Understanding Teen Mental Health: Practical Tips for Parents

Disclaimer: The information below is not intended as medical advice and is only intended to offer points you may wish to consider in 'non-emergency situations', together with signposting for more support. You should consult an appropriate medical professional if you have concerns about your or your child's health. Dial 999 in an emergency if someone is in a life-threatening condition.

As a parent of a tween or teen, you're likely aware of the current mental health crisis affecting young people. A recent statistic from YoungMinds highlighted that one in six children aged five to 16 were identified as having a probable mental health problem in July 2021. This is a huge increase from one in nine in 2017. That's five children in every classroom*.

The teenage years can be difficult for many children and parents, and this is not new in 2024. It's not untypical for your teen to experience turbulence during these times i.e. mood swings and feelings of isolation. However, when these periods of isolation become prolonged, and your child is struggling to manage these big emotions, they could be suffering with their mental health.

What are Mental Health Issues?

When we talk about mental health issues, these include:

Emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression
Behavioural disorders such as ADHD
Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia
Psychosis (detachment from reality)
Suicide/self-harm

Causes of Mental Health Issues in Teens

Being a teenager isn't easy, with exams, friendships, and hormonal changes to contend with already. I now work with adults, but when I did work with teenagers, I noticed some mental health issues were correlated with big life events such as bereavement and trauma.

The pandemic was undoubtedly one of the most significant life events that we all experienced, albeit a few years ago now. This has evidently contributed to the mental health crisis, and I often speak to adults in my current role who tell me they haven't been the same since. There was a lot of uncertainty at this time, with teens not knowing when they were next going to school, or when the world would be the same again - IF it would be the same again. It is precisely this lack of stability that can trigger mental health issues, rocking the foundations laid during early childhood.

However, the pandemic alone cannot alone be responsible for this mental health crisis. A lot of teens also experience a lack of self-esteem. While social media cannot of course be entirely responsible for self-esteem issues, I do see it as potentially being harmful. Research is evolving but some studies do suggest that the relationship between self-esteem and social media use is negative.**

Peer pressure can also be a big issue with teens. At this age, teenagers usually want to fit in with their friends, and if they don't, this can lead to isolation not only from their family but peers as well.

Signs Your Teen Could Be Suffering

Mental health issues are no one's fault, and teens can be good at hiding their problems. It's important not to beat yourself up as a parent if you do miss something that could have previously indicated they are suffering. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but here are some signs you can look out for that your teenager's mental health could be in decline:

Frequently not wanting to leave the house, if they previously were
Being secretive
Being highly defensive
Decline in performance at school
Significant change in behaviour i.e. have they gone from being generally happy to seemingly miserable?
Wearing long sleeves in the summer (this could specifically be an indication of self-harm)
A drastic change in weight
Losing interest in hobbies

Tips for Supporting Your Teen

Again, it's important to differentiate between typical teen behaviour and when their mental health requires the intervention of a professional. However, these are some things you can do to support your teen in everyday life before this stage.

Create an Open Dialogue

Keeping an open dialogue and creating a relationship with your child where they feel they're able to talk to you about anything is super important in my experience. To do this, try to find out things you both enjoy. Your teen might not initially want to spend much time with you - that's fine and not untypical. But being patient is key. Even if you think your relationship needs to be improved, it's never too late to start.

Know Their Friendship Group

This tip is also tied to creating a good relationship, but I think this one's important! No teen wants a nosey parent, you don't need to know the ins and outs of their friendships and be intrusive. But I think it's about keeping a balance. Knowing who they're hanging out with can help you to understand what influence they're having on your teen i.e. is there a friend that makes them feel insecure? Their friends should make them feel good about themselves, rather than bringing them down. Or perhaps their friends are into riskier behaviour such as drug or alcohol use.

Allow Them to Make Mistakes

The teenage years are the time to make mistakes! Try not to be overly critical when they do make errors in judgement.

Respect Each Other

Be open to your teen's suggestions and opinions, even if you don't necessarily agree with them all the time. They're your child but they are their own growing person, forming their own views on the world - your teen wants to be listened to.