Nearly 40 per cent of Australian young people are struggling with their wellbeing and mental health, and for those close to them, it can be difficult to know how to help.
The latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed the number of 16 to 24-year-olds experiencing mental ill health had surged up from 26 per cent in 2007.
So, we asked clinical psychologist Dr Sophie Li, who's been researching youth mental health at the Black Dog Institute, what advice she'd give to loved ones who sense a teen in their life is struggling.
She made the point that many of the symptoms of poor mental health are often interconnected.
"When a teenager is experiencing low confidence or low self-esteem, it is often more likely that they'll also be experiencing things like loneliness, anxiety [or] low mood," Dr Li said.
And while it sounds horrible to experience all of those things at once, the good news is that many of the tips for improving wellbeing apply to a wide range of symptoms.
Just remember: This article contains general information only, and you should consider obtaining independent professional advice about your circumstances. You can find a list of available national services here.
Let's run through some of the tips:
1. Try new things
Dr Li says giving new experiences a go can arm young people with the tools and confidence to manage both daily challenges and some of life's tougher events (like grief or break-ups).
"It's important to give [your teen] space to build skills and build confidence and competence in a range of different areas.
"One really important way to achieve that is to encourage, and give your child, opportunities to try new things.
"What we see a lot in clinical practices is teenagers who are very anxious, and anyone who's anxious … the sort of thing that we do to try and cope with that anxiety is to avoid the things that make us anxious.
"And that's a real problem because by not approaching something, we never give ourselves an opportunity to see that we can do it."
Dr Li says it's also important to encourage a child to keep trying when a new experience doesn't pan out perfectly the first time around.
"Even when they might face a challenge and they don't do as well as they'd hoped, it's really important that parents acknowledge the effort that their child has made, but then encourage them to keep practising and keep approaching [whatever they're trying]."
2. Build healthy coping strategies
Like adults, young people need to find healthy ways of coping with life's challenges.
Dr Li says parents can help by:
"Acknowledging emotions [and] ... validating those emotional experiences as well.
"So not dismissing them or … just saying, 'Oh it's fine, you'll get over it', but instead saying, 'Yes, it's understandable that in this situation you're feeling quite distressed'.
"Or … 'Let's have a look at what's causing the distress and if there's anything we can do about it'."
But even when you're armed with the best coping strategies, it's important to recognise when external help is needed (more on that, and what support services are available, in a moment).
3. Normalise mistakes
Nobody likes getting things wrong, but teens need to know that it's OK when they do. Dr Li adds:
"Another really important thing is to ensure your child is kind to themselves.
"Life is about making mistakes and learning from those mistakes and growing, and not beating ourselves up when things like that happen.
"Encourage your child to acknowledge their limitations, but also to move on from there and keep trying."
4. Make new connections
Another practical step that can help improve wellbeing is growing our social circles. Dr Li says:
"[Help young people] make social connections, engage with the people around them, show interest in other people ... that's really important for anxiety, especially social anxiety, where the tendency is to avoid social situations and avoid making connections.
"But it's also really important for developing self-confidence and self-esteem.
"And developing those social skills is really, really important, not only to alleviate, and address anxiety, but also to build confidence."
Making those connections might involve helping them find a new sporting or hobby group or even a volunteering position or job.
Or it could be organising for them to be part of an intergenerational program.
Dr Li says one of the benefits of intergenerational programs is the opportunity for young people to talk with someone outside of their family.
5. Model healthy behaviours
While acknowledging it might not be easy for everyone, Dr Li says leading by example is one of the best things you can do for the teen in your life.
"That's a really big ask for parents, because parents are under a lot of pressure and strain as it is.
"No-one's perfect and parents are not going to be able to do everything perfectly all the time.
"But if parents can model healthy coping, and if they can model approaching situations that cause a bit of anxiety for them, and ... making new connections ... or demonstrating social skills, that's really important for teenagers as well."
When should you seek help?
Even though there are steps you can take at home to boost wellbeing, sometimes professional help is needed.
It's worth noting that it doesn't just have to be face-to-face, either.
There are a selection of one-to-one online chat or text message services that allow people to reach out privately and from somewhere they're comfortable doing so (like at home).
"Research shows that young people can be reluctant to access [face-to-face] clinical mental health support," said Linda Williams, the clinical lead at ReachOut Australia.
"Approximately 50 per cent of young people go online for help when they are having a tough time."
So, how do you know when you should reach out to a professional? Dr Li says:
"A good rule of thumb is if your child has been feeling distressed or had feelings of sadness or anxiety that have been noticeable for most of the time for two weeks or more and it's having a negative impact on their daily life.
"Or if [a] child is talking about feeling hopeless, or having thoughts of suicide, that's a really good indication that it's probably time to seek professional help and the best place to start is really with your GP."
Dr Li suggests making a longer GP appointment to make sure you're not rushed and there's time to talk through the help available.
Some other support services and resources include:
- Headspace: Centres in each state and territory or check out eheadspace for online support
- ReachOut Australia: Confidential online peer support for young people and online resources for wellbeing
- HeadToHealth: The federal government's youth mental health support page
- The Kids Helpline: 24-hour support on 1800 55 1800
- Lifeline: 24-hour phone support for all Australians on 13 11 14 or via text 0477 13 11 14
Watch the new season of Old People's Home For Teenagers on Tuesdays at 8:30pm on ABC TV or stream on ABC iview.
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