“Teenage” is a stage that is characterized by many physical and mental changes in an individual – Focus On Your Teen’s Mental Health.
At times adolescents and teens tend to become more fragile, less resilient and more overwhelmed while growing up.
Several studies have shown that anxiety and depression in high school kids have been on the rise in recent years.
It’s a phenomenon that cuts across all demographics–suburban, urban and rural.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), in 2015 alone, over 3 million teens aged between 12 and 17 had had at least one major depressive syndrome.
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Focus On Your Teen’s Mental Health
Many health experts say teen minds always crave stimulation, and the way they react emotionally is sudden and sometimes debilitating.
Furthermore, teenage is the time when teens are stressed due to academic performance, immersed in the pangs of emotional tangle with their classmates, and engaged in various other activities like adventures and mutual fights.
Teenagers often find that there are more expectations of them as they finish high school.
They also want to come out of their comfort zone, try strange things and make new friends, which is when they might come across drugs and alcohol.
By abusing substances some teens try to show how cool they are while others try these things due to peer pressure.
Either way, this may lead to drug or alcohol addiction in them.
In the event of these unfortunate outcomes, many parents have to drug rehab programs to treat their addiction.
It is important for parents to know and understand the common mental health issues that their teens might develop.
Among many problems, mood disorders, including different types of depression, anxiety disorders, and behavior disorders (like oppositional defiant disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD) are some common disorders that become apparent during the teen years.
There are many causes behind mental illnesses/issues in teens, for example, environmental factors, traumatic childhood, genetics, substance abuse, and family history.
Dangerous Consequences of Untreated Mental Illness
Parents cannot afford to ignore the need for addressing mental health issues in their teens.
Unfortunately, a significant number of teens with mental illness go untreated.
This makes millions of people needlessly suffer with unnecessary symptoms.
There are many reasons why teens don’t receive the mental health treatment they need.
The prominent ones are stigma, shame, embarrassment and poverty, which play a vital role in the decision not to seek treatment.
Also, sometimes parents don’t recognize the need to treat their child, while on other occasions, teens themselves refuse to go through the treatment.
There are many consequences of letting a mental health condition go untreated.
Some kids may not proceed with their education due to difficulties coming in academics, while others may turn to substance abuse or crime.
The most obvious impact of untreated mental illness, however, is declining mental health.
If a mental illness is allowed to persist longer, it becomes harder to treat.
People having mild form of depression, if left untreated, may begin to experience full range of depression symptoms, which means more intensive treatment and uncertain recovery.
Untreated mental illness may also cause various physical health issues. For example, chronic stress is associated with a risk of heart attacks, stroke, obesity, and even premature death.
There are some unexplained aches and pains arise due to mental health when it becomes too challenging to deal with.
People involuntarily tend to tense their muscles, leading to headaches and muscle pain.
Finally, mental illness can make a person’s life very intolerable, causing the person commit suicide because no hope seems to appear on the horizon.
Here Is How To Focus On Your Teen’s Mental Health:
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Keep communicating with them
It is important to have an open dialog with your kids.
Just spend some time with them during their adolescent years, and maintain a good relationship.
That way, whenever they have a concern they feel free to bring it up to you.
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Pay attention to initial symptoms
You need to keep a concerned eye on your child whether he or she is having difficulty with sleep, appetite, weight loss issues or academic performance.
Pay attention whether they are showing a sudden change in their behavior.
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Reach out for expert guidance
Are convinced that your teen is exhibiting strange behavior?
The first thing to do is schedule an appointment with a health professional.
They can help gauge if a behavior is outside the norm and ways to cope with that.
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Incorporate a holistic approach
When we approach a holistic approach for mental health, it’s important we not only treat a specific symptom or problem; we need to treat the individual.
It is all about teaching your teen a way of maintain a balanced life.
Our readers also found these articles useful; Raising Healthy Little Minds, How I connected with my Families Health, and Social Anxiety in Teens – From a Teens Perspective.
