When I was a child my mother said to me, ‘If I become a soldier, you’ll be a general. If you become a monk, you’ll end up as a pope.’ I became a painter and wound up as Picasso.
SOME FACTS ABOUT TEEN MENTAL HEALTH
1. Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and untreated
2. Depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among teenagers
3. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15 to 19 years old
4. 10 to 20% of adolescence experience mental health issues
SYMPTOMS Of MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS IN TEENAGERS
1. Excessive irritability
2. Physical symptoms like stomach ache and headache
3. Increased amount of time spent in own room
4. Social isolation
5. Not able to study
6. Not able to do extra curricular activities
7. Not talking to parents
8. Eating disorders -restricting calories
-binge eating
9. Substance abuse -drinking
-smoking
-weed
ACCEPTING ACKNOWLEDGING AND PROBLEM SOLVING
If we do not acknowledge our problems we will be running away from actual reality. The first step in improving the situation is to come out of the DENIAL MODE. Accepting our mental health issues and need for support- will help us lead a more meaningful life. There should be NO STIGMA attached to problems related to mental health. Help is just a phone call away.
Parents play a huge role in the emotional health of a child. Teens mental health issue like depression and anxiety have been correlated to maladaptive parenting.
Maladaptive Behavior Of Parents
1. Over protection-
When a parent is overprotective it blunts the child’s ability to perceive threat
2. Over guidance-
When a child is told what to do each hour and each minute of his life his self-esteem reaches a new low
3. Critical parenting-
Minimizes the child’s feeling. It will affect child’s ability to fight adversity
4. Parental mental health issues-
Parental anxiety and depression passes through verbal transmission to the child
5. Abusive parents-
Hitting the child for unruly behavior teaches the child to do the same
6. Unpredictable parenting-
Loving the child one moment and rejecting the other moment leads to under confident and insecure children
WHAT A CHILD NEEDS FROM THE PARENT
1. Unconditional Love and Support
2. Children have many friends. What they need is Parents who can guide them
3. Not to be ignorant of child’s worries
4. Parents are not trained to handle mental health problems of a young mind. They should support children to visit a therapist without hesitation.
TEENS – WISH MY PARENTS KNEW
I do not blame you for any of my problems but wish you knew what I am going through and could give me your loving hand
I feel disappointed when I don’t get good grades_
I hope you would say academic grades are not the measure of a child’s worth
I feel my life is not worth living when I am addicted to alcohol and smoking_
I hope you do not get a panic attack and would say let’s go to a therapist
I feel depressed when I do not win the games at school_
I hope you would say it is OK to not be perfect and tell me stories of how you overcame your imperfection
When I get angry _
I hope you would say it is OK to acknowledge your emotions
When I feel a little plump_
I hope you would say developing personality is more important than developing figure and physique
When I gave my brand new pen to my friend _
I hope you would say helping others is the best deed I will ever be doing
when you saw the sex magazine in my closet and I felt very ashamed about it_
I hope you would say it’s ok to be inquisitive and provided guidance on a healthy sexual behavior
When I told you I am feeling anxious before exam_
I hope you yourself did not get an anxiety attack -instead was available to support me
MOM AND DAD I DO APPRECIATE WHAT All YOU HAVE DONE FOR ME AND I LOVE YOU A LOT
