Mental Health In Teens - How Common Is It and How To Help!
ADvTECH Group • February 14, 2022
Your Teen’s Mental Health
When is it time to worry about a moody teenager? Teen mental health is a growing concern for many parents, so read on to find out what to look out for and how to help.
The World Health Organization says that when it comes to teens aged 15 to 19 years, depression is the fourth leading cause of illness, and anxiety the ninth leading cause of illness in the age group. What’s more, around half of mental health conditions start by the of 14, but most go undetected and untreated, they say. So, what’s going on with our young adults and how do we know if it is just normal teenage behaviour or if there is something more at play?
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The Teenage Brain
Besides toddlerhood, adolescence is a period of life that sees the most brain development. The dynamic changes that are happening in the brain at this time make this an important phase that helps to set the scene for how your teen thinks, acts and feels – the experiences they have now affect how their brains develop, so it’s worth thinking about how the things your teenager is into are shaping his brain for adulthood.
Probably the biggest thing to bear in mind here is that the prefrontal cortex is still developing in a teenager. This is the part of the brain that controls decision making, and this affects your child’s ability to plan and think about the consequences of their actions, solve problems and control impulses. To make up for this, their brains rely on the amygdala for these tasks.
The problem here is that the amygdala is associated with emotions, aggression, impulses and instinctive behaviour. What this boils down to is that your almost-adult child seems to behave remarkably maturely at times, but behaves impulsively, illogically and emotionally at others.
You may also notice that your teen’s sleep patterns have changed, which are also a result of this brain development. They tend to stay up late at night and struggle to get up in the morning, and lack of sleep also affects their moods, attention spans and impulsivity. These shifts are quite normal in teens.
Mental Health In Teenagers
However, sometimes a teenager’s moods are more than this. Mental health struggles, such as teen anxiety and depression, go beyond fatigue and feeling lonely, angry and frustrated. They are longer lasting and more severe and affect a teen’s usual way of thinking, acting and feeling, and impact daily life.
When it comes to teen mental health, there are a lot of things at play. The more risk factors they experience, the more likely an impact on their mental health. These stressors can include peer pressure, experiencing disappointments or conflict, exposure to violence, instability at home, socio-economic struggles, as well as exploring self-identity. There are the added influences of media and gender norms that can also affect how your teen sees the world and themselves.
This is why developing positive daily habits now are key, such as exercising regularly; developing emotional resilience that can help with managing emotions, developing coping skills and problem-solving; and learning interpersonal skills to interact with others well. A protective home environment that offers unequivocal support is also vital.
What To Look Out For
Remember that your teenager is carving out an individual identity for themselves, and they may experiment when trying to define themselves. A flux in hairstyles, clothes, even values and ideas are normal. But destructive and repeatedly inappropriate behaviour could signal deeper problems. If you’re worried about your teen’s mental health, keep an eye out for these:
- A low mood that does not go away, including ongoing feelings of hopelessness or sadness without a definable cause.
- Low self-esteem or self-blame.
- An unexpected and extreme decline in academic performance, skipping school, or teacher has noticed issues at school.
- Drastic changes in sleep – teens should get 9 to 10 hours of sleep a day, sleeping far too much or too little, as well as insomnia, could be red flags.
- Changes in eating habits – eating more or far less than normal.
- Outbursts of anger, with increased irritability, frustration or agitation.
- Unexpected tearfulness or feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness.
- Withdrawing from the world – abandoning favourite pastimes, losing interest in things, actively isolating from friends and family.
- A loss of interest in appearance.
- Physical symptoms like headaches, nausea, stomach pains and other pain that don’t go away when treated.
- Substance abuse (alcohol or drugs) and other risky behaviours.
- Talking about harming themselves, death and suicide – seek immediate professional help.
How You Can Help
It can be difficult to distinguish typical teenage behaviour from warning signs of an underlying problem. So, the biggest way you can help your teen is to familiarise yourself with the signs of mental health conditions, provide an environment of open and honest communication, and ensure a solid support system exists.
- Listen, don’t lecture:
When you talk to your teenager, try to do so without judgement. Bring up your concerns and try not to judge or criticise your teenager when they open up and talk to you – what’s important is that they are communicating with you.
- Their feelings are all valid:
What your teenager is feeling and experiencing is very real to them, even if you think their concerns are trivial. Acknowledge their feelings and give them the room to experience them – you can’t talk anyone out of depression, but support and knowing that they are believed mean the world.
- Persist gently:
Think back to your teen years – probably the last thing you wanted to do was bare your soul to your parents. Talking about their feelings is tough, so don’t give up if your child shuts you down at first. Keep opening up the channels of communication, they’ll appreciate knowing you’re there.
- Provide opportunities for engagement:
Help your teen stay connected to others and their passions. Encourage them to invite their friends over, help make it easier to engage in their hobbies, etc.
- Listen to your parent heart:
Trust your instincts. You know your child best, and if you are worried about your teenager’s behaviour then look into it even if they claim nothing is wrong.
- Get help from the pros:
Your GP should be able to refer you to a counsellor, psychologist or psychiatrist in your area. The South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) is also a great resource for information, tools and support, as well as numbers for various helplines, visit them at sadag.org
Sometimes, even with the most supportive environment, the most engaged parents, the best open communication and greatest love, a teen struggles. Teen anxiety and depression, eating disorders, and other mental health issues are not a sign of weakness, nor can they be dealt with using positive thinking or willpower. Should you suspect a mental health issue, seek help from a mental health professional sooner rather than later.
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