In recent years, many international schools have developed exceptional pastoral and counselling schemes to support young people struggling with their mental health. However, in many cases, these systems still can’t offer the level of care some young people need.
Research shows that young people who are bullied are more likely to develop several mental health disorders, including eating disorders, anxiety, and depression. Bullying is associated with serious symptoms of mental health problems including violent behaviour, self-harm, and psychosis.
For a parent, a child’s academic achievement might seem like a simple and easy measure of their well-being. You might assume that a strong performance in academics is underpinned by stable mental health, self-confidence and self-esteem, and supportive relationships with friends.
Teenagers and adolescents with eating disorders usually over-evaluate their shape and weight. Instead of placing their self-value in different aspects of their identity and personality, all or almost all of their self-worth relates to their body. Behaviours like body checking may reinforce a young person’s distorted beliefs about their own bodies, increase body dissatisfaction, and cause them to place even more self-value in their shape and weight.
many people – including professionals – assume that BPD is mainly experienced by girls and women. This means that many boys and male adolescents with BPD may go unnoticed, unable to access the treatment they require and deserve.
In Sri Lanka, mental health problems are common among young people. Children and adolescents may have emotional or behavioural problems that affect their quality of life and the way they relate to others.
rom our centre in Indonesia, we offer specialist, dedicated youth mental health support for children and adolescents, in residential and outpatient settings. As neighbours of Jakarta, we’re able to offer outpatient follow-up psychiatry to families at our centre, as well as to make the trip to Jakarta ourselves to provide treatment close to home.
Sleep is an essential part of both mental and physical wellness. It’s also important for a young person’s development, supporting physical and psychological growth. Among children and adolescents, a lack of sleep is associated with impaired daytime functioning, fatigue, depression, anxiety, decreased academic performance, and an increased risk of developing substance use disorders.
Young people with OCD experience obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions are unwanted and intrusive thoughts, feelings, and impulses that lead to distress and anxiety. Compulsions are actions that young people carry out to try and cope with or stop their obsessions.
When young people experience sexual harassment, it can affect how they perceive themselves, their appearance, and their bodies. It may cause them to place more of their self-value on their appearance or their body shape and weight. They may become increasingly dissatisfied with their bodies or ashamed of the way they look.
As the influence of the manosphere increases, more and more young people are exposed to extreme misogynistic language and ideas. Teachers and parents hear misogynistic
In times of conflict, looking out for one another is incredibly important. In the context of adolescent mental health, this means paying attention to young people’s feelings and behaviours, offering ongoing support and reaching out to professionals when it’s necessary.
We can think of families as systems, where the well-being and behaviours of each family member affect all the rest, and the family system as
