Adolescents can be more courageous, curious and aggressive in situations that adults easily avoid. This situation can be dangerous for both themselves and their environment. In adolescence, behavioral problems such as substance use, crime, running away from home, violence, and car accidents may occur. This may be due to specific psychological problems, as well as social environment or economic reasons. In such cases, families should first review their own behavior, set an example, explain their concerns to their children in an appropriate language, and most importantly, set the rules/limits very precisely and define the consequences clearly.
Running from School: A common occurrence in adolescence. It is a behavior problem. It is often seen in young people who are unsuccessful in school, crowded and have little family interest. It is more common in boys than girls. It is like a precursor to different behavioral problems that may occur in the future. If the purpose is to spend time at home or want to wander around idle (very rarely, there may be young people who want to work because they see that they cannot read), and if it is accompanied by restlessness or a different behavioral problem, the problem can turn into a growing snowball. Cooperation between family and school is very important. Control can be achieved through a school approach that supports the young person's interests.
Running Away from Home: There are often reasons why adolescents run away from home, both from the family and the adolescent. There may be many reasons such as problematic family structures, difficult childhood, witnessing negativities between parents, family history of mental illness, alcohol/substance use, exploitation of the child, and rejecting behavior. Sometimes they may see walking away as the only salvation. Running away from home due to pressure at home is more common in female adolescents. Most of the time, they move away from home due to the inability to manage a crisis. They often take shelter in the homes of friends or relatives. If family relations are not too bad, they will return when the crisis is over. Sometimes, unfortunately, they can get caught in hail while escaping from the rain. As they escape from the difficulty at home, they move on to another difficulty that actually seems like a solution. They find their own solution, such as being with inappropriate friends or wanting to get married at an early age. Of course, this does not mean anything other than the problems growing bigger and going unresolved.
Substance Use: Adolescence is the riskiest period in terms of substance use. Because the risk of proving that one is growing up, the idea of not being able to cope with difficulties, curiosity, encouragement from friends, the desire to fit into the group, being too restrictive or too permissive in the family-child relationship, the absence of an authority figure, separation of parents, and the presence of a substance user at home increases the risk. A sudden decrease in the child's school success, a rapid change in behavior, and a change in the circle of friends should remind people of substance use. Of course, substance use is a treatable condition, but use should be prevented first. Therefore, we must first teach how to say 'No'. We must identify the reasons that push him to seek pleasure, and give him the chance to experience different environments so that he can make different friends. Of course, we should also ensure that he/she receives professional support.
Although parents sometimes feel helpless in the face of these risky behaviors, they should get help to solve the problem. The most important way to convince the adolescent for professional help may be to express that this situation is a family problem and that you want to be there for him and help him.
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