Same Sex, Same Issues?

Whatever your partner's gender, most relationships aren't just blissful candlelight dinners and snuggles on Sunday mornings. Disagreements can erupt over almost anything, from hot-button topics like money and sex to squabbles over the ex who's tagging along too much.

Sex + money = trouble
"Money almost always comes up at some point, whether the couple is same-sex or not," says Valarie Eilert, a Marriage and Family Therapist practicing in San Francisco. People fear losing money, having more of it than they can manage, not earning enough, or - worst of all for relationships - discovering that their spouse has spent joint funds unwisely. Because more money can mean more power, partners may fight about finances to disguise a tug-of-war over control in the relationship.

Sex with a new partner usually starts out with fireworks, but in any couple the spark can fizzle - or ignite into anger. Sexual problems are equal opportunity. There's plenty to argue about: How often should we have sex? What positions are most exciting? Who initiates? Sexual shame can make these topics difficult to discuss, so partners sometimes retreat into silence rather than admit their fears and desires.

Talking the talk
Same-sex couples may have an advantage over straight partners, though. "Men and women are socialized so differently in our culture that it can be difficult for them to communicate with each other," says Eilert. Pair a man with a woman, and you've got a cross-cultural relationship. "But when two men or two women form a couple, they sometimes understand each other's communication styles more easily. Sometimes that means the communication is more productive," Eilert continues. "And sometimes it's just more."

Guess who's coming to dinner?
Sara Simunovich and Cindi Harrison, who married each other a few months ago, say same-sex couples have an unusual tendency to remain friends with former lovers. That, they believe, causes a set of problems that many heterosexual couples don't face.

"Straight couples don't have their exes coming for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and every other meal of the year," says Sara. "When women start a relationship, they jump in and don't hold back. So then you've got two emotionally attached women who, when they do break up, have trouble drawing the line with someone they feel is so close to them."

Homophobia isn't helpful
Not all heterosexual couples enjoy the full support of our society, as nearly any interracial straight couple will attest. But, overall, easy access to legal marriage and support from family and friends makes life easier for opposite-sex couples.

Social opposition to same-sex relationships, on the other hand, takes its toll. "Hell yeah, homophobia makes a difference," Sara says. "When I lived in Arkansas, I had girlfriends who wouldn't hold my hand because I look gay." Eventually, she moved to California and found a wife who's happy to hold her hand.

Although there are some differences between gay and straight relationships, the gender of the partners isn't the most important factor in the relationship - communication, respect, similar values and love are all equally important. "The basic experiences are the same," concludes Eilert.

by E.Q. O'Briant

Teenage Depression

Depression is a serious medical condition. Everyone experiences good and bad in their life. But for some people the bad can outweigh the good. It can see in teenagers mostly. This can cause problems with daily routines such as eating, sleeping, working, and getting along with friends. If this happens for more than an only some weeks, depression may be the reason of this.

Depression affects teen’s physical health, as well as other activity like as how they feels, thinks, and acts toward others. It brings about a combination of feelings and thoughts that can cause someone to go away from his or her usual behavior.

Treatment choice will depend on the result of the evaluation. A lot of antidepressant medications and psychotherapies are present for the treatment of depressive disorders. Some adolescence with milder forms may do fine with psychotherapy alone. Youth with moderate to severe depression most often advantage from antidepressants.

Most do best with combined treatment: medication to achieve relatively quick symptom release and psychotherapy to be trained more effective ways to deal with life’s problems, including depression. Depending on the patient’s diagnosis and severity of symptoms, the therapist may set down.

Teens and Sex

The teenage years are a time of transition from childhood into adulthood. Teens may feel overwhelmed by the emotional and physical changes they are going through. At this point of life, teens may be facing a number of pressures - from friends to fit in and from parents and other adults to do well in school, or activities. They do experiment with new values, ideas, hairstyles and opinion. They want to live according their own way. However, it may be uncomfortable for parents.

Teenage is a time of change. In teenage girls start to menstruate and become sexually matureand boys find that their sexual organs are develop as well as other part of body. they think one should always be in love. Teens often struggle with being dependent on their parents and want to do as adults do. Teens have strong desire to make love with opposite sex or with same sex.

Tne teens do not know about sex and love. The become very eagr to knoew about these. Some times they know abut love by their peer group and friend and sometimes know by movie and novel. They suppose that the sex and love is same thing. They don't know about sex advanteges and disadvantages and emotionally fall in sex whom they define as love.It often seen that a teen age girl is attached with an old age person.this type of cases show that a teen girl who does not know about love, can choose an illegal way for solve their sexual problem. Some times they choose a same age boy for love and makes dating program soon. Finding time they make sexual relation and fulfill their desire as they want.

Casual relationships are not uncommon among sexually active teens. A survey show that Eight percent of teens have had oral sex or sexual intercourse supposing it is their first love. A most mort of teens population have been involved in a casual sexual relationship. Girls are as likely to have had a casual relationship as boys. Some as cases are when a teen age choose a lesbion or gey partener for love.

This type of love create physical, psycological and social problem. Unwanted pregnency, and HIV are some common problem that occour by unsafe sex. Because teenage girl%27s body do not full develop and do not ready for safe pregnency so the sexual relation in love may be dangerous and occur a critical condition.

Boot Camps for Troubled Teens

Boot camps are physically and mentally challenging programs, that requires constant supervision. Boot Camps are often short-term; however, long-term boot camps have increased in popularity for their ability to help defiant adolescents improve their behavior at home and school.

They are modeled after military-style, military exercises, and intense physical training focusing on reality, respect and responsibility. Many teens lack these qualities, yet they desperately need them in order to successfully transition into adulthood.

If your teen has recently been expelled from school or is constantly running away, maybe it’s time for you to look into sending him or her to a boot camp. Boot Camps are effective in turning around the lives of those youth that have disobeyed their parents and the law to the point that it seems that they can no longer be controlled. Most parents usually begin looking for teen boot camps because of the rigid structure associated with military style boot camps.

Boot camps will help strip away old attitudes and change to new attitudes. Boot camps work on a reward/punishment basis. Were good decisions will be rewarded, with privileges and trust. Bad decisions will be quickly consequented and redirected to making better choices.. With the new environment they are able to start developing new choices, attitudes and behaviors. Teens learn that smart choices lead to good rewards.

Troubled Teenagers

Troubled teenagers can be affected by a number of mental disorders. Teens are at a time when they may be seeking validation and if they do not find it, they can very easily fall victim to Eating Disorders, Depression, and ultimately even thoughts of suicide. Troubled teens with problems with hostility or aggression may fall victims to Conduct Disorder or Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Adjustment Disorder may also be a common disorder that afflicts teens going through a number of changes as they step into adolescence.

Signs of a troubled teen:

• Anger
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Extreme mood swings
• Struggle with sense of identity.

Teenagers are at high risk for such behaviors as drug/alcohol use, dropping out of schools, pregnancy, violence, depression, or suicide. One of the difficulties parents face is how to recognize the more indicators of such behavioral problems and when and how to intervene.Teens are being troubled basically two main reasons: Teens Behavior and Teens mental disorder.

Teens Sucide

Troubled teenagers can be affected by a number of mental disorders. Teens are at a time when they may be seeking validation and if they do not find it, they can very easily fall victim to Eating Disorders, Depression, and ultimately even thoughts of suicide. Troubled teens with problems with hostility or aggression may fall victims to Conduct Disorder or Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Adjustment Disorder may also be a common disorder that afflicts teens going through a number of changes as they step into adolescence. Signs of a troubled teen:

• Anger
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Struggle with sense of identity

Teens are being troubled basically two main reasons: Teens Behavior and Teens mental disorder. Teenagers are at high risk for such behaviors as drug/alcohol use, dropping out of schools, pregnancy, violence, depression, or suicide. One of the difficulties parents face is how to recognize the more indicators of such behavioral problems and when and how to intervene.