Depression and delinquency

I'm in the middle of reading THE CAR THIEF by Theodore Weesner (Author). It's about a young lad who steals cars for reasons he can't fathom. Adult readers quickly realize 16-year-old Alex Housman is deeply depressed and for good reason. His father is a binge alcoholic and his mother left with his younger brother years ago.  

Acting out behaviour such as deliquency, truancy, and even violence, in young teens is often the result of undiagnosed depression. Not only are those entering their teen years facing new and difficult challenges, they are also experiencing tremendous hormonal changes. It's a lethal combination that often puts youngsters at-risk.

In THE CAR THIEF Alex has no words for what he's going through, and no understanding of why. The adults in his life also appear blind to the deep depression driving his behaviour. No one is able to put words to the depression. Incarceration is used to deal with Alex, rather than treatment.

Although this novel takes place in 1959, the same issues face today's teens. In my novel THE TRAZ, 13-year-old Katrina is also struggling with depression and it is that emotion that is largely responsible for setting her feet on the path to trouble. 

In the Study Guide at the back of the School Edition of THE TRAZ, I mention Katrina's depression, the treatment she could have received, the options she could have excerised, and the prevalence of depression among young teens. As well, contact information for Help Lines around the world is listed in the Reference section.

Although depression has to be recognized by both the teen and the adults in their lives, and it has to be named and discussed before effective treatment can be initiated, I also include a warning that group discussions of depression and suicide often increase the incidents of suicides and attempted suicides in young audiences. 

Despite the darkness of the topic, very effective treatments are available to ease the pain of depression in people of all ages.

  Downloadable to Kindles, computers, iPads, Smartphones, etc. with the Kindle app.

Have a look at this book, the guide at the back, and the accompanying list of resources. It may be exactly what you need to help yourself or a youngster in your life. 

 

Click here to download THE TRAZ School Edition

THE TRAZ School Edition

 

Eileen Schuh, Author
Schrödinger's Cat
THE TRAZ
 

Earlier Books in Rocky Bluff P.D. Series Being Re-Released

As you can probably guess by the cover, when I began the Rocky Bluff P.D. series, the plots were much darker than they are now. I'm not sure why, except I was much younger when I wrote the first four. When I began with the first one, I thought it was a stand-alone, but I wanted to know what happened next to the characters I created.

This series has had three publishers--and now Oak Tree Press is bringing out the earlier books.

Fringe Benefits began when I asked my police officer son-in-law if he were to kill off his wife, how would he do it so he wouldn't get caught. He gave me a wonderful idea. The major story is about a very bad policeman, and is kind of about one I used to know--though he didn't kill off his wife. Officer Gordon Butler makes his debut in this book. He's a minor character in other books in the series until he became a favorite with fans of this series.

In No Bells, the latest in the series, Officer Gordon Butler has a starring role. I had a lot of fun with this book  And though it's a mystery with a murder, it isn't as dark as the other two I'm telling you about today. I like to call it a cozy police procedural.

The other book in the RBPD series that Oak Tree Press recently put out is also darker and it's about a missing child. I feel obligated to give that warning because so many don't like to read a book where a child is harmed.

In Smell of Death, Officer Stacey Wlbur is the first on the scene of a grisly murder. In this book, she and Detective Doug Milligan really notice one another as he asks for her help with his investigations.

The idea for this one also came from my son-in-law who said books, TV shows and movies often ignore the fact that dead bodies really smell badly. (I think some have gotten better about showing that since he mentioned that to me many years ago.)

No Sanctuary was the first in the series published by Oak Tree Press. My blurb for this books is: Two churches, two preachers, two wives and one murder.

The romance heats up between Detective Milligan and Stacey Wilbur. And Stacey is threatened. Gordon Butler makes some minor appearances.

Following that one is An Axe to Grind and despite the title, it has some funny spots in it. And yes, the romance continues--and this time it's Detective Milligan who is in danger. Oh yes, Gordon Butler turns up too.

Next come Angel Lost and Stacey is so caught up in marriage plans that she doesn't pay attention to what is going on around her.

This is not a series that has to be read in order--each one is complete though most of the characters pop up in each of the books. All but the first two are now available in the usual places.

Besides going to family weddings and baby showers, I have been busy writing.

Marilyn, who writes this series as F. M. Meredith.