The teenage phase is one of the most confusing phases of one’s life. Hormones are rushing, your body is drastically changing, and your emotions are all over the place. It’s normal to go through an identity crisis of sorts and get into experimenting. Teenage years are a time when we start to define who we are, our thoughts, our likes/dislikes, the set of beliefs we have, and what we want to be later in life. This can often lead to negative body image, low self-esteem, eating disorders, anxiety and even substance abuse issues.
There’s many reasons why parents seek out mental health counseling for teenagers.
Anger Management: Anger is a natural emotion. While getting angry is normal, getting into a rage is not. If anger is expressed violently, it is a matter of concern. Anger management techniques can help your kid control their temper. Counselling can significantly help your kid’s anger problems. Therapists can also show kids practical coping skills to use when they experience anger.
Depression: Mood swings are common in teenagers but mood disorders are cautionary. These can often be indicators of underlying conditions such as depression. If your kid seems sad, easily irritated or withdrawn, ask if seeing a counselor would help.
Anxiety: Anxiety can often be a result of academic pressure, peer pressure, and so on. Although some teenagers experience extreme anxiety, these indicators should not be ignored, especially during a global pandemic.
Stress: During this stressful time of lockdown, no one is immune to it. Therapy can help teenagers (and adults alike) reduce their stress levels without losing their productivity.
Low self-esteem: It’s common to experience low self-esteem, but some can experience serious low self-esteem issues, especially driven from social media and the endless supply of triggering images. When such problems are left unaddressed, teens are can be exposed to issues such as substance abuse, body dysmorphic disorder, etc.
Trauma: Abuse, violence, near-death experiences, severe injury, or losing a loved one can have a lifelong impact on teens. These traumatic events can affect them and hold them back. Intervention in the early stages can help teens recover from the trauma in the healthiest way possible.