Mov. Mount: I believe that there’s more “ignorance” out there than “covering up.”
You describe a problem of parents not knowing/understanding their teenagers’ feelings (whether these feelings are from PTSD or other MH issues). This is very prevalent in every society; perhaps it is exacerbated when there is a significant discrepancy between the parents’ upbringing and that of their children- e.g. parents were raised in a more conservative society than today’s American teens.
Rochelle: Who needs an excuse? We’re not dealing with rational adults, but messed-up teenagers! And they may not be consciously choosing to leave the fold, but they just start doing things because of their negative emotions…aveira goreres aveira.