Teens Stress: A Dangerous Reality

The stress of being a college or high school student is driving young adults to take extreme measures. It may be some time before authorities know what sparked Mondays deadly rampage at Virginia Tech. Here in the Tri-state, young adults are also taking desperate measures to cope with their stress. Two Castle teens have taken their own lives this school year, and their peers say its time for them to open a dialogue to help teens let out that stress before it boils over. Castle students organized a "Teen Talk" at East Side Christian Church Monday. Their goal was to get kids their age to engage in a dialogue about stress and suicide, where they will be listened to. "Its turning negative energy in to positive," said organizer Joni Truxal. Its been a tough year for castle students. Theyve lost two classmates to suicide and feel like the adults around them arent doing enough to help them get a grip on the situation. Psychologist Dr. Bob Wilson helped moderate the session, but said he was there more to listen than to give advice. Wilson says stresses like peer pressure, broken hearts, sex and drugs can all be factors that lead to thoughts of suicide or self destructive behavior. Dr. Bob Wilson says teens dont have the perspective adults do when it comes to dealing with these stresses, but point out adults often struggle with them too. He advises parents not to dismiss a teens problems as childish or unimportant.