As a parent, you want to keep your child’s health safe. This includes their mental health too. Certainly, all parents want their children to be happy, but with a rise in issues with mental health in adolescents, even the best parents can find their children struggling with mental health issues. Unfortunately, according to statistics taken in 2019, one in three high school students and over half of the population of female high school students reported symptoms of mental health issues like depression.

So, what can parents do for their children struggling with mental health issues to make them better suited for happy adulthood?

Identifying Behaviors That Could Signify Mental Health Struggles

One thing parents can do to support their children struggling with mental health issues is to identify behaviors that characterize these issues. For example, some of the identifying behaviors that can signify mental health issues in adolescence may include:

• avoiding people and activities they once enjoyed
• isolation from people they care about
• having trouble communicating with others
• sleep issues (sleeping too much, too little, or being exhausted frequently)
• having trouble with dependence
• stressing more about school and workloads

These behaviors can be a sign that mental health issues are present in young adults and adolescents. So, they shouldn’t just be thought of as being normal for a young person. Rather, if these symptoms are debilitating to your child’s lifestyle, they can lead to further issues. And, should be addressed with professional help.

Giving Your Child the Help He or She Needs With Schooling

Young people who are struggling with mental health issues often find it challenging to stay on task with schoolwork. As a parent of someone struggling with these issues, providing support can come in the form of helping with school workloads. While a parent certainly shouldn’t do a child’s work for them, an easy way of providing support is understanding that they are stressed and may be having trouble. And, providing a way to offer assistance including proofreading, helping with research, or even looking into hiring a tutor for classes or assignments that are especially overwhelming.

Supporting Children by Practicing Stress Reduction Techniques Together

Stress is often associated with mental health issues in children and young adults. But, young people may not know how to utilize stress-reducing strategies. As a parent, you can help your child who’s struggling with anxiety as a result of mental health issues by practicing stress reduction techniques with him or her. Stress reduction methods can include exercising, getting out into nature, doing arts and crafts, meditating, listening to calming music, and more. Managing overwhelming stress is hard on anyone, especially children. So, if parents can give their children stress-relieving outlets and practice these techniques with them, this can help to reduce stress levels.

Getting Professional Help for Adolescents With Mental Health Issues

While it’s certainly important that parents are supportive of their children who may be struggling with mental health issues, parents aren’t the cure-all for these issues. It’s important to remember, as a parent, it’s not your fault that your child may be struggling with these issues. But, there are some things you can do such as reaching out for professional help.

Yellowbrick offers mental health help for adolescents who are entering adulthood, as this period of time is specifically difficult for young people living with mental health issues. We offer treatment services and therapy so that young people can learn to manage their mental health issues and live out their lives with mental wellbeing. Find out more about our programs for emerging adults on our website.