Teen Pregnancy Statistics

Teen pregnancy statistics show that teen pregnancy and births are highest in the United States, costing over $7 billion annually. Consider these statistics:

• Every year over 750,000 teenagers get pregnant.
• 1/3 of all girls in the U.S. get pregnant while still in their teenage year.
• Unmarried teenagers account for 24 percent of all unmarried expectant mothers.
• More than 2/3 of all teenagers who have a baby will not graduate from high school.
• Billions of dollars are spent taking care of teenage mothers and their children.
• Teenage parents are more likely to be in the poverty bracket.

On the flip side:

• Millions of dollars are spent on teen pregnancy prevention programs.
• Teen births have dropped by almost a third since the beginning of the 1990s.
• In 2002 the abortion rate among teenagers was 50 percent lower than 1988.
• Among black teenagers, the pregnancy rate dropped around 40 percent since 1990.
• Among Hispanic teenagers pregnancy rates dropped around 19 percent since 1990.
• Among white teenagers, the pregnancy rate dropped around 34 percent since 1990.

These statistics show that sex education and teen pregnancy prevention programs are helping to reduce the number of teen pregnancies and births. Hopefully with continued support these programs can continue to help reduce these numbers.

As mentioned above, billions of dollars are spent taking care of teenage mothers and their children while only millions are needed to provide good prevention program.

If you are a pregnant teen (or may think you may be pregnant) or a parent of a teen in one of these situations know that you are not alone and there are many options and lots of help available to you. We are going to cover some of those options in upcoming posts.

Date Rape Drugs

There are three main date rape drugs: GHB, rohypnol and ketamine. These drugs are clear, odorless, usually in liquid form, and have such a slight taste that it may go unnoticed, especially in flavored drinks.

Because GHB can induce loss of memory it is one of the most popular date rape drugs. Victims do not remember clearly what happened. Other common effects include visual problems, dizziness, drowsiness, and a dream-like state. Once the intial effects start to wear off (within about 15 minutes) people often feel nauseated and may start vomiting. GHB can be produced using common ingredients at home, which makes it cheap and easy to come by for sexual predators. Repeated exposure, as well as higher doses, can cause seizures, slow heart rate, breathing problems, coma, and even death. GHB is legal only in very specific cases of narcolepsy.
Rohypnol can also cause amnesia, blackouts, and confusion. Many victims of Rohypnol mistakenly thing they are just extremely drunk because it causes slurred speech, decreased motor skills and visual distortion, and other symptoms associated with drunkenness. One may experience a drop in blood pressure or extreme sleepiness. Stomach problems are very unpleasant side effects of rohypnol. Roypnol, though used in Europe and Mexico as an anesthetic, it is not legal for any use in the United States.

Ketamine, or “Special K” is a hallucinogen which can make the entire experience of date rape even more scary. Sight and sound are often distorted, and a loss of sense of time and identity may occur, giving the sense of having an out of body experience. Ketamine temporarily immobilizes muscle control. Most victims remain conscious, but feel out of control because they can't move. Ketamine can also cause nausea, trouble breathing, convulsions, coma and death. Ketamine is legal as an anesthetic mainly for used in veterinary care of animals. Therefore most ketamine is actually stolen from veterinary clinics.

It is important to take precautions to avoid being a victim of date rape drugs:

• Do not accept drinks from other people. Ever.
• Open all containers yourself. Always.
• Keep your drink with you at all times. If it is out of your sight, even briefly, get a new one.
• Avoid getting your drinks from a punch bowl. These can easily be spiked.
• Try to bring a friend to help you avoid lapses in judgment.

If you think that you might be a victim of date rape, it is important to seek help as soon as possible. Go to the hospital immediately, as date rape drugs go through your system fairly quickly.

• Do not go to the bathroom prior to seeking help. You will need your urine to be tested.
• Even though you may feel unclean, do not bathe or douche prior to getting help.
• Do not change your clothes. All of these things provide evidence.
• Get counseling. You can ask the hospital to refer you, or call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE or 800-787-3224 (TDD).

Date Rape

I have seen several articles in the news lately about date rape and date rape drugs. Today I am going to talk about date rape then later in a separate post I will talk about date rape drugs. It is important to realize that many date rapes happen without the use of drugs or alcohol. But if a rape occurs while you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol do not think the rape is your fault, and seek help immediately. Just because one chooses to drink or use drugs it does not mean they chose to be raped.

A music video recently released by Amanda Palmer, called Oasis, which talks about being at a party, being slipped a date rape drug, being raped, then having an abortion was recently rejected from MTV. Many are arguing it is a joke or that it borders censorship but I, for one, was happy to see that MTV does have a limit to what they will allow to be shown on their station. I feel it desensitizes a very serious problem.

With that said...

Rape is any sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal, or oral) that is not wanted. Sometimes a rapist will use physical force, fear, drugs, alcohol, or other methods to force a teen to have sex. It is also considered date rape if a teen agrees to one type of sex, but then is forced into other sexual acts.
Rape may not be avoidable but these are a few thing you can do to reduce the risks of being raped:

• Stay in control; don't drink or use drugs.
• Don't get in a car with someone you don't know well.
• Try not to do things alone; go places with friends, and consider sticking to group dates.
• Always carry a cell phone and some extra money in case you need to get out of a situation.
• Learn how to defend yourself.
• Decide your limits, anyone who pressures you to change doesn't care about you, avoid them.
• If someone is trying to force you into doing something, loudly tell them "no", "get away"
• Trust your instincts; if you are not comfortable with a person or situation, get away.

My next post will get more detailed about date rape drugs but you should be aware that date rape drugs are:

• Often used to rape teens.
• Usually have no smell, taste, or color.
• Added to a drink without you knowing.
• Used to cause one to become helpless - unable to move, see, or get away.

To avoid being the victim of date rape drugs:

• You should not drink alcohol.
• If you are going to drink limit the number of drinks you consume.
• Only drink from containers you open yourself and have always been in your control - including while you were in the bathroom.

If you know or think that you have been raped:

• Get away from the area without touching anything
• Go to an emergency room or police station immediately - before showering, washing, urinating, or changing clothes.

Nurses and doctors are trained to help you, make a record of your injuries, and check you for evidence that can be used against an attacker. Even if you choose not to press charges you should seek medical attention so they can be treat your injuries, and checked for sexually transmitted diseases. Even if your attacker used a condom, STD's can still be spread.
Date rape causes emotional harm, including feelings of guilt, depression, anger, distrust, and worthlessness, trouble sleeping, and may effect sexual relations later in life. Rape victims should seek counseling to help them heal from the emotional damage of rape, and join a support group for rape victims. Most areas offer free counseling to rape victims.
Remember that it is not your fault if you were raped.
If you know someone who is a victim of date rape, listen, offer comfort, help the person get medical care and counseling, and let them know the rape was not their fault.

Causes of Teen Depression

There are many causes of teen depression and can be different for each individual. Most teens have more than one thing that triggers depression. Some of these key trigger factors are:

• One of the main causes is an imbalance of neurotransmitters, or chemicals that carry signals in the brain. Scientists are not sure what causes this imbalance, but this may be genetic.
• If a parent suffers with depression it increases the risk that a teen will have depression. This could be due to genetic factors in depression or may be learned by the teen of a depressed parent.
• Traumatic life changes such as a move, divorce, death of a loved one, or even the loss of a friend or boy/girlfriend can bring on symptoms of depression. Sadness is a part of the grieving process, but if a teen cannot overcome this sadness it leads to depression.
• Stresses at home, at school, or in relationships, or the normal challenges of being a teenager, sometimes contribute to depression.
• A negative outlook, either due to personality traits or negative past experiences, makes a person more likely to suffer from depression. An attitude that "nothing ever goes right," a low self-esteem, and hopelessness.
• Teens who do not handle normal stresses of life well, or who face a trauma they cannot deal with, often suffer from depression. Abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual) is one form of trauma associated with depression.
• Being bullied or being a bully can contribute to depression.
• Chronic illness or a debilitating injury can trigger teen depression, and some medications, infections, and illnesses can also bring on depression or symptoms that look like depression.
• Suffering from another untreated mental disorder, such as an eating disorder, anxiety disorder, ADHD or ADD, or conduct disorder can increase the risk of teen depression.
• Drug or alcohol abuse can lead to the onset of teen depression.
• Poor health choices, such as not eating right, exercising, or getting enough sleep have been linked to episodes of teen depression.
• Teenaged or adolescent girls going through puberty are at higher risk for depression.

Many of the causes of depression are outside anyone's control. Teens should not feel that they deserve to feel depressed, nor should parents blame themselves for their teen's depression. Remember that negative patterns can be changed and most teens with depression feel better with treatment. With medical treatment and/or teen counseling depression can be treated.