World Teen Mental Wellness Day

How often we have heard parents complaining about their teens saying that they have changed so much as they have hit their teens? When anyone says that they are parents to a teen or teens, we immediately notice that grin on the face or a certain expression. It seems that people dealing with teens are in a kind of not-so-safe zone.

Whenever a teen is depicted, or spoken about we observe that their rooms look like they have been to space, shabby scattered, and totally upside down.

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), One in six people are aged 10–19 years. Adolescence is a unique and formative time. Physical, emotional, and social changes, including exposure to poverty, abuse, or violence, can make adolescents vulnerable to mental health problems. Protecting adolescents from adversity, promoting socio-emotional learning and psychological well-being, and ensuring access to mental health care are critical for their health and well-being during adolescence and adulthood.

From my childhood days I have always been listening to elders saying, it’s a joy to be a child, no worry, no stress, just fun, laughter and being yourself. To a certain extent may be I too fell under the category of the “happy child, with no worries”, however, years later I realized that the term was a bit overly used.

When any child sighs saying how difficult or challenging life is, we immediately notice a bunch of elders pounce and say, “wait till you grow up, you probably don’t know what difficulties or challenges are like”. Do we still really think so? If this is the case why are there mental issues, anxiety issues, stress, and mental disorders on the rise? Why are youngsters falling prey to heart attacks, panic attacks, lacking confidence, experiencing loneliness?

Perhaps it’s time to take notice and see that things have after all changed. Not everybody's childhood is the same stress free and a joyful one.

Understanding the above scenario, one can observe that Mental health is taking a toll on the young ones and this needs to be address in a serious tone.

Mental health and Physical health are so inter-related and very important

For example let’s say that a child is feeling unwell, perhaps has a fever or a stomach ache, infection or so. We immediately address the issue, this comes in from even the school or the parents themselves.

Now imagine the child is feeling a bit irritated, or under the weather, is the reaching out time the same as it was for the physical ailment? (a question to ponder upon)

It’s humane to understand what one is going through, this applies not only to adults but to the young ones as well.Encourage them to speak up, to communicate and let us know how they feel.

How to encourage them to talk?

Create communication and safe talking space for them

Make sure that the child is allowed to express what he/she feels.

Encourage healthy media habits

Watch out for the child’s sleeping habits

Keep in touch with the immediate members associated with the child, like parents, coaches, or adults in your child’slife.

Why is Mental health in Teens so fragile?

They go through many changes which they don’t understand

Often don’t feel understood by family and close members

The fear of being judged constantly

Biological issues

Societal concerns

Family dynamics

Psychosocial influences on teens mental health

School environment

Peer relationships

In a study after the first full academic year of the pandemic, the Centres for Disease Control (CDC) found that more than 4 out of 10 teenagers feel “persistently sad or hopeless,” and 1 in 5teens has contemplated suicide.

How to help teens

Just be there

Offer help and not advice

Listen, listen, listen

Validate your teen’s identity

Explore supportive resources

Reach out to a therapist/ doctor/counsellor

Be a mental health role model

Conclusion:

Anyone can go through mental health issues, irrespective of age, gender and nationality. If you are a teen, or a caregiver, guardian or parent to a teen and are perplexed about what is happening, please do reach out to us, we can walk together in this journey. Until then TransformHappily.

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