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.

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.