Troubled teen may have mental illness

DEAR ABBY: "Fed-Up Father in Minnesota" caught his difficult 16-year-old daughter smoking pot and is considering sending her to a place for "troubled teens." We sent our son to such a program, and he almost didn't make it back alive. An untreated mental illness had been misdiagnosed as a behavioral problem, and his illness went from bad to worse.

You gave the right advice. Get an evaluation from a reputable clinic or mental-health professional, then look for options as close to home as possible.

- Ann in Chapel Hill, N.C.

DEAR ANN: I advised "Fed-Up" to have a psychologist identify what's troubling his daughter. Readers were eager to comment:

DEAR ABBY: "Fed-Up" should consider an intervention like the Scared Straight program. Teens are shown where their bad behavior leads, tour a prison and see inmates serving time for similar conduct. Sometimes a rude awakening is the answer.

- Brittany in the South

DEAR ABBY: I was sent to boarding school because I was acting out. While there, I was exposed to more than I'd ever been at home. There were poorly supervised kids engaged in sexual activity, recreational drugs and free-flowing alcohol. I survived, but had the good sense to tell my parents and didn't return for a second year. What worked for me was attentive parents and a good therapist who provided me a safe, constructive way to sort out my issues. n

- Boarding School Survivor