"My teen has run away, what do I do?", is a question I hear frequently from parents beside themselves with both worry and frustration. Approximately 2 million teens between the ages of 13 and 17 run away from home each year. In the state of Florida the number of teen runaways was at 160 per day in 1999. The majority of runaways are Caucasian and from middle to upper income families.

The most common reason that children runaway is family friction over such issues as curfew, truancy, behavior, dress code, academic performance, and the child's choice of friends. Children also may choose to run away because of problems they are afraid to face such as bullying at school, pregnancy, sexual orientation or alcohol and drug problems. Some children may also choose life on the street as opposed to continued living in a seriously abusive environment.

Understanding the reasons a teen runs away is of absolute importance in solving the problem and preventing repeat behavior. Various behavioral disorders such as Oppositional Defiant Disorder or Conduct Disorder, for instance, may be at the root of the problem when a defiant teen threatens to run away simply because he/she feels midnight is an unreasonable curfew. Therefore, it is wise never to take threats of running away lightly. Early diagnosis via psychiatric evaluation may pinpoint problems such as anxiety, depression, behavioral disorders, or abuse and lead to treatment which could circumvent a runaway crisis.

The most difficult question I get from parents of runaway teens is "Should I go after my child or should I just let them come home when they are ready?"The severity of the child's behavior should be taken into consideration before making such decisions. I can't in good conscience advise a parent to bring a teen who has been violent and abusive back into the household anymore than I could advise a friend to take back an abusive and violent estranged husband. In this instance it may be safer if the violent teen can be found and placed in an out of the home treatment facility.

If the troubled teen does not have a history of becoming violent or abusive, family therapy can often help resolve the situation. In these instances I highly recommend making every effort to find the child and either bring them home or do anything possible to open up communication so that they know they can call you in an emergency.

Most teen runaways, return within 48 hours to two weeks and generally move from one friend's house to another. There are those, however, who go further and stay longer. If they take to the streets, the longer they stay, the more dangerous the situation becomes. In a 1997 study by The National Institute of Drug Abuse, a survey of 600 street youths showed that 50% of those who had attempted suicide blamed drug abuse for that attempt. Surveys of 432 street youths in Los Angeles showed that 71% had either a drug or alcohol abuse disorder or both.

Children living on the streets sometimes resort to prostitution, pornography or robbery in order to obtain money for food and/or drugs. On the Runaway Lives web site at http://www.lv.psu.edu/jkl1/runawaylives/... there are, thus far, two personal accounts of such runaway situations to read. Teen runaways are prime targets for all types of predators and often meet tragic consequences. We must, therefore, make our best attempt to reach them.

Below is a list of links to sites regarding what to do if your teen runs away.

The National Runaway Switchboard at http://www.nrscrisisline.org/

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at http://www.missingkids.com/

US Department of Justice resource page of help agencies at http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/fedresou...

Tips for Parents at http://users.southeast.net/~ycc/tip.htm

The National Children's Coalition at http://www.child.net/
Focus Adolescent Services Runaways and Missing Children page at http://www.focusas.com/Runaways.html

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