From dating and body image to 단기알바 substance use and mental health, let Valleywise Health examine what common teen health issues are for 2021, as well as what you can do as a parent to support your teen through these impactful years. When exploring the common health problems of teens, substance use should be one of your top areas of focus as a parent. Parents need to feel comfortable talking with their teens about some of the common problems that come up in their teens, such as dating, sex, drugs, and alcohol.
You need to know those red flags and open up the conversation about what your teens fears and feelings are. Because teens are able to communicate feelings much more effectively than children, make it clear to your teen they are welcome to approach you about any mental issues.
Their health care provider may then suggest therapy or direct your child to a mental health professional for additional assessment and treatment. Your childs pediatrician can look for potential underlying medical problems that could contribute to symptoms of depression or anxiety, manage problems with depression or anxiety, or refer you to a mental health professional who may recommend further treatment. Initially, your health care provider will evaluate your teen and determine whether a medical issue is contributing to symptoms.
For teens who have long-standing mental health issues that are getting worse, residential treatment programs will be recommended to teens. When teens mental health is getting worse, even when under the care of their doctors, they may require more tailored treatment.
Hormone rushes, combined with changes in body, struggles with finding identity, pressures from friends, and developing feelings of independence, means that teen years are confusing times for your kid. Behavior problems that are pretty common in puberty can crop up in the teenage years too, making it difficult for parents to connect with their teens. The stresses and pressures of Adolescence may cause issues related to anxiety, and the swings in mood may result in behavior disorders or Oppositional Defiant Disorder.
Alcohol and drug use among children and adolescents is associated with neurocognitive changes that may result in behavioral, emotional, social, and academic problems in later life. Violence in adolescence also increases risk for injuries, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, mental health problems, low academic achievement and school dropout, early pregnancy, reproductive health problems, and infectious and non-communicable diseases. A major concern regarding adolescents is also the tendency for children to become addicted to alcohol, to smoke, and so on, viewing alcohol as a symbol of self-esteem and social status.
Peer pressure is one of the major factors driving teens to start smoking and drinking, or do drugs. Peer pressure plays a dangerous role, it can lead to accidents or costly mistakes, which is bad for teens and also for their loved ones.
Teens feel pressured by their peers to try risky behaviors and to conform to the current trends, even if these trends are negative. To be accepted by peers and become popular, teens feel pressure to conform to the norms of taste, behavior, and appearance. Teens feel pressured to conform to a variety of unhealthy expectations about their bodies, behaviors, and appearance.
Sometimes, peer pressure to conform may cause teenage boys to act in certain ways or to form certain habits that are difficult to break. Teenagers want to feel that they belong to the community, but many teens struggle with finding acceptance. Comparing themselves, either to their bodies or their lifestyle, to the edited, curated posts of influencers causes youth to develop warped views about themselves and to make unhealthy decisions, while pressure to be active on every platform out of fear of missing out makes it seem as though there is no escape.
When used responsibly, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social platforms can be wonderful ways for teens to engage with the world, but Facebook is problematic when used irresponsibly. Social media, for example, can expose your teens to cyberbullying, online predators, and more.
Now teens are dealing with hormonal changes, puberty, social pressures, and so on, along with the pressures of social media. However, now it seems like the pressures are on the kids even more, which is having negative effects on the teens.
Our teens highlighted several subtopics here, including cyberbullying, addiction to social media, the pressures to keep up our teens image online, online safety, misinformation, and exposure to content that is controversial or violent, as well as developing a parasocial relationship with a content creator or celebrity. Teens are going through, and expected to deal with, hormonal changes, puberty, social and parental forces, pressures at work and in school, etc. We summarised some parts of the Australian Youth Survey, which is conducted annually, here, to help you understand the biggest issues facing teens aged between 15-19.
We have all done it, but if your teenager is constantly feeling terrible about himself, this may be a warning sign of poor self-esteem. Low self-esteem is associated with a range of negative consequences that may affect your teens development as they transition to young adulthood, including disordered eating, depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide. One concern stemming from curiosity and need for independence or sense of control may be experimentation with alcohol or drugs, sexual intimate relationships, or underage pregnancy.
Providing this means keeping mum and dad informed, but also giving teens a safe space to talk with their doctors about issues that they might be reluctant to raise around parents.