Dear Counsellor:

My teenage daughter has started to smoke and to stay out late with friends. I think her friends are into hard drugs. Her schoolwork is deteriorating and she won't listen to my instructions. I am a single parent and find it difficult to deal with my daughter.

- Sonia

Dear Sonia:

Substance use is common among teenagers as they experiment and take risks. Cigarettes, ganja, alcohol and cocaine cause problems for many individuals. They are easily accessible and sometimes cheap to have. Cigarette smoking can cause stomach cancer and cancers in other parts of the body.

You need to take your daughter to a therapist to deal with the drug problem. Some teenagers smoke because they are anxious, depressed or psychotic. It means, therefore, that an evaluation needs to be done to identify the emotional state of your daughter.

She will need to find new friends and new places to go. The therapist will try to find out the possible reasons for the depression, anxiety or psychosis. Sometimes, the teenagers become stressed and are unable to cope with schoolwork or other stress. You need to be prepared to talk with the therapist about your feelings and get information on how to deal with your daughter.

For many people, smoking is a difficult habit to break. There are various therapeutic measures that can be taken to reduce and, later, eliminate, the use of cigarettes. Do you or other family members smoke? Adolescents follow the actions of their parents as they (their parents) are their most important role models.

Dear Counsellor:

My grandmother is 85 years old and has started to forget things. She misplaces items and sometimes leaves the stove on. I think she is getting senile. I am distressed.

- Minerva

Dear Minerva:

With ageing comes some level of forgetfulness. However, the elderly are prone to develop dementia, and forgetfulness is one of the early symptoms. Dementia is a progressive condition that affects senior citizens. The elderly may start acting strange and behaving oddly. These symptoms can be caused by a physical problem, depression, psychosis or dementia.

Take your grandmother to the psychiatrist, who will do some investigations to rule out a physical cause of the dementia. Some of the factors are treatable, so investigations are necessary. Sometimes, frontal-lobe tumours and infections can present as dementia. Vitamin B deficiencies can cause dementia, which is treatable. Hypothyroidism, as well as Parkinson's disease, should be excluded.

You can research all these conditions on the Internet so you can ask relevant questions when you visit the doc. There is medication available which can slow the rate of progression of dementia.

As the population ages, we will have a higher percentage of the elderly presenting with dementia. Your grandmother needs to be supervised closely, as she might do something destructive. She may resent someone being around her all day, but this is necessary. The elderly value their independence, so the job of the caregiver is made that more difficult. The family will have to get together and plan ways of dealing with your grandmother.

Having personal or family problems? Email questions to Dr Yvonnie Bailey-Davidson at yvonniebd@hotmail.com or call her at 978-8602.