Includes bibliographical references (pages 225-238) and index.
Contents
Part I. The Epidemic is Here -- 1. Lori, Alex, Holly -- Lori's Story -- Alex's Story -- Holly's Story -- 2. The Epidemic Is Real -- The Epidemic Defined -- Lifelong, Life-Threatening -- STDs Don't Discriminate -- Like a Match to Gasoline -- Allyson's Story -- Breaking the Silence -- Mayhem in the Media -- Curriculum for the Classroom -- 3. The Explosion from Two to Fifty -- Sick for Life -- HPV: Ground Zero -- Lydia's Story -- Herpes: The Recurring Dread -- Erin's Story -- Easy To Share -- An Illness of Body and Mind -- HIV and AIDS -- Hepatitis B -- More Strokes -- 4. Curable but Dangerous -- Chlamydia -- Sandy's Story -- Gonorrhea: Back with a Vengeance -- Syphilis Incognito -- Trichomoniasis: HIV's Little Helper -- Bacterial Vaginosis -- My Patients Are Your Children -- 5. The Emotional STD -- Skyrocketing Rates -- Darlene's Story -- Searching for Proof -- Tony's Story -- Sex and Depression -- The Special Loss of Divorce -- The Triumvirate of Depression -- Spirituality and Depression -- Uncovering Depression in Teens -- Part II. The Forces at Work -- 6. Birth Control Is Not Disease Control -- My Story -- Tools for Protection -- Oral Contraceptives -- Condoms -- Long-term Hormonal Therapies -- The Doctors' Dilemma -- 7. Condoms and the Myth of Safe Sex -- Karen's Story -- Talking Terms -- The Real Deal on Condoms -- Sex, Lies, and the Freedom of Information Act -- Condoms Versus the STDs -- What Teens Fear Most -- Condoms and Teenagers: An Unhealthy Mix -- Sending the Wrong Message -- 8. Media and the World Our Kids See -- Parents: Exhausted and Discouraged -- Blockbuster Sex on the Big Screen -- The Sounds of Sex: Music and MTV -- Television: The 800-Pound Gorilla -- Dotcom Sex -- Selling Shampoo ... or Sex? -- Teens: Soaking It up Like a Sponge -- Sex Is Big -- Sex Symbols as Role Models -- Cool People Are Promiscuous -- So What Are Parents To Do? -- 9. High-Risk Sex -- Why It's Happening -- Oral Sex: A Craze with Consequences -- Oral Sex Is No Protection -- Mary Ellen's Story -- Homosexual Sexual Activity -- Multiple Partners -- Can I Watch? Voyeurism -- Everything But Sex ... -- Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol -- Jared's Story -- The Alcohol-Disease Connection -- Cybersex -- Good Sex/Bad Sex -- Part III. What to Know, What to Do -- 10. Adolescent in Body and Mind -- When Puberty Strikes -- Andrea's Story -- STDs and the Adolescent Girl's Body -- When Boys Reach Puberty -- Sex and Sexuality -- Emancipation -- Identity Formation -- Inability To Think in the Abstract -- 11. Connectedness -- Our Teenagers Want Connectedness with Us -- Developing Great Relationships with Our Teens -- Connecting Through Communication -- Connecting Through Intimacy -- The Magic Touch -- Connecting Through Emotional Intimacy -- Connecting Through Love -- Connecting Through Appreciation -- Parental Disapproval of Sex -- 12. Holding Off -- Teaching Kids To Postpone Sex -- Ambivalence Is Permission -- It's Never Too Late.
Summary
Describes the widespread advance of sexually transmitted diseases in the teenage population, covering causes including birth control, reliance on condoms, and the teen body.