Talking To Teens: Expert Tips for Parenting Teenagers
Kids & Family
What do you do when your teen suddenly seems to be in a rut? It might be that they barely eat, lock themselves in their room, or stop talking to their friends…whatever it is, they won’t clue you in to what’s wrong. The truth is, they may not even know! These days, more and more people are finding themselves feeling down without an obvious reason—and this week, we’re going to find out why.
In recent years, the number of prescriptions for antidepressants has gone up all across the globe…but so have rates of depression and anxiety. How could this be possible? It might just be that relying on medicine is actually making us feel worse in the long run–and the same goes for other substances, or even unexpected comforts like social media and video gaming. To help us understand further, we’re talking to a brilliant psychologist who knows a thing or two about addiction and the mind’s ability to process feel-good chemicals.
Dr. Anna Lembke is the Medical Director of Stanford Addiction Medicine and has been a leading researcher on addiction for over 25 years! Her new book, Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence, highlights just how easy it is to partake into too much pleasure when we’re constantly oversaturated with media influence and convenient dopamine hits like fast food and vaping. Beyond just substance abuse, many teens are finding themselves addicted to digital stimulation, pornography or social media, but may not not exactly why they’re feeling so blue all the time.
To help us understand this mental health crisis, Dr. Lembke and I are discussing the neurological and evolutionary reasons behind why teens get into depressive episodes from too much indulgent behavior. Plus, we’re talking about what we can do to make our teens less vulnerable to addictive forces, and how to get them to open up about their bad habits.
Ep 273: Lowering the Drama in Big Family Choices
Ep 272: Helping Teens Discuss Anxiety
Ep 271: Navigating the Teen Loneliness Epidemic
Ep 270: Parenting Beyond Social Media
Ep 269: Are You a Consistent Parent?
Ep 268: How to Convince Stubborn Teens
Ep 267: Neurodivergent Teens and Communication
Ep 266: Is Social Media Making Our Teens Angry?
Ep 265: Turning Teens Into Savvy Investors
Ep 264: Overcoming Anxiety, Finding Well-Being
Ep 263: Sex, Puberty and Parenting
Ep 262: Built to Move: Healthy Teens
Ep 261: What Your Teen’s Music Says About Them
Ep 260: How to Turn Setbacks into Success
Ep 259: What’s Your Pronoun?
Ep 258: Privacy Versus Parenting
Ep 257: From Grieving to Resilient Parent
Ep 256: Tricky Talks: Weight, Food, and Exercise
Ep 255: How Much Should Parents Push?
Ep 254: Life Skills for Connecting with Others
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
History Storytime - For Kids
Privacy Boys
Nonsensical Show
Grimms’ Fairy Tales
Pollyanna
Dr. Laura Call of the Day
Focus on the Family with Jim Daly