You know your child better than anyone else. However, it may be difficult for you to recognize signs that your adolescent may need professional help for an addiction. But if your adolescent is struggling with addiction, it’s more important than anything else to get them the help they need. Sometimes that needed help may take the form of an adolescent treatment program, such as the program at Fort Behavioral Health in Fort Worth, Texas. Our female-only adolescent treatment program gives young women the tools they need for long-lasting recovery from addiction.
Lacks the Ability to Regulate Emotions
Everyone occasionally experiences emotions that feel stronger than we’re able to handle. Most of us learn to temper those emotions and find healthy outlets to express ourselves without causing harm. Some teens have trouble learning how to regulate their emotions, and they may turn to substance abuse to dull the intense emotions that come on during the transition to adulthood. An adolescent substance abuse treatment program specifically designed for young women can help them learn how to handle these emotions.
No Interest in Learning Life Skills
No matter what happens, one thing is for sure; your adolescent will get older and need to care for themselves as an independent adult. As a parent, you know that adolescence is the right time to teach life skills like handling money, doing laundry, or managing time. But if your adolescent who is struggling with addiction isn’t able to muster the interest in learning the essentials from you, then this is a sign that they need professional help where they will learn life skills in addition to coping mechanisms to get past their addictions.
Acting Out in Increasingly Destructive Ways
All children act out sometimes. But if your adolescent’s acting out has become destructive to themselves or others, they might be better off at an adolescent treatment program. Destructive behaviors to look out for include cutting, promiscuity, hanging out with a bad crowd of peers, pursuing relationships with inappropriate partners like older adults or teachers, engaging in arson, theft, vandalism, and more.
Exercising Poor Judgement
Adolescents who are struggling to cope with everyday situations in life have trouble making important decisions. These include everything from how long to allow for homework to how fast to drive on a residential street. You may be attributing your adolescent’s poor judgment to “the teen years,” when in reality, there’s a much more serious situation happening. Consider enrolling them in a female-only adolescent treatment program so they can get rid of their addiction.
Psychiatric Symptoms Are Starting
Adolescents who have underlying psychiatric problems are often the ones who turn to substance abuse. This is because they may find temporary relief from the symptoms they’re experiencing, including suicidal thoughts, voices, compulsive impulses, or something else. Your adolescent child may be suffering in silence with these symptoms, but eventually, they will become evident to you, their parent, or guardian. Children like this need professional help. When you get them into an adolescent treatment program that only admits young women, any relevant underlying condition can be properly diagnosed and treated alongside any addiction issues.
Your Other Children Are Being Affected
Every family member deserves a safe place to reside and thrive. Your other children may be impacted by the actions and behaviors of your addicted adolescent. While you definitely want to do what’s best for all of your children, you also need to safeguard your children who are not addicted and who may become victims in their own homes. If you notice that your other children are being negatively impacted, it’s time to consider enrolling your struggling young woman in an adolescent drug addiction treatment program.
Get the Best Addiction Treatment for Your Child Today
There’s no better way to show your struggling child that you love them than to enroll them in an adolescent treatment program where they can get professional help that is just for young women. The Fort Behavioral Health team has helped hundreds of adolescent females just like yours. Reach out today for more information about how our adolescent treatment program can help your child. Contact us by either calling 844.332.1807 or completing our online form.
