Teen Pregnancies on Rise in Alabama

After years of decline, teen pregnancy rates increased in 2006 and 2007.

After nearly 10 years of steady decline, Alabama's teen pregnancy rate increased in 2006 and 2007, according to the Alabama Department of Public Health.

In 2007, there were 12,398 pregnancies among girls ages 10 to 19.

An increase in teen pregnancies in 2006 marked the end of a steady decrease in teen pregnancy rates. There were 57.1 births per 1,000 teens in 1996 and 37.5 births per 1,000 in 2005.

There were 39.7 births per 1,000 teens in 2007 and 39.6 in 2006. The number of teen births in Alabama increased by 106 between 2006 and 2007 and by 767 between 2005 and 2006, according to the ADPH.

"We need to be aware that teen pregnancy is interrelated to health problems we're seeing with infant mortality," state health officer Don Williamson said in a press release. "Also, we're concerned that risk behaviors seem to be increasing among our teenagers."

Parenting challenges? Counseling could help.

What to do about financial stress?

The current financial crisis has been taking place for months. The collapse of Wall Street was preceded by rising gasoline prices and home foreclosures. Major lending agencies and investment banks have been going under and retail prices are on the upswing. Now we're heaping anxiety on top of anxiety.

People feel out of control. Our leaders are not giving us any indication when the current monetary fallout will come to an end.

Counsellors and Doctors are seeing people with sleep issues, gastrointestinal illnesses and people who are dealing with a surge of autoimmune deficiency conditions. Levels of alcohol consumption are up as well.

BusinessWeek referred to a poll that has found Americans are indeed more stressed than they were six months ago.

So what advice can we follow during this current time of emotional upset?

• Remain calm. The worst thing you can do is to start panicking in a crisis and make bad decisions. Some amount of anxiety is good for you. When you're a bit on edge, you're more motivated to make changes and think about the consequences of your decisions. However, if you're overanxious, your emotional state can interfere with your ability to make healthy decisions.

Don't allow your anxiety to cloud your ability to be cautious, careful and full of confidence. It's never easy to go through a crisis, but when you have the confidence that you'll make it through a tough time, it makes all the difference. If you've gone through stressful times before and survived, you can do it again.

• Refuse to accept everything you hear. This nation has survived many incredible catastrophes from Wall Street crashes, the Great Depression, the attack on Pearl Harbor and 9/11. If listening to media and news reports gets you all riled up, you may need to go on a media fast for a few days. Please, whatever you do, don't spend all day checking the stock market averages.

• Be proactive. The worst thing you can do is to watch everything fall apart and do nothing but complain. Any action - big or small - you can take to get your finances under control will be helpful for reducing anxiety. Keep your focus on what you can do and not on what is not happening.

• Keep your life in balance. Prevent yourself from becoming consumed with all of the financial information streaming across the TV screen and ignoring your own needs. Do not neglect your eating habits, make sure you engage in activities you enjoy and keep that balance between how much time you devote to staying up on the current financial crisis and how much attention you pay to your own sense of well-being.

• Take stock of your life. Use this time to assess how you handle your money. If you lose your job, you may want to consider that this is the time to change your line of work. Perhaps your hours have been reduced. Yes, you'll go through a tight squeeze financially, but it may be an opportune time to start looking elsewhere and initiate a career change.

• Seek good counseling. Stress and anxiety are treatable by a qualified therapist. Start feeling better today. Get into counseling.

[Research by John Tesh]

Domestic Violence Prevention

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and candlelight vigils are being held throughout the month to remember victims of domestic abuse.

For the last two decades, October has marked a time when people in the nation come together in the fight to end a tragedy that spans every culture, profession, race and ethnicity and is happening daily whether in the form of sexual, emotional or physical abuse.

It's time to talk about it.

Counseling can help. A therapist will educate men and women concerning actions and behaviour modification. Call today.

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Depression and Suicide: Men Are Right At the Edge

The Los Angeles Times reported a father who killed his entire family because the current economic crisis was affecting his finances.

Depression in men is more than a bad mood but an emotional disturbance that affects a man's overall health.

Rather than expressing sadness, men get angry or aggressive. Men are also less likely to seek help for depression, but can choose to start drinking to deal with inward pain.

Women may attempt suicide more than men, but men are more successful at completing it. However, most men respond well to depression treatment with medications, therapy or both.

The secret is the right combination of therapy and medications. Get the man into counselling quickly enough, and there is hope. Call today.