Any thoughts about how/why 'normal' teens think and how it differs from 'troubled' teens think, I'd appreciate it.

After I posted this, I want to be clear that I don't say this glibly and it is a separate question from whether or not he's LD, or suffers from mental illness (mostly rage and depression). The sense I have is that adolescents and teenagers certainly tend to be complex and hard to understand and communicate with in general, but not be considered "troubled."

I think my nephew has various concerns that might be slightly stronger than the average teen since:

On LD issues, he has trouble reading and writing in general; I think he writes at possibly a third or fourth grade level. His reading is slow; he'll blame it on his glasses or related, but even when conditions are optimum, he doesn't seem to read very well: I ask him to read to himself and then read outloud and it takes him several minutes to read what I consider to be a short page. Even then, he doesn't seem to understand what he is reading. He is horrendous at math: he struggles with basic arithmetic.

On rage and mental health issues: though not formally diagnosed, I have anecdotal evidence that our family has some emotional, thought, or mood issues. My nephew has indicated he's had various rage and depression issues, among possible other conditions. The best indication is that he drinks and smokes rather heavily possibility, but also that he's inclined to fighting (physical violence) though he fortunately doesn't seem to have as many opportunities as he claims to want.

Thank you.