Mental health problems can be hard to diagnose in teenagers, as mood swings and hormonal behaviour are often seen as a regular part of the puberty process. So, as a parent, how can you tell if your child’s black days are part of regular teenage angst, or whether they’re an indication of more deeply troubled mental wellness.
One problem parents face is that teenagers can be just as frightened about seeking help for their mental well-being as they are over the problem itself. Your teenager will struggle to get help anywhere without your knowledge and consent if they are under the age of 16, which means that, if they don’t want to open up to you, they may not get any help at all. This is why it is essential that you foster a good relationship of openness about wellness with your child, without judging or belittling their problems.
One option your teenager has is to speak to someone at their school instead of coming to you first, but many schools do not have a full-time counsellor. Even if there is someone for your child to talk to within a certain degree of confidentiality, the counsellor has a certain responsibility to you as the parents if your child shares something you need to know about, and this, again, can put teenagers off opening up if they don’t want you to find out about their problems. There is also CAMHS, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, available to your teenager through the NHS, but again, a referral to their team usually requires parental consent – and can take an extremely long time regardless.
Still, before we even get to the point of parental confidences and getting help, your teenager still needs to know that he or she has the symptoms of mental illness, which can be problematic in itself considering the state of the national curriculum. Some people argue that discussing the issues of sex, drug and mental health education has no place in an academic setting, but the fact remains that around one in three children in every class will or do suffer from a diagnosable mental health disorder. Therefore, as parents, it’s your job to educate your child and yourself on potential mental health symptoms, and give your teenager the help he or she needs, as well the knowledge that you are here for them, and they are not alone.
