TEEN MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS
WHY ARE WE RAISING AWARENESS?
20% of adolescents may experience a mental health problem in any given year (mentalhealth.org.uk) showing a need to highlight routes and avenues of support for them, knowing they are not alone, that there is nothing wrong with them and with supportive tools life can have a brighter tomorrow.
There are many challenges facing teens, now more so than ever with the rise in social media and indirect communication. Natural changes from hormones, puberty, identity exploration, trying to understand the world, separation from the need of caregivers, navigating risk, independence and brian development whilst still having a much lower emotional response (you know the saying “You’ll grow out of it”, we actually do - our frontal cortex is maturing at around 25 -27 years and research suggests that it's still developing after that!)
Most teens are in formal mainstream education where there are complex social demands, a likelihood of bullying, demands from the curriculum, pressure of exams, life choices and discovering relationships.
Teens could be starting their first jobs, trying to make good impressions, managing finances, not being able to keep up with peers from time, money, resources, access to transport, life skills differences with the possibility of complex family dynamics.
WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
Due to these very complex demands, pressures and changes they experience it can often mean that their mental health can really suffer resulting in anxiety related issues that could present as excessive worry, panic and anxiety attacks, depression, loss of interest, becoming distant and disinterested. This would be beyond a teen not wanting to shower and stay on their XBOX.
Due to photo editing social media images and now AI which can create moving videos of ‘people’ completely created by learning language models, the lines of reality are blurred, creating even higher rates of eating disorders in young people ranging from anorexia to bulimia and binge eating. This can affect their long term brain, muscle and bone development at such a vital time as bones are fusing (from jelly like to structured dense bones), heightened brain development and final stages of growing and a lifetime of body dysmorphic issues.
A combination of all of the above factors can present as stress escalating in self-harm, substance abuse, and/or suicidal thoughts.
SELF-INJURY
Alongside teen mental health awareness, it is also self-Injury awareness too. Self injury can be unintentional behaviours where a physical sensory feedback is needed. This can range from nail biting (to levels of discomfort, bleeding in the nail bed), head banging, selective or restrictive foods, and/or pulling out hairs. Self-injury is often subconscious with no thoughts of suicidal intentention. Self-injury is normally linked to learning disabilities or sensory challenges. These can be supported with therapeutic intervention, awareness of the behaviours, knowledge in the triggers, seeking alternatives, increasing touch response feedback, managing regulation and tending to basic safety needs.
SELF-HARM
Self-harm has purpose and intention to seek, to feel something, to have a physical pain greater than the emotional one tearing through your body that may lead or coincide with suicidal thoughts. Self-harm needs immediate support from therapies, to value self worth and creating a safe space to unpick the root of the feelings. This in turn will help support sleep, friendship, and school/work.
Nearly half of 17-19 year olds with a diagnosable mental health disorder have self-harmed at some point. (Young Minds)
HOW TO HELP AT HOME
Watching your child struggle is agonising as a parent but there is hope. Think safety first. It will be impossible to ‘remove sharp objects’ as anything can be a sharp object if the person is feeling that vulnerable in the moment. But reducing obvious hazards can help in the moment of impulsivity.
If there are high points of aggression remove yourself, your keys and any siblings from the house, and keep walking. With any luck the person will follow you, they should start to regulate outside, fear of onlookers, change of senses and movement. It will also mean others should be able to support you if needed.
Remember other objects can be replaced and damage can be repaired, as frustrating as it is in the moment. Explore natural consequences once everyone has recovered and regulated but do not shame the child at any stage, this will only escalate the heightened response.
Get help to support siblings if your teen is in crisis. If in doubt take them to A&E.
Look into noticing these triggers and ways to catch them before they reach tipping point (check the downloads for a worksheet).
Keeping up basic needs - food, drink, exercise and hygiene. The root of a lot of dysregulation (in the moment, not an exact mental health condition) starts when dehydrated, Keeping up supplies of fluids and foods can really support daily rhythms. It may also show early signs of any disordered eating too - so talk to them about healthy options and fueling the body, you could both research this together, make some meal plans, go food shopping, allowing them to make choices, budgeting and social and sensory challenges of food shopping. This could then develop into meal preparation/cooking. Giving links to food, helping others, sense of purpose, pride and movement.
Exercise is one of the best ways to improve one's mental health, ideally outdoor walks but any movement will do. Task your teen with walking the dog, again helping with structure, identity and purpose. If they are noticing their figure linking workouts to help them stay healthy - with healthy eating, this could again be a link to working together. Walking to school and back if they are capable is a great way to workout and foster independence.
Hygiene - this will always be tricky, especially if they have sensory sensitivities. Building up a low demand approach is a good but long route to supporting this long term basic need. If a child is struggling and not being able to decompress after school, basic hygiene will be a demand too much and often the first to go.
Keeping the bathroom clear - try not to overload the space. keeping their toothbrush/toothpaste/deodorant accessible and visible. Play around with different flavours, brands, types to find the best ones.
Gamify or reward the tasks. Collect a square for teethbrushing, a L shape for deodorant and a t shape for brushing hair - grid paper and some coloured pens and a game of tetris is underway! You will need to find out what works best for your child. If they are unable to complete basics, like a shower, where they haven’t had issues prior (sensory) then this is a trait of depression/exhaustion/ fatigue that needs further investigation.
You may find you are needed more as a carer for someone struggling with their mental health than a parent at some stages if they are unable to keep up the above tasks. They will heal and be able to return to your supportive role soon.
Keep up communication. This will look different for different families on different days. Explore holding space with your child (where you are there for them, likely in silence). This may only last for short periods to start with but continually showing up (if communication has severely broken a routine of when this takes place will help and could be anchored with another task like bringing up a snack after school) will allow them over time to know that they are not alone, that you've continued to be there for them even when their emotions are big. That you are not scared of your emotions and can be trusted.
This may develop into playing their games with them or watching their favourite YouTuber with them, it will slowly allow the connection to be restored and redevelop their trust with you.
Explore different types of communication - you could write them notes and post them under the door, create a on going story where you fold over the line above and pass it back and forth and read it together when the paper is filled, worry monster (however that may look for age and stage of your child), ‘just between you and me book’ where you exchange the book between both of you with notes, thoughts, ideas. Have a note jar/box/pinboard where they can leave you a post it note or vice versa. These may be very simple things like “do you want to go to football this week?” or a smiley face but it will grow and allow for deeper thoughts if and when they need to be explored. They may even show a lot by symbols, pictures, colour choice and depth of confidence in the pen pressure they use.
Text messages are very common/popular - this is valid but remember that written communication doesn’t always come across to the reader the manner the sender has meant.
NORMALISING LANGUAGE
It can be really hard to start the conversations around tricky subjects and big feelings. However, talking about depression, stress, self harming or suicide will not reduce the thoughts the young person is experiencing, but actually allow them to use language and increase their own journey of self discovery. They will have already been to the dark places, increased self loathing and feeling isolated. Connecting via talking about how they feel directly will let them know that they are not alone and the world shines brighter with them in it.
SUPPORT FOR TEENS
CAMHS Crisis Call Line (8am-8pm) - 0800 953 0505
Night Owls (8pm-8am) - 0800 1488 244 - Text: 07984 392700
Samaritans - Tel: 0845 790 9090 - www.samaritans.org - jo@samaritans.org
Teen Connect (11 – 18 year olds) (6 p.m. – 2 a.m.) https://www.lslcs.org.uk/services/connect-helpline/teen-connect/
The Leeds Crisis Assessment Service (CAS) - 0800 183 1485 - https://www.leedsandyorkpft.nhs.uk/advice-support/help-in-a-crisis/
Live well Leeds https://livewellleeds.org.uk/crisis-support/
HOW LIGHTHOUSE THERAPY HUB CAN HELP?
Teens want to fit in at school, and if they have not received intervention work previously from school, probably unaware that there is help and support available, or do not have the confidence to ask or fear of others finding out. As it is known that two thirds of young people report discrimination or misunderstood stigma around mental health conditions. Support at school is also limited to staff knowledge and availability. (Childrens and Young Peoples Mental Health Coalition 2024)
GP appointments can be hard to book in with average wait times of 35 days to getting support (Childrens and Young Peoples Mental Health Coalition 2024) for young people, however services like CAMHs (Children, Adolescents Mental Health) are at capacity, have outdated procedures and no support if the person has a diagnosed Neurodivergent condition. Most sessions are inaccessible or group work which makes it very hard for young people to access.
Lighthouse Therapy Hub has low demand teen specialists ready to hold space in person at our creative room in Morley or sessions that can be held online. The creative space allows them to explore their feelings in any way they see fit and reduces the pressure of talking therapies. A professional therapist keeps the teen safe and a step away from the family space where parents can be seen to be “annoying” or “intrusive” trying to unpick what thor child is feeling.
