Do I Need Medications:

The blog post Am I Normal? reviews concepts that help define normal emotional responses, normal functioning, and what a balanced life is for teens. The article Do I Need Therapy? reviews a step by step process that uses these concepts to help determine if therapy or self care is needed. Next we will define concepts that will help understand when medications or a change in therapy may be needed.

The first concept is treatment failure. This refers to the fact that an individual is in care, but it is not working. This concept is important for when care has already started, but you are unsure whether medication is needed or if they should switch to another service. A treatment failure is true if the following are all true:

1. The teen truly engaged in the treatment. This means that they went to the service, and also did the work at home.
2. The teen was well enough to do the service. If they are too severe, they cannot function.
3. The teen was in the right treatment program or level of care.

The second concept is level of care.

Now that you know these concepts, it is time to use this information to determine what you need. Most people have one of three care decisions. 1. they are thinking of starting therapy 2. they are in therapy but there has not been significant improvement 3. the family or teen is already thinking about medications

Step 1: Determine if you are “normal.”

1. Look at each area of functioning and determine if there is functional impairment. Remember that you have to compare the current functioning with the function of teens that are the same age.
2. Next, review the responses to events and stressful situations. If a teen is

Step 2:

The expected occupation for an older teen would be to have an age appropriate job. If an older teen is not working, then the occupation would be their extracurricular activities or responsibilities that they have such as chores or family duties. This is also true for younger teens that cannot work. Their occupation is their activities, chores and responsibilities outside of school. Social life expectations should be thought of similarly. Older teens would be functioning normally if they are making plans independently, have a balance of social media and in person social experiences, and are comfortable driving or getting around their community. Younger teens would be expected to have enough friends to see kids a few times a week, and should be comfortable being on their own in groups in your community.