Credit to Alex Rowe
Many students are affected by depression. Others don’t always understand the influence of depression and other mental illnesses on teenagers, and how they affect students’ academics, relationships and growth.
Published: December 21, 2017
Teenagers have a lot to do in their everyday lives. From keeping up with their grades to attending social events with friends, they can get stressed and isolated from the important things that shape them into adults. The group most prone to this stress is adolescents, specifically the ones who carry mental health concerns.
“The difficulty I have is this persona with this image of a protective layer that comes when I help patients,” Lia Roth, social worker, counselor and former clinical psychologist, said. “Then when you get to that point of someone opening up, it’s not about words so much. Learn to listen. Sometimes listening is far better than 1,000 words. Sometimes just sit there next to the person and don’t say anything. Be open and non-judgemental.”
Family
According to Roth, when somebody is born, they automatically take after the person or people raising them. They learn from them. If that parent, who is supposed to be a role model to them, fights with their own mental health or other problems, it can reflect onto their child. Families who go through divorce or drug and alcohol problems, who have a genetic illness or who just aren’t taking on the role the child needs might have more of these issues.
“I do see that many parents blame themselves,” Roth said. ”And my suggestion is it’s not about blaming anyone. It’s about learning there is an issue and going through the process of finding help to solve the issue.”
Situational Issues
One of the main mental health concerns associated with genetics, and even family situational issues, is depression. Not every teen who goes through a family crisis is depressed. It’s the same for someone who has an ideal family. According to Roth, people who have split parents or who have families who aren’t as supportive are just more prone to having a mental health concerns.
“Parental depression affects kids tremendously,” psychologist Bart Andrews said. “It affects the entire family system. Even if parents don’t feel like their kids are depressed, they have to sense something isn’t right. When someone in the family is struggling with severe emotional pain, depression or anxiety, it affects everybody.”
Everyday Life
Stress caused by mental health concerns can lead to sleeping and eating changes. For sleep, it can lead to either oversleeping or undersleeping. It’s the same for eating: someone might not eat or may overeat. These changes are solely to isolate and escape from what the person is suffering from. The fatigue or loss of energy affects how the person acts in their everyday life. It changes them as a person. According to the National Sleep Foundation, children aged 11-17 found a strong association between mood and sleep, and 73 percent reported not sleeping enough at night. These symptoms can essentially make more symptoms by making the person feel irrational or exhausted.
“Sleep disturbance is a big contributor to emotional distress and mental illness,” Andrews said. “Kids aren’t getting enough sleep anymore because they’re on their phones and that can lead to anxiety and depression.”
Education
When they go school, a lot is expected out of students. With depression, the stress can start with someone slowly slipping off their normal schedule. School work gets behind, tests get failed and extracurriculars get skipped. According to the National Institute of Mental Illness, approximately 20 percent of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood.
“If someone is experiencing mental illness, it’s going to affect their school work,” Andrews said. “We know that anxiety and depression affect the ability for someone to retain information, concentrate and recall information. Depression especially affects somebody’s reaction time and long-term memory.”
Social Life
Social media can help and hurt mental health. Teens can be social, but they aren’t getting face-to-face contact. Andrews says that teens need to take breaks from phones to be healthy. On the flip side, teens who feel isolated or different can reach out to thousands of teens on the Internet who feel the same way.
“It’s a way for kids to not have to be alone,” Andrews said. “It’s a way for someone to never be alone. It’s a way to connect. If teenagers are having a hard time, I think it’s easier for them to reach out on the Internet. Social media can be good or bad. Kids do need structure around it. They need to put a stop to negativity and reach out to the good resources.”
Helping a Friend
According to Andrews, if someone has a friend who is suffering from depression, the first step is to learn about what depression is. Remember that standing on the sidelines and being there for someone can’t necessarily fix the problem, but in some cases it can help. Being a listener to a friend can help someone more than anything.
“When we feel bad, the reason we act differently is for people to help us,” Andrews said. “That is in fact the whole reason we have these bad feelings, is for people to reach out to us and see how we’re doing. This social interaction is very important when someone is suffering. It’s almost like getting out of that isolation stage.”
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