Recognizing Mental Health Issues in Your Teen

The teen years can be full of possibilities — and challenges — as adolescents navigate physical, emotional, and social changes on the path from childhood to adulthood.

Given that approximately one in seven pre-teens and teens around the world has a mental health condition, it's important for parents and other caregivers to be able to recognize the warning signs in order to seek proper treatment.

At Lewis Family Psychiatry, an innovative online telemedicine practice, our expert psychiatric nurse practitioners provide personalized mental, emotional, and behavioral health care for individuals throughout Florida. 

We conduct assessments and design customized integrative treatment plans for individuals with a wide variety of conditions, including teens struggling with their mental health, all through the ease and convenience of virtual visits.

Teens and mental health

The mental health of teens can affect everything from their academic performance to the way they behave socially and their sense of self-esteem.

Contributing factors include anything from biological and social changes to life stressors. Examples might be overwhelming pressure to do well in school or extracurriculars, bullying, living in poverty, discrimination, fears about society and the world, and being too overscheduled with a shortage of time for self-care.

Potential conditions include anxiety, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mood or thought disorders, bipolar disorder, and more.

Warning signs of mental health issues

When it comes to recognizing the signs your teen might be struggling with a mental health issue, it's important to consider their normal behavior and then determine if what you're seeing is a departure.

Possible symptoms, either in and of themselves or experienced to a greater degree, include:

• Displaying strong emotions like irritability, mood swings, anger, or sadness
• Not wanting to do things they used to enjoy or quitting activities
• Disengaging from friends and family
• Struggling academically and not completing homework
• Constantly thinking or worrying about a problem, and/or obsessing over a single goal
• Making changes to their daily routine, including eating, sleeping, and so on
• Drinking alcohol or abusing other substances
• Engaging in self-harming behaviors

How parents and caregivers can help

If you see your teen struggling, there are a number of steps you can take. Try to engage them in conversation, emphasizing that they can tell you anything without judgment. Keep yourself in check by listening more than talking and wording your observations in ways that don't put them on the defensive.

Seek professional help when necessary. Just like you would take your child to the doctor if they're ill, view mental health struggles just as seriously. 

In addition to having extensive training, mental health experts may be a resource your adolescent feels more comfortable opening up to than family and friends. Professionals can also help navigate family conflicts if necessary.

If your teen is struggling with signs of a mental health issue, we can help diagnose and create a treatment plan just for them and their needs. The teen years can be hard enough; dealing with an untreated mental health condition shouldn't make it harder.

Click our contact button or call us at 561-303-0433 today for a virtual assessment or treatment appointment.

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