Youth and Stress...Identify Your Giant & Defeat It

Stress is and will continue to be a part of your life. It is a natural physical and mental response which is actually designed to help us cope with issues we face.  Additionally, when we are stressed our body produces chemicals that raise our heart rate and blood pressure. Stress can be positive, for example, by keeping you alert when the concern of danger is present. The opposite, occurs when someone faces one problem after another with no relief in between or time to recover from the first issue.

So what are the "giants" causing our youth stress?  Maybe they are in a single family home and have been forced to take on more responsibility then would typically be expected of them; forcing them to miss out on experiences with their friends. Violence, bullying, physical, mental or sexual abuse are all definite causes of stress for our young adults.  Additionally, the pressure of young relationships & dating, school and worrying about exams, being competitive, or trying to live up to the expectations of others can add stress to their daily routine as well.

When stress continues without a period of relaxation your body can become distressed. Distress is a condition which leads to headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and eating too much or too little.   Other emotional symptoms of distress include:

~ Easily pushed to anger ~ Anxious all the time, high anxiety ~ Constantly frustrated and moody ~Increase frequency of crying ~ Low self esteem ~ Not sleeping ~ Lack of concentration

Often times people deal with stress by using alcohol, tobacco, or drugs.  In reality, these substances do not relax the body but instead keep it in a stressed state and cause more physical harm.

The behavior that is usually demonstrated by a stressed young person can often times be misunderstood, mislabeled and misdiagnosed. Adults and care givers must identify the source and provide creative solutions which will ignite the talent within our youth and not stomp out their flames.

There are ideas proven to relieve stress that "giants" in your life may cause.  Try some of these suggestions and see if the stress in your life is reduced.

• Speak to a trustworthy person or counselor. Talk about it. Don't hold it in.
• Try to escape the stress for a length of time every day. Read, journal or pray to take your mind to a place of peace.  You can also join a local youth group or mentor program.
• Try to create balance between your responsibilities at home and school and having fun.
• Exercise reduces tension in your mind and muscles
• LAUGH....a lot!

Stay Healthy & Stress Free

Dr. Dee Carter

Supportive links:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/support-groups/MH00002

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/StressManagement/Stress-Management_UCM_001082_SubHomePage.jsp?gclid=CIHLipqa0rgCFXRp7AodKysA7g

http://www.bgca.org/

Changes in Health Coverage for Young Adults

With the Affordable Care Act young adults can stay on their parents’ health plan until they are 26 years old.  This change which went into effect in the fall of 2010, has allowed more than three million young adults to receive health coverage.

Next year young adults will have more options for coverage in addition to their parents’ plan; however they will still encounter problems for coverage of  conditions related to mental health, substance abuse and maternity.  In the case where the young person might have had an individual health plan which refused to cover preexisting conditions, joining their parents’ plan may not change coverage in these areas.

In 2014 health plans will not be able to turn members down because of preexisting medical conditions. When this change goes into effect, young adults can choose if they want to stay on their parents’ plan or enroll with a new provider.   According to the Affordable Care Act:  "Additionally, young adults and people for whom coverage would otherwise be unaffordable will have  access to a catastrophic plan that will have a lower premium, protect against high out-of-pocket costs, and cover recommended preventive services without cost sharing." 

It is imperative that we stay informed which can be extremely hard to do when the full text of the Affordable Care Act is 906 pages, but if we read approximately 2.5 pages a day we could read the entire document in a year.

Let's start reading.

Dr. Dee Carter

 

Trayvon Martin “A Casualty of Racial Profiling”

In lieu of yesterday’s verdict, I thought it was a good time to discuss Racial Profiling. Ultimately Trayvon Martin was seen as a suspicious person in the neighborhood because he was an African American wearing a hoodie.   What can our society do about racial profiling?

In 2011 The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights published a report on racial profiling. In this report the problems of racial profiling are discussed and recommendations are made at the end to improve the policies in place.  The U.S. Supreme Court said that racial profiling violates the constitutional requirement that all persons be accorded equal protection of the law.  The U.S. Department of Justice stated in 2003

     “Racial profiling" at its core concerns the invidious use of race or ethnicity as a criterion in conducting stops, searches and other law enforcement investigative procedures. It is premised on the erroneous assumption that any particular individual of one race or ethnicity is more likely to engage in misconduct than any particular individual of another race or ethnicity.

Racial profiling in law enforcement is not merely wrong, but also ineffective. Race-based assumptions in law enforcement perpetuate negative racial stereotypes that are harmful to our rich and diverse democracy, and materially impair our efforts to maintain a fair and just society.”

Just as minority motorist or airline travelers have been subject to racial profiling, this case is proof that pedestrians fall into this scenario as well.  Community based organizations have policy strategies that often provide street-level law enforcement authorities (and now it would appear neighborhood watch groups) with wide discretion to patrol their communities.  This opens up the scenario for minorities to be perceived as a threat to the public even if they have done nothing wrong. Sound familiar?

When Attorney General Eric Holder was confirmed back in 2009 he said ending racial profiling would be a priority for the Obama administration.  Don’t we have the right to demand an end to racial profiling before more innocent people lose their lives?  Studies have shown that racial profiling is not an effective crime fighting strategy.  It is devastating families and communities and making us all less not more safe.

Dr. Dee Carter

 

 

 

Alarming Number of Disconnected Youth, What Does This Mean for Our Country

The numbers are growing of young people who are disconnected for the “American Dream.” Over six million 16-24 year olds have not held a job or continued their education beyond high school. Many of these youth are high school dropouts, foster youth and are already apart of the judicial system.  These youngsters, have often times been forgotten in political debates and policies around education and employment.

According to the Social Science Research Council’s Measure of America project, one in seven between the ages of 16-24 fall into the category of disengaged youth. The total number has reached an alarming 800,000.  This crisis is finally gaining the attention of some of our leaders and was a topic of discussion at the third annual meeting of Clinton Global Initiative America, which focuses on solutions to improve our country’s economic recovery.

A study in California, which has the largest foster care population, showed that women who “aged-out” of foster care were more than four times more likely to end up on public assistance.  In addition, an impressive number of California prison inmates have spent some time in the foster care system.  According to Measure of America, youth disconnection’s total a bill to tax payers in 2011 was a whopping $93.7 billion.  The Huffington Post reported that with 1.3 million 16-24 year olds out of work, youth unemployment has the potential to cost the U.S. $18 billion in lost income over the next 10 years.

We need organizations to create and implement solutions to target the needs of these youth who are transitioning out of foster care.  Services are required to assist them in developing life skills and job readiness.  All Americans must play their part, be it large or small, to empower these youth and give them the opportunity to fulfill their “American Dream.”

 

Dr. Dee Carter