There are so many wellness issues facing teenagers today I don’t know where to start; you’ve got sexting, body image disorders, cyberbullying – no wonder teen mental health is so under threat! If you’re concerned about your teenager’s wellbeing, perhaps it’s time to consider therapy.
According to marriage and family therapist Esther Boykin, LMFT, co-owner of Group Therapy Associates, ‘Therapy is an excellent resource to help address [teen] issues, develop effective coping skills, and improve family relations. While I am an advocate for therapy as a way to prevent major crises as well as a solution for dealing with them, I know that often parents and teens struggle to decide if their problem is “big” enough for therapy. While nearly every issue can be helped by having the support and guidance that therapy can provide; it is not always a feasible option.’
So how do you determine whether or not your teen needs therapy? Boykin notes, ‘I find that most of us, whether we admit it or not, think of mental health either being crazy or not. The truth is that mental health, just like physical health, is a complex set of many factors. These factors can roughly be divided into three categories- psychological (or emotional) factors, social (or relational) factors, and biological (or physical) factors. You may even hear therapists and other mental health professionals refer to it as your bio-psycho-social functioning.’ Let’s take a look at what each set of factors looks like, so that you can assess whether or not your teen needs help.
1. Psychological/Emotional: This is probably the area of mental health that you think of first; your mood and ability to manage your emotions. Boykin explains, ‘Managing your feelings is not the same as stuffing or hiding them. In fact a healthy emotional state is one in which you feel a wide range of emotions, including so-called negative emotions such as anger, sadness and worry. Healthy individuals are able to identify their emotions and act in socially appropriate ways in response to them.’ Therapy and medications become appropriate avenues to pursue when your teenager has detrimental thought patterns, as occurs with anxiety, body image and self-esteem issues. If your teenager’s way of thinking has an overwhelming effect on their mood and behaviour, it needs to be addressed.
2. Social/Relational: There’s no denying we’re social creature, so it’s not hard to see how the way we relate to one another is vital in keeping us mentally healthy. When it comes to teenagers, developing and maintaining relationships is an important part of development. ‘Sometimes the social part of mental health is specific to one relationship in your life, such as getting along with your parents,’ Boykin comments. ‘But at other times, teenagers can struggle to make new friends or have difficulty maintaining a healthy relationship with peers…learning to establish healthy boundaries, resolve conflict, and maintain your identity within close relationships is all part of keeping yourself mentally healthy.’ The time to seek help is when your teenager’s relational problems become so overwhelming that it interferes with the management of day-to-day life.
3. Biological/Physical: We can overlook this component of mental health, but biology plays a role in many mental health disorders, hence medications can help with things like depression and anxiety. Plus, physical health problems can lead into mental health issues. Boykin explains, ‘Physical conditions such as obesity or severe asthma can change how you live your life possibly limiting your physical activity or your ability to engage with peers. These changes impact your social and emotional experiences.’ According to numerous studies, the most effective treatment for many physical disorders is a combination of talk therapy and pharmacology.
