Healthy Texas Teens

A Health Center for YOU[th]

At SBCHC, we are committed to keeping all members of our community healthy – and this includes teens like you.  You will find information here about how you can take care of your health as you continue to grow and change, and how you can take an active role in your own medical care as you become an adult and take responsibility for your health and wellness.

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Adolescent Brain Development

From the NATIONAL INSTITUTE of MENTAL HEALTH:

Did you know that big and important changes are happening in the brain during adolescence?

Here are 7 things to know about the teen brain:

Our Youth-Friendly Locations
More Information

Depression

Anxiety

Reach Out!

  • You can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255), the toll-free number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL), which is available 24 hours a day, every day. The service is available to everyone. All calls are free and confidential. You can also chat with the NSPL online.

  • The Crisis Text Line is another free, confidential resource available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Text “HOME” to 741741 and a trained crisis counselor will respond to you with support and information via text message. Visit https://www.crisistextline.org.

Teens and Stress

Feeling overwhelmed? Read this fact sheet to learn whether it’s stress or anxiety, and what you can do to cope.

Is it stress or anxiety?

Life can be stressful—you may feel stressed about performance at school, traumatic events (such as a pandemic, a natural disaster, or an act of violence), or a life change. Everyone feels stress from time to time.

  • What is stress? Stress is the physical or mental response to an external cause, such as having a lot of homework or having an illness. A stressor may be a one-time or short-term occurrence, or it can happen repeatedly over a long time.
  • What is anxiety? Anxiety is your body’s reaction to stress and can occur even if there is no current threat.

Managing Trauma

How to Manage Trauma

Trauma occurs when a person is overwhelmed by events or circumstances and responds with intense fear, horror, and helplessness.

Extreme stress overwhelms the person’s capacity to cope. There is a direct correlation between trauma and physical health conditions such as diabetes, COPD, heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure.

5 Things You Should Know About Stress

From the NATIONAL INSTITUTE of MENTAL HEALTH

Everyone feels stressed from time to time, but what is stress? How does it affect your overall health? And what can you do to manage your stress?

  • Stress is how the brain and body respond to any demand. Any type of challenge—such as performance at work or school, a significant life change, or a traumatic event—can be stressful.
  • Stress can affect your health. It is important to pay attention to how you deal with minor and major stressors, so you know when to seek help.

Here are five things you should know about stress.

Teens and COVID-19

Eating Disorders and Dental Health

Preventing Teen Dating Violence

What is teen dating violence?

Teen dating violence, also called, “dating violence,” is an adverse childhood experience that affects millions of young people in the United States. Dating violence can take place in person, online, or through technology. It is a type of intimate partner violence that can include the following types of behavior:

  • Physical violence is when a person hurts or tries to hurt a partner by hitting, kicking, or using another type of physical force.
  • Sexual violence is forcing or attempting to force a partner to take part in a sex act and/or sexual touching when the partner does not or cannot consent. It also includes non-physical sexual behaviors like posting or sharing sexual pictures of a partner without their consent, or sexting someone without their consent.
  • Psychological aggression is the use of verbal and non-verbal communication with the intent to harm a partner mentally or emotionally and/or exert control over a partner.
  • Stalking is a pattern of repeated, unwanted attention and contact by a partner that causes fear or concern for one’s own safety or the safety of someone close to the victim.

Teen dating violence has profound impact on lifelong health, opportunity, and well-being. Unhealthy relationships can start early and last a lifetime. The good news is violence is preventable and we can all help young people grow up violence-free.

We value your support

We appreciate the invaluable support from our donors and volunteers. With your help, we are able to continue providing the best possible healthcare to our patients.

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