The Stressed Years of Their Lives

February 15, 2019
A parental guidebook to helping teens navigate the highs and lows of college.As psychologist and marriage therapist Hibbs (co-author: Try to See It My Way: Being Fair in Love and Marriage, 2009) and Rostain (Psychiatry and Pediatrics/Perelman School of Medicine, Univ. of Pennsylvania; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD, 2007, etc.) write, today's "students experience the very real burdens of constant striving on behalf of uncertain futures, amidst swiftly changing political and economic landscapes. They're also stressed by the 24/7 availability of the internet, by social media pressures and the resulting metrics of constant comparisons, whether social or academic." Little wonder, then, that anxiety, depression, and suicide rates are also on the rise. The authors use case studies and research to discuss the issues affecting teens and give helpful advice to parents on how they can help combat the seemingly insurmountable problems faced by college-age youths. The authors encourage parents to let go of maintaining their child's schedule before they head off to college so that they have a sense of independence and understand the full spectrum of their responsibilities. There are useful checklists that cover such topics as the early warning signs of mental health problems, how to curb the use of smartphones, methods for coping other than alcohol or drugs, and ways to assess the counseling available on campus. Much of the information is common sense and practical, and the authors spell everything out in an easily assimilated format. With "an explosion of mental health problems verging on an epidemic, with a sky-rocketing number of students seeking help," this is the type of book every parent should read before discussions of college even begin.Packing in just the right amount of statistics and real-world scenarios, two doctors offer sound advice on how parents can better prepare their children for the challenging college years that lie ahead of them.

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November 15, 2018

The teenage years are famously stressful, and lately we have come to see the college years as particularly so, with reports of depression and suicide on campuses a real cause for concern. Psychologist and family therapist Hibbs experienced the same worries as any parent when her own son came home from college in a dangerously depressive state. That's when she turned to Rostain, a nationally regarded expert in child and adolescent psychiatry. The questions they crack: what's within the bounds of normal behavior and what's not, when to hold back and when to intervene.

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