Topic: Socio-Medical Issues

Socio-medical topics are important because these issues impact the health and well-being of many people in our society.   If we can find ways to reduce the negative impact of these issues, many people will live better and happier lives.

Bullying, Cyber-bullying AND
Social Networks

This topic addresses a very important issue that many teens on Long Island experience first-hand: physical and verbal bullying, cyber-bullying and the impact of using social media.   Despite the laws that were recently passed in New York State that penalize bullying many teenagers continue to bully or be bullied.  Tell us what can be done to address this issue and to reduce its negative impact on teens’ lives.

Teen Substance Abuse

Binge drinking, abuse of prescription medication and drug abuse are three scourges of teenage lives.  Long Island has been experiencing a heroin epidemic for a number of years now and many teens have died from overdoses.  The abuse of prescription medication is widespread and it is threatening not only teens’ minds and bodies but their lives too.  Tell us what can be done to reduce substance abuse among teens.

Teen Mental Health, Self-Esteem and
Well Being

Self-esteem of many teens, especially girls, plunges in middle school and continues to stay low through their high school years.  Low self-esteem may lead to physical and social problems affecting not only teens’ personal lives but also their performance in school.  Teens with mental illness are stigmatized in our society and it is difficult for them to feel included because mental illness is sometimes mistakenly viewed as a form of “weakness” or a “personal failure”.  How can we address these social issues to make teens lives better?