot that was done to me, and also helped me from going down some of the roads that I went paved by abuse and separation.

I could go on for hours about the different ways it could've helped me, and how it was so bad; that it might've been just the one bright spot in my world...the one thing I could've depended upon...a place holding the one friend that I might've found.... Also, there would not have been one thing here to read that could've hurt me, excepting possibly the pointing out that I was "a kid", because when I was a teen, I was certainly no "kid". Our children suffer too much with less resources.

KD

Good subject, Pegasus. One that I've been thinking about lately too.

While I believe there is a lot of positive support here (wouldn't be here otherwise), I know that there is a lot of information here that some teens may not have been exposed to already.

I personally don't go into the Eating Disorders or Self Injury areas because I'm too easily influenced by reading about it. I have DID and bulimia and cutting really appeals to some of the more angry parts. It is not something that I want to start doing now at age 36. So, I stay out of there.

When I was 12 years old and severely depressed, I wanted to commit suicide. I didn't know how, so I read about someone else's story and copied them. When I was really angry at age 17, I read an article about how damaging anorexia and bulimia can be and tried both for a few months. Lucky for me, I graduated and moved out to go to college and wasn't being controlled anymore, so the behavior stopped (it practically had to stop because I Love Food!).

My point is this--while some teens are able to handle information well and would receive support from the members here, other teens may not be able to speak out or filter out what really helps versus harms.

I also know that when I'm posting about the really dark, difficult issues and I have a teen respond with empathy, sympathy, or support, I feel as if it was inappropriate for me to share because I would not share that information with a teen in real life. I know that I am not responsible for the effects of what I share with another adult, but I do feel responsible for the effects of what I share with a teen.

I think a separate site for teens is a great idea. Perhaps it could be open for members from PC to go in and post for support without posting too graphically about their own experiences. Sort of a toned-down version of PC where the adults who are there are only present to give support, not to work out their own issues.

Elizabeth

I think we should set examples for the young ones and by that I mean we have to really watch what is discussed in chatroom, however that now leaves us not being able to discuss adult issues anymore due to so many teens in chat lately.

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I'm sorry but more and more younger people are dealing with things that you could not imagine.

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Exactly, Lexy. That's why they need a more structured atmosphere than we have here.

I'm beginning to notice that most of these very young teens don't post. The just use the chat rooms where none if very little support goes on. It's my opinion that all they are looking for is a place to act out. And I DO MEAN act out! Last night, two moderators had to be called into chat because of one young person that was totally rebellious and angry. At one point, he/she wanted me to stay while a Mod spoke to him but then it was dead silence. No cooperation of any sort. That young person has been on my mind all day. I don't know whether they wanted help from ME or what. It seemed this young person thought it was ME that had called in the moderators and I wasn't even there the first time. I feel sad, guilty and worried for this person. It has distracted me quite a bit today from my own thoughts and plans. Then helplessness sets in and *I* start my downward spiral of negative feelings. None of need that!

They need a place where they can find adult, experienced, willing help if they want it. They need healthy minded people that can deal with them to even so much as teach them good manners, not other mentally ill people that lose it with their acting out!

As I've said before and I'll say again and again... these kids need a different environment to go to. Not here! There's too much information here for them that could even cause them some serious damage, if they read it. Sex is a normal, human topic/action. It's the other things that worry me! There's NO WAY I would have let any of my kids read or participate in a place like this!

I have a mental illness!
I was sexually abused as a young person.
I spent time, a good deal of time, in a psychiatric hospital as a teenager.
I attempted suicide quite a few times during that period. Had ECT at 16........and you know what, I did it alone. There was no one........no one to understand, no one to talk to ........ My friends, they couldn't visit me because it "depressed them" per one of the mom's I spoke with......

Now would anything on this website have triggered me...on the contrary, it would have been a lifeline for me..

I watched my daughter struggle with her own mental illness. I tried to get her into groups that were "age appropriate" but they were all about drugs and alcohol abuse. Some blessings we had with my daughter was that she was so young (13), and we lived in a semi-rural area, when she was diagnosed, she had not got into the "self-medication route" yet. Did she know it exsisted, yes, but were the groups like that a help.....no......she could not relate.

Would a website like this have been a resource to me, when i was young and my daugher at that age......YES!!

Age is a relative thing......life experiences have a way of aging you beyond your peers.

Everyone, all ages, need a resource of this type. Neither I, nor my daughter would have been able to tolerate the "My mom was soooo mean today..she wouldn't let me talk to my boyfriend before dinner" type of website that more typical teens may frequent.

Please continue to give the young adults a place to deal with their very sadly adult issues.

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We are not talking about "typical" teens who need to learn to respect and mind their elders.

We are talking about young adults who are also dealing with very adult issues and mental illnesses themselves.

I agree they need a safe place.....and for right now, this is one of the safest I have seen.

I would have been pleased to recommend this site to my daughter and she would have made good use of it too.

Bless all of you for your patience with these "needy" teenagers who frequent this site. They will appreciate and be better for it in the long run.

I am the teen who posted on here earlier.
I do very much appreciate this web site.
It is the people who judge because of age I dont appreciate.
I have been through many adult situations, and handled them like crap, that is why I am so messed up right now, and why I came to this site.
I hope this site welcomes every age
Megan

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damajdancer said:
It is the people who judge because of age I dont appreciate.

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Ya know I have been dealing with people who only see my age my whole life. The more they focus on age the more I resent them. When we only focus on age, we completely dismiss the person and their issues.

A lot of times online I refuse to let people know my age for certain reasons. Usually when people see someone's age they do exactly what makes me resent them. Either that or they think I lying about certain things or making them bigger than they really are.

I could sit for hours upon hours talking to an 80 year old while people my own age I have a hard time relating to if they haven't been through hell and back. Why? Simply because in an 80 year old's life they've experienced the same stuff or the same amount of things as I have in all my 28 years. My morals and values are so much like theirs too, while I find it difficult to understand how anyone can enjoy going clubbing, partying all the time, or doing things that are so common with the younger generations. When I'm introduced to someone my own age or younger that has been through the same things or similar things as me I cling to them like crazy...I don't get that very often.

Ok, sorry...I'm rambling now...I'll just shut up.

I think the main issue has been chat... some teens haven't posted yet.

But if not here then in other threads I have talked about teens that do not have any mental disoder... but are going through growing up or trying to. It's the need for education that amazes me... they won't listen to us, adults, just like they don't listen to their parent. They are argumentative and whiney. And they don't see anything wrong with them and the way they act out.

The teens that do have mental unwellness and have a T and are trying meds or such and going through those issues certainly maintain a different attitude than those that appear to just be juvenile, imo. These teens, imo, may act out but they realize it later and apologize and try to improve. It's a big difference.

When this topic was discuss last year (and/or the year before) the main concern was moderation of a site with teens, and especially if there was a forum for teens. If a forum for teens is created, then a solution would probably include forums for other bulk age groups too. Creating just a forum for teens would make it look, to me, like being a teen is a disorder or symptom in itself.

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DocJohn said:
Does that mean that adults and teens/children face the same issues? No, they don't. Teens and children face very different issues than adults, and have a very different set of social skills than adults. And that, to me, speaks for the need to, at the very least, consider again the need for a teen place on Psych Central.

This time around, I'm fairly convinced it's time to create such a place for teens, including their own chat room. I don't want to stigmatize or exclude a set of the population due to no fault of their own (their age), and I see no reason to do so.

DocJohn

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I think that's an excellent idea. I often wonder what might have been different if I had the resources to idenfify and try to deal with my depression when I was a teen. Peer support is so important, and being able to communicate with other teens struggling with mental illness has the potential to be so empowering and to reduce the stigam of mental illness.

gg

due to the amount of PMs that i get from teenagers here, i know that they are hurting. and i try my best to help and talk them through problems and just stay with them.

i offered once before and i'll offer one more time, i'll help with a teen forum. i won't do chat. but i'll help with a forum.

i've not had any problems with teens now. i'm talking about posting.not chat. we've had problems before, but if we've had any recently, i missed it. must have dozed off. we have some remarkably mature teen posters now.

i would have given my right arm had i had a forum like this to go to when i was a teen. and my daughters would have benefitted greatly from the "elders" here.

we can't prevent the pain, how can we turn our backs on them? they are dealing with problems that people my age never even thought of.

i think we need a space for teens. pat