The teen mental health crisis is a subject that has garnered much attention in recent years. However, what often goes unexplored is the emotional well-being of teens’ parents. Indeed, the mental health crisis is a family affair that has far-reaching implications for parents and caregivers as well. Understanding how to navigate this complex issue can be overwhelming, which is why we’ve put together this article to help families foster emotional well-being.
The Growing Crisis Among Teens
The statistics on adolescent mental health are alarming. According to the World Health Organization, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents. Furthermore, suicide ranks as the third leading cause of death in young people aged 15-19. This paints a dire picture of a generation grappling with unprecedented emotional and psychological challenges.
The Unspoken Impact on Parents
The natural focus of this crisis tends to be on the teens themselves, as they are the most visibly affected. However, it’s crucial to recognize that this issue has a broader scope that also affects parents. Indeed, depressed teens are five times more likely to have a parent who is also depressed. This reveals a cyclical problem where the emotional and psychological well-being of parents and teens are intimately linked.
It is often said that families are emotional units, and what affects one member invariably impacts the others. In a household where a teen is going through mental health issues, parents may find themselves shouldering the dual roles of caregivers for their teen and suppressors of their own emotional struggles. This creates a stressful environment where both parent and child may feel unsupported and misunderstood, causing further deterioration in their mental health.
The Importance of a Supportive Home Environment
Creating a home environment that is nonjudgmental, safe, and fully accepting is essential in breaking this cycle. Parents should strive to identify their core values and bring them to life within their household. Whether it’s practicing open communication, creating space for individual growth, or simply promoting unconditional love, these values can serve as the guiding light that leads a family out of the darkness of mental health issues.
Practical Strategies for Parents to Support Their Teens
Open Communication
A culture of open dialogue is a powerful tool in addressing mental health concerns. Parents should encourage their teens to express themselves freely without the fear of judgment. Similarly, parents must also be willing to talk openly about their struggles. The objective is not to burden the other but to share the load collectively.
The importance of listening to teens cannot be understated. 40% of teens expressed a desire for their parents to “reach out more to ask how [they’re] really doing and to really listen.” This craving for authentic communication is particularly vital because, the more depressed or anxious teens are, the less likely they are to turn to their parents for emotional support. A significant proportion of depressed and anxious teens (56%) reach out to friends for emotional support.
To bridge this communication gap, parents must master specific empathic listening skills. These skills not only facilitate open communication but also serve as foundational blocks for offering emotional support to teens. Being an empathic listener can help you become a trusted sounding board for your teen, thereby making it more likely that they will turn to you for emotional support.
To master empathic listening, practice the following:
Active Listening
Pay close attention to what your teen is saying without formulating your response while they are still speaking. Make eye contact, nod, and use minimal verbal encouragements like “I see,” or “go on” to show you are fully engaged.
Validate Feelings
Acknowledge your teen’s emotions without judgment. Use statements like, “It sounds like you’re really stressed about this,” or “I can see why you might feel that way,” to validate their emotional experience.
Paraphrase
Restate what your teen has said in your own words to ensure you’ve understood them correctly. After your teen makes a point, you could say, “So what I hear you saying is…,” and then paraphrase what you’ve heard.
Ask Open-Ended Questions
Encourage a deeper conversation by asking questions that require more than a yes-or-no answer. Instead of asking, “Did you have a good day?”, you might ask, “What was the most interesting part of your day?”
Avoid Interrupting
Resist the urge to interject with your own thoughts, opinions, or solutions. If you find yourself wanting to interrupt, take a deep breath and focus back on what your teen is saying.
Be Fully Present
Give your undivided attention to the conversation. Turn off or silence electronic devices, and ensure you are not multi-tasking during the conversation.
Show Empathy, Not Sympathy
Sympathy involves feeling sorry for someone, while empathy is about understanding and sharing someone’s feelings. Use empathic statements like, “I can’t imagine how tough that must be. I appreciate you sharing it with me.”
Delay Your Advice
Wait for an invitation to share your thoughts or suggestions. Before offering advice, you can ask, “Would you like some advice or would you rather I just listen right now?” If they say no, don’t give it anyway! In the moment of upset, your listening is the best support they can get.
Offer a Comforting Presence
Sometimes empathic listening involves simply being there for someone, without the need for words. Physical touch, like a hug or pat on the back, can sometimes communicate empathy more effectively than words.
Incorporating these empathic listening skills into your interactions with your teen can drastically enhance the quality of your communication, provide emotional support, and ultimately strengthen your relationship.
Support Teens’ Mental Health and Cultivate Purpose
Learn the basic information you need to know about anxiety and depression. Understanding what constitutes normal adolescent behaviour versus symptoms that warrant professional treatment is crucial.
Engaging teens in activities that offer a sense of purpose can be an antidote to feelings of depression and anxiety. 36% of teens reported little or no “purpose or meaning in life,” which strongly correlated with mental health issues. Parents and key adults can model constructive efforts to address social issues, thus providing a rich source of meaning and purpose for teens.
Find ways to get involved in the community. Parents can guide their children toward activities that focus on serving others, thereby fulfilling a sense of purpose that goes beyond self-centered preoccupations.
Tend to Your Own Mental Health
Parents often sideline their well-being for the sake of their children, especially when their child is facing significant challenges. Unfortunately, parents struggling with their own emotions often display behaviours such as being critical, angry, or withdrawn. These behaviours are not helpful when also dealing with a teen’s emotional needs and can contribute to their difficulties. For effective support, parents must also learn to manage their emotions effectively so they can co-regulate with their teens effectively.
Self-care is essential for maintaining emotional balance and providing better care to their teens. Simple activities like exercise, reading, or spending time with friends can offer a much-needed break and contribute to better mental health. Often, additional strategies like setting clear boundaries to protect your emotional energy and learning how to manage time effectively are important.
It is also critical for parents to strengthen coping mechanisms that help in emotional regulation. Practicing these in front of teens is important to model the helpful things they can do too. Strategies can include techniques like grounding exercises and mindfulness practices. While these may not replace professional treatment, they can serve as valuable supplementary tools. Nonetheless, if you’re struggling, it is important to seek professional help.
Discuss Your Own Mental Health with Your Teen
It is important to note that teens with depressed parents are prone to blaming themselves for their parent’s emotional state. Therefore, it’s essential for parents to learn how to effectively discuss their emotional struggles openly, making it clear that their mood is not the child’s fault.
Leverage Community Support
The emotional burden of dealing with the teen mental health crisis can be too great for a single family to bear. Extended family, friends, and community resources like local mental health organizations can provide invaluable support. Don’t hesitate to reach out and share your struggles. Sometimes, the simple act of talking can be the first step toward healing.
Consult Experts
Given the complex nature of mental health, professional help is often necessary. Parents should consult psychologists who specialize in adolescent mental health and family dynamics. These experts can offer targeted interventions that benefit both the teen and the parent.
The teen mental health crisis is not an isolated issue; it is a family affair. The statistics speak volumes about the symbiotic relationship between a teen’s emotional struggles and those of their parents. To address this issue effectively, a multifaceted approach involving open communication, professional consultation, self-care, emotional regulation, and community support is necessary.
Moreover, creating a home environment that aligns with your core values can be the cornerstone of fostering a safe, nonjudgmental space for everyone in the family. As challenging as it is to navigate the complexities of mental health, it is crucial to remember that you are not alone. Both professional and communal resources are available to support you and your family in taking steps toward better emotional well-being.