Teens and Mental Health

Today's youngsters are struggling with mental health issues on a scale that's not been seen before. The World Health Organization (WHO) puts the percentage of teens and children experiencing mental health issues globally to be between 10 and 20%. 

Further, according to the American Journal of Managed Care, the years between 2008 and 2017 saw a significant increase in the number of adults suffering from mental health disorders across the majority of adult age groups. However, the biggest increase (71%), was among the younger adult demographic (18-25yrs).

With numerous factors at play, it is difficult to point out the exact cause of the increased physiological distress among teens. Nonetheless, the Pew Research Center opines that 61% of teens in the US admit feeling a lot of pressure to achieve good grades in school. Additionally, 29% of American teens feel under high pressure to look and dress well, while 28% struggle with the pressure to fit in. Seeing as the world is more or less fully interconnected, it is safe to say that teens in other countries also face similar situations. 

Key Factors Shaping The Teen Mental Health Landscape 

Below are some of the most notable factors in regards to the mental health of young adults:

1. Information Overload

We live in a never-ending cycle of news, with both mainstream media and social media churning out news and information every other hour. Consequently, young people are in a constant struggle to keep up with the news to appear cool or knowledgeable to their friends or social media followers. This information overload on young minds causes anxiety, frustration and stress, among others, and consequently leads to mental health problems. 

2. Social Media

With smartphones and the internet guzzling up an unacceptably large portion of our lives, teens are finding it hard to cope with it all. For one, the majority of teens log on to their social media accounts the first thing in the morning, which leaves them vulnerable to peer pressure. It doesn't help that cyberbullying and sexual harassment have taken over most social platforms.

3. Stigma Surrounding Mental Health

First off, most teens are embarrassed to see a therapist due to the social stigma that surrounds mental health care. Admitting to seeing a therapist or having a mental disorder carries a high risk of being branded weak, dumb, or a 'sicko.' As a result, most of the teens choose to hide their emotions, worries and frustrations. 

Fortunately, mental health campaigns by governments and celebrities have seen a slow and steady lifting of stigma around mental health disorders. Hopefully, more young people will seek professional help when in psychological wilderness.

5. Worries About The Future

Everywhere you look, from your TV to your local newspaper or even Instagram, you will see cynical reports about your country or the world. For instance, global warming, Brexit and terrorism are some of the most widely discussed things in our current world.

All these negative news and predictions increase the pressure on young people, who get anxious and concerned about their future lives. Eventually, this affects their lives, both in terms of productivity and mental stability.

Coping With Back To School Anxieties

According to a 2017 study, one in every four parents stays at home to tend to an anxious child. Notably, anxiety is common among school-going children, and it may be caused by several factors, some of which are beyond your child’s control.

Children with back to school anxieties will conjure up all sorts of excuses to remain at home and may become highly irritable. Though this is normal, letting your child stay at home will only enable their fears even further.

Today, we will discuss some of the steps to take to ensure your child transitions into school life seamlessly.  

Start with the Simple Things

A child’s development and temperament is greatly affected when they do not get enough sleep, food, or playtime. All these factors help in nourishing the body and mind, thus making your child more relaxed. 

Ensure that your child eats well and gets a good night’s sleep every school night. This will make them less irritable and more likely to listen to you. 

Do Not Dismiss your Child’s Worries

How do you react when your daughter refuses to go back to school, simply because her friends refused to play with her the previous week? Well, as a parent, you may not take the claims seriously. 

However, your child does not have as much life experience as you. To her, it may seem like the end of the world. Rather than dismiss any worries your child may have, listen and show them you understand, then give them a broader perspective. 

You will be surprised at how reasonable your child is with the right approach. This will also strengthen your bond, and it will be easier for them to come to you with future issues.

Come up with a Lasting Solution 

Once your child displays any anxiety towards school, do not approach it as a one-off situation. For most parents, the priority is getting their kids off to school for the day so that they can attend to other duties. 

However, if you notice any abnormal behavioral changes in your child, you should strive to look into the cause of the problem, and engage your child in creating a lasting solution. This helps to prevent such occurrences in the future. 

Essentially, you should talk with your child and develop a coping mechanism together. You should also discuss other hypothetical situations and help your child see the best ways to handle them.

Be Mindful

Young children learn through observation and mimicking. Your reaction the moment you drop your child off at school is very crucial. For instance, if you seem worried, your child may get the impression that school may not be a good place. You should therefore show excitement for their new chapter, and say your goodbye cheerfully.  

Take Away:

When it comes to dealing with back to school anxieties, patience and empathy are the secret ingredients. Rather than approach your child from a position of authority, level with them, be a friend, and they will be more likely to take your advice positively. 

Mental Health: Be aware of the signs

When it comes to mental health, are you taking good care of yourself? The only way to go is to be sure that you are doing the best that you can when it comes to your diet, the amount that you exercise, and your general lifestyle.

As a parent you are only responsible for the children that you have brought into this world and yourself. But what happens when you feel that your children are not only growing up but headed down the wrong path? If you are staying late up at night wondering where they are or worrying over sudden changes in their mood or personality, you're not alone.

You may have felt as though it were just yesterday that they were small. Now they are hitting their teen years and things are getting more challenging. There are a lot of transitions that come along with going through the older years as well as life. They can be emotional as well as trying.

As a parent, you may want to do all that you can to protect them. But as they become teens that are going to be adults you really have to do all that it takes to try and do the right thing. Keep talking to them and keep the lines of communication open.

You want them to have a support system but also pursue resources that are available. Mental health is a tricky subject and you may want to talk to a teacher as well as a psychiatrist. The key thing is to know when you need to ask for help.

You may want to look for signs that your teen is not well. This may include poor grades as well as having a bad attitude. They may be late or may not be home all that much at all. They could also be hanging out with the wrong crowd and just seeming sad or different than they normally are.

A treatment center could be the thing to set them in the right direction again. They have all the tools that can help your teen to adjust during this tough time and do all that they can to be on the right track. If you want to help your child sometimes you have to accept that it is a tough decision that you have to make.

The good news is that there is always something that can be done to help if the teen wants to accept help. Get in touch to find out more and you may educate yourself more on a topic that you thought you knew how to fix. We cannot control how the disease progresses or whether mental health is present but we can control how we react to it and what we do to help the people that we love to get better and not to be sick anymore.
sure that you are doing the best that you can when it comes to your diet, the amount that you exercise, and your general lifestyle.

Treatment may be the best course of action. Find out more by getting in touch and see whether the answers may be waiting for you and your child together today so that you can move forward to the future.

Signs That Your Teen May Be Stressed

Teenagers may not have the same set of responsibilities that adults do when it comes to career  and taking care of the family, but they are well aware that it is within their future. Even though it may not be there at the present moment, they still experience stress.

Teens can deal with all types of issues, situations, and emotions. Problems with academics, grades, tests, peer pressure, bullying, sports, socializing and more can all affect a teen and cause stress. A teen that does not have the right amount of support may be at more risk for problems with mental health and their health as well as academics.

For this reason, it's a good idea to look out for signs that your teen may be stressed. Check out these signs that your teen may be too stressed so you can help them out and provide resources and suggestions and find ways to help them.

1. Getting headaches or stomach aches.

Sometimes stress can manifest as a physical health problem. If your teen is getting headaches or stomach aches on a regular basis, it may be due to stress.

2. Issues with sleeping.

Some people have a tough time going to sleep or staying there, which can be a sign that you're stressed. The cycle can continue, where less sleep means that they can't handle stress. Too much sleep may be a sign of stress as well, when they're trying to sleep a lot on weekends or go to bed right after school. They may be trying to get away from their stress.

3. Having problems with their education.

Problems with stress can often come from school issues. Academic problems might also be a sign that your teen's too stressed. Grades going down or attendance or issues getting work done might be related to stress.

4. More irritability than usual.

Teens can be moody and irritable, but a teen that is stressed out will usually be even more irritable than they are on a regular basis. If a teen is getting irritated or reacting to small inconveniences, they may be having a tough time navigating life or be struggling with a certain issue.

5. Retreating from socializing.

The social habits of the average teen are going to be changed by stress. Isolation from friends or activities that they enjoy could be a sign that they're struggling with stress.

6. Bad changes in behavior.

Sometimes, behavior problems can come from a teen being stressed. You may see more problems in behavior. Address it and ask what's wrong before setting limits to see what's wrong.

7. Having a tough time concentrating.

Teens have a tough time concentrating on the work that they do. They might be distracted easily or have difficulty focusing while doing school work. 

8. Worrying a lot.

They may seem to be worrying more than normal. Teens react to a lot, but if yours seems to be always worried or having anxiety, you may want to try and get them into counseling.

Have a conversation or encourage your teen to develop stress management techniques. Talk to them about speaking with a counselor or therapist and dealing with their stress head on.

The Connection Between Depression and Substance Abuse

When it comes to using substances and mental illness, is there a connection between the two?Individuals that have been professionally diagnosed as having mental illness during their life have been found to make up a significant percentage of substance users. Mental illness and substance

abuse together form what is known as a co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis.

What is depression? A mental illness that can often occur with using substances such as drugs or alcohol. Those who use substances (or abuse them) are more likely to suffer depression, whereas the opposite is also true in what is a bi-directional relationship.

When someone is depressed, they may abuse substances to change their mood or get rid of negative feelings. However, some substances act as depressants or in other ways and can actually contribute to depression, after the effects wear off or as they deal with emotions about addiction.

Signs Of Depression

About one third of adult individuals that abuse substances may also deal with depression. Symptoms of drug use can be the same as depressive symptoms, so it makes it tough to actively diagnose an individual with depression when they are using at the same time.

Depression can also manifest in different ways, depending on the individual. Some people may show signs of being in a low mood or overly fatigued. Some may be angry or irritable.

Signs include:

Sleep changes
Appetite changes
Losing interest in hobbies or activities
Feeling despair or guilt
Low energy
Difficulty concentrating
Thoughts of suicide

If you do not know whether you abuse substances, these questions might help:

Do you attempt to stop your habit but can't?
Does your life revolve around your addiction?
Do you have substance cravings?
Is your life being affected negatively by your using?
Do you continue to use even you're aware of the risk to personal relationships?
Do you use substances to a dangerous point?
Do you have to do more to get the effect you want?

Seek Treatment:

Treatment is important for those suffering with depression or a substance problem, or both. Medications or antidepressants may help with symptoms and treatment and counseling may provide emotional and behavioral support necessary to have a healthy lifestyle.

When seeking treatment, you may want first to get medical attention to deal with any withdrawal symptoms. This may require abstinence for some time to get an accurate diagnosis from a clinician. You may want to speak to a doctor regarding programs specially designed to deal with a dual diagnosis. Just ending substance use may cause the depression to get worse, risking a possible relapse.

Individuals sometimes find that support through counseling and medical attention as well as their peers is helpful when it comes to addiction. You may find that outpatient or inpatient treatment programs are appealing to you. Treatment programs that work usually have peer support, pharmacotherapy, treatment plans individualized to the person, medical assistance on site, involve the family, and have support programs as a follow up to address relapse.

Treating depression in the end may be key to treating substance issues, and vice versa. If you abuse substances, you may be struggling with depression or making it worse. Seek treatment to really address what's going on with you and be the healthiest and happiest version of yourself.

Helping Your Teen With Anxiety About School

Is your child going back to school or are they already back?

For students, returning to the school year can bring a bunch of mixed emotions. No matter what age you are, it can be difficult to transition from either never going before to school or from the habits of summer vacation over to the school year.

Teens and even younger students may feel worried that they don't know anyone in their class or that

they won't have friends. Perhaps shifting into a year with more responsibility and tougher courses might be intimidating.

While for some kindergarten and preschool can be the most stressful first days of school, other teens find that going back to high school can involve a fair amount of pressure and feelings of anxiety.

Is your child anxious about going back to school? For teens especially, starting a new year can be tough. They have all new classes and all new teachers with different combinations of students with them than they had before.

They may also have worries about what the first day might be like. Perhaps they won't fit in because of their outfit, or they'll be made fun of. Maybe they've been having poor sleep wondering what the year will be like. Fear of the unknown is a really big thing and it is totally natural to have a sense of anticipation or think about what the experience might be like.

They may be concerned that they won't feel comfortable in their classes. Some teens may have anxieties about getting lost or navigating the school. Still others may worry that no one likes them or their grades might be poor right off of the bat. Maybe they don't like school all that much and they are worried that this year will be worse for them.

Talking with your child may help them. Not all teens want to 'talk about it', however! You may be able to sense whether they are stressed out about fitting in or whether they feel unprepared for the school year. Ask them if there is anything that they need for school materials or wardrobe-- maybe feeling like they are more prepared for the school year will help put them at ease.

You can also attend orientation and explore the school early and get the schedule ahead of time. Letting your child know that it's okay to be nervous and that they just have to be themselves is important. Don't place any undue pressure on them or make them feel more anxious by telling them about stories from back in your day!

High school can be a tough place and confusing to navigate, especially in the age of social media! Let your child know that it's important to be respectful of others and nice to your fellow students. A therapist or counselor may be able to work with your child and let them feel like they have a sounding board that isn't a parent.

Hopefully, after a little adjustment, your teen will feel happy at their school and excited about the school year. Let them know you are there for them if they need anything and check in to see how things are going. With any luck it will be a great year!