Adolescent Behavioral Health Treatment in Florida
You’ve noticed changes in your teen’s behavior that concern you. Those angry outbursts, withdrawing from family and friends, falling grades – it’s not just normal adolescent behavior.
If your teen struggles with anxiety, depression, substance abuse, or both, there are treatment centers specifically for teens that understand their unique needs.
At Ambrosia Behavioral Health, our adolescent treatment center called The Academy in South Florida helps teens overcome mental health issues and addiction in a safe, supportive environment. With customized behavioral therapy services and a holistic approach focused on families, we treat the whole person. You no longer have to feel helpless about your teen’s situation. There is hope and help available.
Adolescents face challenges that are different for both children and adults. Teenagers go through immense physical, emotional, and social changes that can make them particularly vulnerable to mental health and substance abuse issues. Treatment programs designed specifically for teens are essential to support them during this developmental stage.
- Teenagers value independence and privacy. Effective teen treatment provides a balance of autonomy and supervision, with opportunities for teens to make their own choices when appropriate. This helps build confidence and life skills to prepare them for adult independence.
- Peer relationships are extremely important to teens. Teen treatment programs facilitate opportunities for positive social interaction and help build healthy relationships. Group therapy and recreational activities with other teens can be very impactful.
- Family involvement is key. The best teen treatment programs provide education and counseling for the teen and their family. Parents and guardians learn skills to properly support their teen’s recovery, and the whole family can work to improve communication and set healthy boundaries.
- Academic support is necessary. Missing school for treatment can be detrimental to a teen’s education and development. Quality teen treatment programs provide academic support to keep teens on track, whether through an on-site school or coordinating with their regular school.
- Transition planning is essential. Teen treatment should prepare teens to successfully transition back to school, home, and community. Follow-up care, sober living, and relapse prevention planning are important to support teens after leaving a treatment facility.
Ambrosia Behavioral Health in Florida offers The Academy, a specialized program for teens aged 13 to 18 dealing with substance abuse and co-occurring mental health disorders. Providing clinically advanced and personalized care, The Academy aims to address the unique needs of adolescents in their journey towards recovery.
Common Mental Health Struggles in Teens
Two of the most common mental health issues among teens are anxiety and depression. Anxiety disorders cause excessive worry, fear, and panic. Teen depression can cause persistent feelings of sadness, worthlessness, and hopelessness. Both conditions can significantly impact a teen’s quality of life and development.
Teens, especially girls, are at high risk of developing eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorders. These disorders can have serious health consequences and often require intensive treatment.
Teen drug and alcohol use is a widespread problem that can lead to addiction, such as alcohol, marijuana, prescription drugs, and nicotine.
Some teens may engage in self-harm behaviors like cutting, burning, or head-banging. Self-harm is often a maladaptive coping mechanism to deal with emotional pain, stress, trauma, or mental health issues. It requires compassionate support and mental health treatment.
Signs and Symptoms of Mental Health Issues in Teens
- Withdrawal: A sudden preference for isolation or distancing from friends and family.
- Irritability: Frequent mood swings, increased irritability, or anger outbursts.
- Persistent Sadness: Prolonged periods of sadness or unexplained crying.
- Hopelessness: Expressing feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness.
- Deteriorating Performance: A noticeable drop in academic performance or sudden disinterest in school activities.
- Changes in Sleep Patterns: Difficulty falling asleep or sleeping excessively.
- Appetite Changes: Significant changes in eating habits leading to weight loss or gain.
- Substance Abuse: Experimentation with drugs or alcohol.
- Reckless Actions: Engaging in dangerous activities without consideration of consequences.
- Frequent Aches and Pains: Complaints about headaches, stomachaches, or other physical discomfort without an apparent cause.
- Decline in Focus: Problems concentrating, making decisions, or completing tasks.
- Self-Destructive Behavior: Engaging in self-harming activities.
- Expressions of Suicidal Ideation: Verbalizing thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
- Relationship Issues: Difficulty maintaining or forming relationships.
- Social Withdrawal: Avoidance of social activities or events.
- Personality Shifts: Sudden and significant changes in personality or interests.
If you notice these signs in a teenager, The Academy can help provide adolescent behavioral health treatment!
Our experts can comprehensively assess the situation and work towards addressing any potential underlying issues to provide the necessary support and intervention.
Drug Abuse in Young Adults
Teen drug abuse is a serious issue that often starts in high school and continues into young adulthood. The most commonly abused substances by teens and young adults are:
- Alcohol: Underage drinking is illegal but common, with about 30% of teens reporting drinking before age 15. Binge drinking is a dangerous pattern of excessive alcohol use in a short period.
- Marijuana: Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug. Teens who use marijuana regularly are more prone to memory and learning problems and are more likely to use other drugs.
- Prescription drugs: Opioids (like OxyContin), stimulants (like Adderall), and depressants (like Xanax) are often misused and abused. Teens may take these rugs to get high, deal with stress or mental health issues, or improve concentration and alertness.
- Nicotine and tobacco: Vaping and e-cigarette use have skyrocketed among teens, with 20% of high school students now using e-cigarettes. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm brain development in young adults
In addition to using drugs, other things may seem okay but can become a problem for young adults if not taken care of. Spending too much time on phones, social media, or games can affect mental health and sleep. Putting things off and not managing time well can cause stress and make school or work harder. Eating a lot of unhealthy food or eating for comfort can hurt your physical health. Not getting enough sleep because of late-night internet or too much work can hurt physical and mental health. It’s important to deal with these things early to help young adults have a healthy and balanced life. Engaging in a adolescent behavioral health treatment program facilitates positive transformations and ensures they receive essential support to stay on the path of recovery.
Signs and Symptoms That Your Teen is Suffering From Addiction
- Inappropriate use of prescriptions or unauthorized use of medications.
- Finding drugs or alcohol within the household.
- Troubling patterns of marijuana or alcohol consumption.
- Theft of money or involvement in illicit activities.
- Abrupt shifts in behavior at home or in school.
- Confusion and incoherence.
- Association with peers involved in substance abuse.
- Extended periods spent on devices, video games, and social media.
- Social isolation.
- Disturbed sleep patterns, either insufficient or excessive.
- Unaccounted-for narcotic medications in the home.
- Rapid changes in weight or deterioration in health.
There may be other symptoms not listed. Substance abuse is often connected to mental health issues, so please check for those signs too. If you have questions, feel free to ask. We’re here to help you find the right treatment for your teens.
What Our Teen Addiction Program Offers
Our outpatient treatment allows teens to live at home while getting care. Inpatient or residential treatment provides a structured live-in environment to focus on recovery. Long-term follow-up and aftercare help maintain sobriety and avoid relapse. In the initial screening and assessment process, our team will examine the symptoms and problematic behaviors you’re experiencing. To tailor our treatment services specifically to you, The Academy will conduct a thorough assessment. This evaluation will delve into various aspects, including your history of trauma, past encounters with therapy, cultural background, peer influences, medical history, family dynamics, and academic experiences.
With support and the right treatment, teens and young adults can overcome substance abuse and addiction to lead healthy lives.
Adolescent Behavioral Health Treatment is Available at The Academy
Tour Our Facility
Success Stories
At the Academy, the relationships we develop with our teens and their families are very important to us. Our goal is to support the healing process for everyone involved and we consider it a great privilege to have your loved one in our care. As a result, we deeply value the feedback we receive from families, and it brings us a lot of joy to hear their success stories.
Hear what families are saying about us!
So this is week 3 and the call I got from Dan last night was something I never expected. He was excited about his day and everything that you had planned for the rest of the week and weekend He actually said that school is going OK and that he thinks his therapist really “gets” him and he likes talking to her. Whatever is going on there please keep it going. Thank you all for everything you are doing.
– Joan S.
Jana has been home now for two months and she’s back in school. I wanted to write you to say thank you. I can’t say that everything has been perfect or easy, but she is doing so much better than before. Her teachers have all noticed her changes in behavior and her grades are still up like they were when she left your program. Our family is very grateful for The Academy. You do good work. Please tell your staff.
– David H.
Dr Alam is a godsend. We’ve had our son in several “good” programs over the last 3 years and we had no idea that he was being misdiagnosed. Once Dr. Alam explained to us what was really going on, it finally all made sense. Once he was put on the right medications, he immediately started getting better and now he is home and doing well. I have my son back. The upsetting thing is that we never would have known what the real problem was if I had not been for The Academy and Dr. Alam. I only wish we had known about Ambrosia BH sooner. I highly recommend their adolescent program and especially their psychiatric team.
– Theresa M.
Our daughter Sarah came to you last year for anxiety and depression and If you remember, when she got there she had had failing grades for all of 6th and 7th grade and was refusing to go to school. Fast forward a year and she is finishing 8th grade with a solid B average and her depression and anxiety seem to be a thing of the past. We think about the staff there often. Our family would not be here without you. Many thanks for being there when we needed you.
– Misha and Travis D.
Dr. Alam is an internationally renowned psychiatrist with academic affiliations with Northwestern University and University of Illinois, Chicago where he completed his residency training. He has been a principal investigator for over forty studies and has been involved in research leading to the approval of most psychiatric medications currently on the market. He is the founder of the Neuroscience Research Institute which continues to conduct research on cutting edge medication and interventional psychiatry. Dr. Alam is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He has won several awards and has been featured extensively on radio and television.
