This article mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call, text, or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.
Turning Winds works with teenagers, ages 13–18, who would benefit from clinical therapy and academic guidance as they transition to adulthood. We specialize in many of the most common mental health conditions such as low self-worth, behavioral problems, poor academic performance, and various disorders including ADHD, depression, substance use disorder (SUD), and attachment disorders.
These children are intelligent, capable, and amazing, and yet their actions do not measure up to their value or potential; the outward signs of which seem to be a daily dose of self-destructive and life-impeding decisions.
According to the federal Department of Health and Human Services, “an estimated 49.5 percent of adolescents has had a mental health disorder at some point in their lives.” The good news is that for young people with mental health disorders, early intervention and treatment can help lessen the impact on their lives.
It is a normal part of development for teens to experience a wide range of emotions. It is typical, for instance, for teens to feel anxious about school or friendships, or to experience a period of depression following the death of a close friend or family member. However, mental health disorders are characterized by persistent symptoms that affect how a young person feels, thinks, and acts. Mental health disorders can also interfere with regular activities and daily functioning, such as relationships, schoolwork, sleeping, and eating.
ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
Adolescent mental health issues remain substantial public health concerns. According to the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2023, “High pre-COVID rates of poor mental health and suicide-related behaviors have continued to rise, highlighting the need to identify factors that might foster positive mental health outcomes and reduce suicide-related behaviors at population levels.”
Overall, 39.7 percent of high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, 28.5 percent experienced poor mental health, 20.4 percent seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9.5 percent had attempted suicide.
In 2022, former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory on the youth mental health crisis: “Mental health challenges in children, adolescents, and young adults are real and widespread. Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide — and rates have increased over the past decade,” Dr. Murthy wrote.
Teens face many pressures that may trigger anxiety and co-occurring substance use. According to a Pew Research Center survey, “academics tops the list: 61 percent of teens said they feel a lot of pressure to get good grades.
Turning Winds offers a high-quality academic experience for each teenage student. As clients in a residential treatment center with a strong academic program, they are provided with a highly individualized academic experience. “Academics is a really important part of our program,” says Turning Winds CEO Owen Baisden. “We have small classrooms with 8–12 students and there is lots of one-on-one instruction.”
ADHD
About one in nine children in the US between the ages of three and 17 have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). As we reported on this blog, ADHD diagnoses in US children and adolescents have increased significantly in recent years. The team at Turning Winds has a lot of experience treating clients with an ADHD diagnosis.
“It’s often difficult for parents to navigate that situation. They don’t know how to respond to certain situations. They’re not sure what’s driving this behavior and how parents can get ahead of it,” says Turning Winds’ clinical director Jared Sartell who speaks from experience since he has a child with ADHD himself.
Children with ADHD have a hard time thriving in a contemporary school environment. “There used to be a place for those kids, there used to be traditional academics but there was also an auto shop and other hands-on instruction, there was lots of PE and intramural sports. There were ways for people to thrive outside the classroom,” says Sartell. “Now, our system has shifted away from that, and most of the time, students are required to sit still in the classroom. It’s ‘do your work, don’t question anything’—essentially, don’t make life inconvenient for the adults running the show.”
SUBSTANCE MISUSE
Substance use remains significant among high school students in the United States. In 2021, nearly a quarter of high school students drank alcohol during the past 30 days with female students more likely than male students to currently misuse alcohol, according to CDC data. Sixteen percent of high school students used marijuana during the past 30 days that year and again girls were more likely than boys to currently use marijuana.
Many teenagers require treatment to avoid falling into the trap of progressively escalating their substance misuse leading to full-blown addiction and other serious health problems. Turning Winds clients undergo a comprehensive evaluation to determine what services they require. Our medical, clinical, and operations team members will work with parents, their teens, and each other to determine a personalized program that gets to the heart of the children’s issues and helps them navigate their healing process.
Program manager Tara Stever has made a huge impact on many of our students as a drug and addiction counselor, helping them overcome their destructive behaviors. The starting point for Stever is typically exploring why the teen client started misusing drugs and alcohol.
“A lot of kids say something like, ‘because it was fun and stuff,’ but the reality is we use substances to hide something. For most of us, it’s about hiding emotions. We don’t want to feel those emotions or we don’t want to face some other trauma in life. And so we cover it up and hide it with substance use.”
Healing from a substance use disorder or other addictions often involves acknowledging the reasons behind the pathological behavior instead of suppressing painful emotions and denying the attempts to self-medicate them. “None of us like being vulnerable,” says Stever. “But the first thing that we have to do is acknowledge that it’s okay—that you are not weak because you’re asking for help.
COMMON MENTAL HEALTH WARNING SIGNS
Mental health is not simply the presence or absence of symptoms. Variations in how teens experience symptoms can make the identification and diagnosis of mental health disorders challenging. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, an adolescent may need help if they:
- Lose interest in activities that they used to enjoy
- Have low energy
- Have difficulty sleeping or eating
- Spend more time alone and avoid social activities
- Excessively exercise, diet, and/or binge eat
- Harm themselves (e.g., burning or cutting their skin)
- Use alcohol, tobacco, or other substances
- Engage in risky or destructive behavior
- Have thoughts of suicide
- Think their mind is being controlled or is out of control or hear things other people cannot hear
THE TURNING WINDS DIFFERENCE
Are you seeking a transformative solution for your teen’s challenges? Turning Winds offers a long-term residential treatment center for teens that fills the gaps left by other treatment options. Our holistic and relational approach ensures profound and lasting change for your teen.
Turning Winds helps young people learn how to engage purposefully with the world around them. The program’s holistic approach, relational focus, and emphasis on achieving authentic openness make Turning Winds especially effective at facilitating positive outcomes and long-term change. Contact us online for more information, or call us at (800) 845-1380. If your call isn’t answered personally, one of us will get back to you as soon as possible.
