Teens and Mental Health
Guest post by Arturo Osorio
People across the world deal with mental health struggles every day. While depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges are common for adults, they also appear in teenagers who need to manage the unique stressors arriving during adolescence. Youths’ parents should alway look out for the signs of mental health challenges and be ready to provide the support that their teenagers need. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published the following data:
9.4% of children aged 2-17 years (approximately 6.1 million) have received an ADHD diagnosis.
7.4% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.5 million) have a diagnosed behavior problem.
7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have been diagnosed with anxiety.
3.2% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) have been diagnosed with depression.
What Parents Can do to Prevent Mental Disorders in Teens
Mental Disorders can provide a significant amount of stress to a teenager. And many mental health challenges can continue well after a teen reaches adulthood. That means parents should always look for ways to help prevent Mental Disorders in their teens. There are multiple ways a parent can help reduce the risk that their teen will struggle with mental health.
Provide a Caring Environment
The most important thing a parent can do to help their teen with mental health is to provide a caring environment as your teen probably has little control over things at school. At home, you can do your best to create a comfortable place where the teen feels as though they belong. Parents should focus on being positive, supportive, and comforting. Additionally, parents should ensure that all household members are compassionate and make others feel welcome at home.
Encourage a Healthy Lifestyle
Parents that want to help improve the mental health of their teens should also encourage a healthy lifestyle. Getting plenty of sleep, exercising regularly, and eating a balanced diet has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety. Encourage your teen to follow these healthy habits and pursue healthy relationships with friends and romantic partners in their life.
Help Your Teen Seek Purpose
One of the reasons a teen can struggle with depression and anxiety is that they can not find a purpose in their life. If your teen watches a lot of television or scrolls through social media all day, constantly watching upsetting news and comparing their life to the curated feeds of their friends. It can be hard to remember at the moment that no one’s life is really filled with birthday presents and fancy prom outfits every day. That can make a teen feel discouraged and unmotivated. As a parent, you should help your teen seek and find a purpose in their life. Discovering interests they are passionate about can help them create solid goals to work toward.
How to Recognize if a Youth Needs Intervention
If your teen is struggling with mental health challenges, it is important to get them the support they need. But it is not always easy to tell the difference between typical teen behavior and mental health concerns. These tips can be guidelines that can help you identify signs that your teen is struggling with their mental health.
Loss of Interest
One of the common signs that a teen is struggling with mental health is loss of interest. Seeing a teen no longer enjoy the things that they once did can be devastating. While changes in interests can be normal as a child ages, a radical, unexplained switch in a favorite sport or a quick change in friend groups can be a warning sign.
Lack of Energy
A lack of energy or sleeping too much can be usual with teens. However, if it is almost impossible to rouse them from bed, even to do things they once loved, the underlying cause could be depression.
Poor Decision Making
While teens are known for taking some risks and rebelling against authority, consistently making poor and risky decisions can be a sign of mental distress. Some examples of this can include leaving the home late at night, drinking or taking drugs, having trouble with the law, or engaging in other high-risk behaviors.
What Does the Flowchart of Intervention Typically Look Like?
If you have a child or teen struggling with depression, anxiety, or another Mental Health Disorder, getting the proper support and treatment is vital. Generally, this process will follow some form of a high-level flow chart.
Get a Home Assessment
The first step is to complete an assessment at home. If you are concerned about your teen’s mood, the tests can help you determine whether their behavior is abnormal or part of a typical adolescent growth process.
Speak with a Professional
If you think your youth's behavior is a sign of mental distress, you should have them speak with a professional. A school social worker, psychologist, or another mental health professional can provide an unbiased opinion and create strategies that might help your child cope.
Try Self-Help
In conjunction with a professional, self-help techniques can also be a valuable tool for your teen. This part of the process will usually include various tips and tricks that might help your teen feel better and be healthier. like getting plenty of exercise, sleeping at least 7 hours per night, eating a balanced diet, and finding ways to reduce stress.
Consider Psychotherapy
After speaking with a Psychiatrist and trying self-help tips, your teen may also need additional psychotherapy. During these sessions, your teen will spend more time talking with a professional to get at the root of the problem. They will also learn more advanced strategies that can help them manage their mental health challenges on their own.
Take the Right Medication
Once your teen is paired with the right therapist, they may be prescribed medications for their mental health. Generally, your teen will start with low doses to ensure they will not experience dramatic side effects. They will continue to be monitored for months and will likely be required to journal to document their mood. Adjustments to the type of medication and amount taken may be necessary along the way.
Mental health challenges and mental disorders are continuing to affect the lives of teens and their families all over the globe. Teens' parents need to continue to look out for signs of Mental Health Disorders and provide the support they need.
Sources
greatergood.berkley.edu - Five Ways Parents Can Help Prevent Teen Depression
sunshinebehavioralhealth.com - Social Media’s Effect on the Brain: How Much is Too Much?
georgetownbehavioral.com - Normal Teenage Behavior or Mental Health Issue? Know When to Seek Help
pennmedicine.org - 6 Facts Parents Should Know About Mental Illness in Teens
porticonetwork.ca - Child Depression Summary Algorithm
screening.mhanational.org - Take a Mental Health Test
Data and Statistics on Children's Mental Health | CDC