Teen spirit

Abstract

In today's climate, there are clouds of fear floating about young people that risk robbing them, and their parents, of their spirits. Fear about mental health and suicides, pregnancy, and a rising tide of teenage crime. But are these fears myths or facts? Are they based on popular misconception or scientific study? This book about adolescents in the UK tells us very clearly. And, unlike many volumes of facts, figures, and statistics, it does not rob the reader's spirit on the way. The good news is that conception rates among young women are starting to come down, as are suicide rates among young men. The bad news concerns high levels of family poverty and changing family composition, mental ill-health, and some indices of risk behaviour, such as alcohol consumption and rates of sexually transmitted infections. The media gives the impression that there is no such thing as a happy, healthy, well-adjusted teenager—that they are an endangered species. This book makes it clear that they are a species in need of care and protection and that, with proper help and services, they can flourish.