News: Poll Shows ‘Parents Don’t Think That Teens Will Discuss Mental Health’

How many times you have ended up in a conversation with your teen with no replies or syllabic replies? How long has it been? Is their neglecting behavior increasing day by day? How are you going to deal with this? Are you ready to have a pep talk again with them?

Well, dealing with a teen is difficult especially when their replies are syllabic, they are always on their phone, they have no friends, they don’t like to socialize, or they are not interested in any kind of activity or schooling!

If you think your teen is dealing with mental health issues, you definitely want to help them or support them in their journey. But, do you think your teen will ever come to you and discuss their issues openly with you? No, right?

Well, that’s what the new poll is all about!

A new poll states that parents think even when their teens have some mental health symptoms, they don’t know if their teen will ever discuss their mental health issues with them. A new poll suggests that parents are not confident! What’s lacking?

Before answering this question, let’s first discuss the poll.

Discussion about the Poll

Details of the Poll:

Conducted by: C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health

Sampling Size: 1200 Parents of kids between 11 to 18 years old

Motto: To conduct research asking parents various questions about their teens’ mental health

The poll shows that every four parents think that their teens are not ready to discuss their mental health issues or struggles with them. This study shows that our parents are fighting with some real-life struggles. The level of conversations between teens and their parents is decreasing which means that teens do not want to seek help from their parents even when it’s severe.

Mary Alvord (Psychologist) stated,

“I think parents don’t necessarily know what is going on because as a teenager you tend to talk less to your parents and share. You are more apt to speak to your friends about what’s bothering you.” She also suggested that, “Parents have to be more vigilant.”

As people are talking about this all over the world, we should always remember that it is really important for parents to look for mental health issues or signs, should always notice if their teen is less inclined towards other activities, and most importantly parents should encourage their children to get the right help and right support.

Insights of the Poll:

• 95% of parents believe that they have noticed mental health issues in their kids.
• 25% of parents believe that their kids will come and openly discuss their mental health issues with them
• Few parents believe that their kids will approach them directly.
• 65% of parents believe that being anxious or worried is a signal of worry
• 63% of parents believe that interaction with family is decreased
• 61% of parents said that grades are decreased and it can be a cause of worry
• 53% of parents believe that the sleeping pattern of their teen is changed
• 49% of parents believe noticed different eating patterns

Barriers faced by Parents

We are all somewhere aware that teens continuously experience feelings of hopelessness and sadness, and COVID-19 gave us a big hit and these numbers actually exacerbated. It is widely known that young people are struggling with mental health issues and are not able to get the right support. Additionally, internal issues like embarrassment and shame stop teens from seeking help.

Although teens are likely to talk with their friends, some of them are not comfortable with anyone. Hence, it becomes quite important for the parents to look at the symptoms of their child and offer support without judging them or punishing them.

How to support your teen opening up?

If you as a parent don’t think that your child will ever come to you and will discuss their mental health issues with you, you might want to know what to do next?

You can begin with monitoring their behavioral changes (eating, sleeping, social withdrawal, irritability, attitude changes, speech changes, and everything that can be concluded from their behavior).

If your teen keeps on saying that their actions are imperative or they do not have any motive to live life, you must start observing for suicidal thoughts.

Always try to have a direct, honest, and open conversation with your teen to break all the stigmas around mental health.

Always show your willingness to connect with them on a regular basis so that you can know what’s actually going on in their life.

Try to listen and try to validate their feelings so that they can trust you and share by being heard and seen. Try to offer guidance and help so that they can feel supported. Become their mentor before becoming their parents.

If you think your teen needs some professional help, connect now with a mental health professional from BetterHelp.

You can also take the reference or guidance for parenting styles, teenage issues, and therapy from here:

• Body image issues in teens
• When your teenager does not care about anything
• The influence of peer pressure on teenagers
• Anxiety and panic disorder in teens
• Signs your teenage needs therapy
• Are you a single parent?
• What is reparenting?
• What is permissive parenting?
• What is positive parenting?

I hope this blog helps you with understanding how to support the mental health of your teen. Comment down your views on the poll. For more such content, connect with us on all social media platforms.

Thanks for reading!