1. Research the symptoms and causes of depression as well as treatments. Determine how individuals of different age groups and gender are affected by depression. What percentage of American teenagers do psychologists think suffer from depression? How do these statistics compare to adolescents in other countries?

2. Differentiate between bulimia and anorexia nervosa. Collect statistics about the age, gender, and socioeconomic status of Americans who have these illnesses. Are these conditions common in other cultures? Why do people develop these behaviors and what treatment is effective?

3. Why do people engage in self-mutilation? Differentiate between self-expression such as body piercing and selfdestructive acts. How does body image affect emotional well being?

4. Read nonfiction books about teenagers and American culture such as Mary Pipher's Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls (1994), The Shelter of Each Other: Rebuilding Our Families (1996), and Hunger Pains: The...