Teenagers and Mental Health – All You Need to Know as a Parent!

Teenagers are difficult to deal with. This is a generalized statement that almost every parent might have used at some point in their lifetime. And why not, the teenagers are going through a tough phase themselves trying to understand the various aspects of their life and the world around them. From puberty to an identity crisis, they have a lot of issues to battle and things to figure out. That’s probably a reason why they are hard for everyone else to understand.

So, if you are a parent to a teenager too, and having a tough time handling them, think again and understand what they might be going through. Several research findings suggest that teenagers might be battling numerous mental health issues or might be vulnerable to a lot of mental health challenges. Here are six mental health battles that teenagers are most susceptible to. So, here is how you could help them deal with it.

Eating Disorders

Body image issues are common struggles that adolescents and teenagers tend to battle. This could be anything from anorexia to anorexia, bulimia nervosa, or other binge eating disorders. At the same time, the common perception is that only girls and women who battle eating disorders. However, this is not the truth, as research evidence shows otherwise. It has numerous serious psychological and physical consequences of a person. A common sign of an eating disorder could be anything from excessive eating to not eating at all, and both do more harm than good to the individual.

If your teenager seems to be having an eating disorder, the first step you should take is to accept their problem and not treat it as something they’re choosing to do. Instead, you can help them visit a therapist and let the professional guide them towards the solution.

Social Anxiety

Social phobia or social anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders that people battle. This is all the more true in the case of teenagers. People with social anxiety are in constant fear of social interactions. They have irrational anxiety, very self-conscious in social situations and interactions. This excessive fear of being judged and humiliated makes it difficult for them to carry on with everyday life activities. It is rightly called social phobia.

Just the way any other phobia triggering objects makes life difficult, a social phobia makes it difficult for people to deal with social situations. If you think your teenager has social anxiety issues, watch for symptoms like anxiety, social isolation, sweating, or palpitations. You could consider taking your child to a therapist where they can talk about their feelings and improve their ability to talk and deal with social situations. A professional might also prescribed antidepressants if the situation demands it.

Depression

Depression is a serious mood disorder that impacts a person’s life significantly. A series of symptoms categorized as depression are sadness, feeling low, a sense of loss, anger, and a feels a lack of control over situations. A severe case of clinical depression could also make it difficult for the individual to deal with everyday life. Depression could be of many types. Understanding which one your teenager might be battling is important to help them deal with it rightly.