Mental health services aren’t meeting young people’s needs, particularly during the global pandemic. But research shows parents can learn how to reduce anxiety and depression in early teens.
Most teens experience a dip in their well-being and the pandemic has exacerbated this pattern. But parents can safeguard their teenagers’ mental health by sharing stories from a very young age.
Many students with disabilities struggled when forced to learn virtually from home during the pandemic.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
Many students with disabilities got few or no services during the pandemic, and aren’t now receiving the support they need to regain their lost ground and continue to learn
Bullying happened more during in-person school than when schooling was online.
FatCamera/E+ via Getty Images
Young people have a right to be engaged, and a right to be heard in research. When young people’s voices are included in the research process, the result is richer and more relevant research evidence.
Many children suffered from too much time spent playing alone during lockdown.
Robert Collins | Unsplash
Early intervention programs for young people with psychosis might cost more initially, and require more intensive support for longer periods, but they’re worth the investment.
It was hoped intensive early intervention programs might ‘bend the curve’ and change the lifetime trajectory of illnesses such as schizophrenia. But that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Teens have been through a lot in the pandemic and things won’t simply go back to normal as the nation opens up. Here’s how to support their mental health during the transition.
An empty schoolyard is seen, in Montréal in November 2020.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz
Susanna Trnka, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau e Luca Muir, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
Public health measures introduced to protect people from COVID have often exacerbated health conditions and delayed access to therapy for those living with disabilities.
Parents can support their children through the coming weeks of year 12 exams by using four strategies.
In this episode, we discuss some of the reasons South Asians are reporting higher rates of mental health issues than any other group. Here a group of young South Asians at Besharam, a Toronto nightclub hosted by DJ Amita (pre-pandemic).
courtesy Besharam
The pressure of needing to be a model minority — successful, quiet, hardworking — can force people to internalize their mental anguish and ends up leaving gaps in our mental health services.
By integrating parents and other family members in therapy, young people will have more consistent support between the therapist’s office and their home.
Attention control theory holds that heightened anxiety impairs the efficiency of mental processes. For instance, stressing about something can make us lose focus on the task at hand.
Presentations to a Melbourne eating disorder clinic jumped by 63% in 2020, as young people struggled with isolation, loneliness and boredom.
Although some youth are clearly reporting a negative effect on their social, personal and educational lives during the pandemic, the majority are responding to COVID-19 in ways that are developmentally and psychologically normal.
(Canva)
Is there a mental health crisis among young people, or are worry and sadness to be expected? Pathologizing normal, healthy responses to adverse events promotes misunderstanding about mental illness.
New information Instagram makes teens feel worse about their bodies is an opportunity for parents to start a conversation with their children about their online lives, and encourage positive habits.
Year 12 students, particularly in NSW and Victoria, have been disconnected from friends and faced anxiety over the uncertainty of exams. This added to the already high stress levels of this age group.
Self-harm is often a response to mounting stress and uncertainty. So it’s not surprising rates have gone up during the pandemic. Self-harm can be a means to cope and establish control over emotions.
Professor, Canada Research Chair in Determinants of Child Development, Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary
Assistant professor, School of Psychology, Scientist, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
Professor of Adolescent Health The University of Melbourne; Director, Royal Children's Hospital Centre for Adolescent Health, The University of Melbourne