Adolescence is usually a complicated phase. It is a transitional period between childhood and adulthood marked by physical, emotional and social changes that pose enormous challenges. Adolescents begin to develop their own identity, desire autonomy and try to find their place in the world, but still lack maturity and find it difficult to properly manage their emotions. It is therefore not surprising that half of all lifelong mental disorders develop by the age of 14, meaning that adolescence is a very sensitive period for the prevention and treatment of mental health problems.
Teenage mental health has never been more compromised
In the fall of 2021, theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics andAmerican Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry have joined their voices to declare a national mental health emergency for children and adolescents. In Spain, an emergency has not been officially declared, but it is still felt.
The latest report on suicidal behavior and mental health in childhood and adolescence from the ANAR Foundation is worrying. The number of cases with suicidal behavior has grown by 1.921,3% in the last decade, especially after the pandemic, when suicide attempts increased by 128%.
The Spanish Association of Pediatrics has also warned that the mental health of children and adolescents has deteriorated significantly in recent years. Before the pandemic, it was estimated that around 20% of adolescents suffered from mental disorders whose consequences could be lifelong.
However, in the last two years, eating disorders have increased by 40%, depression by 19% and aggression by 10%. Furthermore, the cases are more severe, the patients are younger and need more hospitalizations. For this reason, it is important for parents to be aware of the importance of mental health in adolescents.
If your child has a fever, you'll probably react immediately to seeking medical help, so if you find your child sad, irritable, or less interested in activities they used to enjoy, don't think it's just a phase or something unimportant that you can ignore without major consequences. When it comes to our children's mental health, it's vital that we never let our guard down.
Untreated mental health problems interfere with learning, socialization, self-esteem, and other important aspects of development, so adolescents can carry the repercussions throughout their lives. In extreme cases, mental disorders can even lead to suicide.
How to take care of adolescent mental health at home?
Parents dread the onset of adolescence because they anticipate its mood swings, risk-taking behaviors, and endless arguments, but it's actually also an opportunity to establish solid bonds. In fact, at this stage parents can be models for emotional development and help their adolescent children implement effective and adaptive coping strategies that allow them to become self-confident people. How to do it?
• Establish healthy patterns for family life
Structure and security are essential pillars of psychological stability, but they play an even more important role in the lives of adolescents who continue to need clear boundaries and guidelines to grow and learn to take care of themselves as adults. For this reason, mental health begins with a well-structured family life based on healthy habits.
Try to get everyone at home to eat a healthy and nutritious diet, prioritize good sleep habits, and establish a sleep and tech-disconnect routine that helps everyone relax and replenish energy. These habits will help bring order and balance to your child's life and will promote their psychological well-being.
• Spend quality time together
Adolescence is a time of seeking and reaffirming, so it's normal for your child to want to spend more time with their group of friends or by themselves. As a parent, you need to respect his space and give him some freedom to discover and explore the world, but you also need to make sure that the time you spend together is good quality.
Finding a common passion and sharing it will become an opportunity to be together without pressure, just to enjoy each other's company and get to know each other better. These types of experiences also create safe spaces and new opportunities for your child to open up and share their problems and concerns with you.
• Encourage him to share his feelings
When parents help teens acknowledge and express their feelings, they strengthen their mental health. Therefore, you should find ways to communicate with your child. You can ask him to help you prepare dinner or help you out in the garden so you can chat together. Take the opportunity to ask him how his day went and what he did.
If you notice him sad, frustrated, or anxious, ask him what happened to him and help him deal with those emotions. It is important that your child understands that there is no need to run away from negative emotions and that the solution is not even to ignore them, but to learn to manage them. Activities like painting, exercising, keeping a journal, or talking about what's happening to him are very effective outlets to release tension and gain a new perspective on problems.
• Turn your home into a judgment-free safe haven
One of the keys to promoting open communication is being free from judgments. Your child should know that you love them unconditionally and will always support them. He needs to feel that his parents are solid support that he can rely on when things go wrong.
To achieve this, it is important to practice the emotional validation; that is, avoid the tendency to minimize his or her feelings, fears, or frustrations. Your child should feel that they can talk to you about any matter that affects them or ask for your advice, knowing that you won't judge them. This doesn't mean that you have to agree with everything, but that you will take an empathetic and understanding stance to approach the subject in a mature way, with no yelling or recriminations in between.
• Teach him to use technology wisely
It's nearly impossible to expect your child to live without technology, but it poses a serious threat to teen mental health, so they need to learn how to use it properly while protecting themselves from the risks it poses. Establish disconnected times at home and organize technology-free activities so your child understands that there is a wonderful world beyond the screens.
It is essential that you explain to him that everything he does on the Internet will have consequences, which will often extend to real life, and that he should be careful what he posts because it will be difficult to delete it from the network. Also teach him to use privacy filters, address topics such as cyberbullying, sexting and grooming and help him to separate his self-esteem and his value as a person from the number of "likes" or views he can get on social networks .
• Promote solid self-esteem
Probably the greatest gift you can give your child is to help them build bulletproof self-esteem, especially at a stage in life where feelings about themselves depend heavily on group acceptance and popularity on social networks.
Don't just scold your child when he does something wrong, praise him for his good behavior as well. For that praise to become self-esteem fertilizer, focus more on the effort than on the result. Then your child will understand that they have intrinsic value. Including him in important family decisions will also make him feel heard and appreciated, giving him the confidence to use his voice and defend his rights in other contexts outside the home.
• Resolve conflicts together
In the relationship with a teenager, parents must prepare themselves to face the differences, conflicts and power struggles that will arise. Remember that you have also gone through that age, so you better be honest and transparent with your child. Listen to him calmly and empathize with his new needs, even if that doesn't mean you have to give in.
Either way, avoid power struggles by modeling respectful communication without trying to control her reaction or perspective. A teenager is unlikely to admit wrongdoing when he's angry, so it's best to speak up when things calm down. Try to find win-win solutions and, if necessary, reach compromises where your child accepts certain conditions and responsibilities in exchange for more independence.
• Become an example of emotional management
Taking care of adolescents' mental health means teaching them to manage negative emotions. This means that parents must also embark on an emotional learning journey that leads them to avoid fighting when they are too angry or to be more empathetic and understanding in situations where they would normally panic or lose their temper.
Sharing your emotions with your child will also be good for him. If you're stressed, let them know. It's not about overwhelming him with your problems, it's about making him understand that we all have difficulties. When your child sees how you manage these complex emotions, he will understand that it is not necessary to run away from these feelings, but to learn to manage them, thus reducing the risk of self-harm or suffering from anxiety or depression.
• Cover your back
Even if you do everything in your power to take care of your child's mental health and protect them, there are many situations that are beyond your control. Adolescence is a phase of great vulnerability, many situations can leave a deep psychological mark that leads to trauma or mental disorders.
As a parent, it's important not to let your guard down and seek help from a psychologist or psychiatrist as soon as you notice the first warning signs. Remember that getting treatment on time is essential to prevent a mental disorder from getting worse.
Sources:
(2021) AAP-AACAP-CHA Declaration of a National Emergency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. In: American Academic of Pediatrics.
(2022) The Fundación ANAR presents on Estudio sobre Conducta Suicida y Salud Mental en la Infancia y la Adolescencia en España (2012-2022). In: ANAR Foundation.
(2022) The pandemic has caused a 47% increase in mental health disorders in children. In: Spanish Association of Pediatrics.
Kessler, RC et. Al. (2005) Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Arch Gen Psychiatry; 62(6):593-602 .
Admission Parents, how to take care of adolescent mental health? was published first in Corner of Psychology.
