Impulsive, short-tempered, arrogant, irresponsible, ignorant, rebellious… is how most people describe teenagers. Why is it that most people perceive us so? ‘The phase of a child’s life dreaded by most parents’ what is it that results in this perception of the teenage? Is it that we just wake up one day and our actions are suddenly controlled by ‘raging hormones’?
A time during which several changes take place throughout our bodies. We mature into adults. We become more aware of ourselves and other people around us. We tend to be more observative of our surroundings and we start realizing the world around us. We try to understand and perceive it and form our opinions about it while questioning it at the same time. We wish to seek meaning in it and in our own lives as well. We desperately look for purpose, something that helps sustain us in a way; something that grounds us, at the same time sets us free. We attain a clearer view of the world around us and realize that there’s a lot that is possible. We go from having vague notions about life to forming opinions of it and trying to organize our thoughts. We are often confused, indecisive, and anxious, for most of the decisions we must take will be life-changing or at least that is what we are told. It can get overwhelming at times, to the extent where you just want to stop time and have a moment to yourself or go back in time to the good old days when you would spend hours playing with your friends without the slightest care.
A time during which several changes take place throughout our bodies. We mature into adults. We become more aware of ourselves and other people around us. We tend to be more observative of our surroundings and we start realizing the world around us. We try to understand and perceive it and form our opinions about it while questioning it at the same time. We wish to seek meaning in it and in our own lives as well. We desperately look for purpose, something that helps sustain us in a way; something that grounds us, at the same time sets us free. We attain a clearer view of the world around us and realize that there’s a lot that is possible. We go from having vague notions about life to forming opinions of it and trying to organize our thoughts. We are often confused, indecisive, and anxious, for most of the decisions we must take will be life-changing or at least that is what we are told. It can get overwhelming at times, to the extent where you just want to stop time and have a moment to yourself or go back in time to the good old days when you would spend hours playing with your friends without the slightest care.
One’s childhood is said to be of great importance in shaping one’s life. It is said to be the foundation of our personality. A happy child will make a productive and optimistic adult they say. But one’s teenage, often overlooked, is just as important. Finding oneself while being towered by the chaos of peer pressure, academic pressure, parental pressure etc. exhausts most teenagers often resulting in burnout, depression, and several other mental health issues.
Why is it that we turn a blind eye to teenage mental health? Why is a teenager opening up about their mental health often misunderstood and deemed as ‘attention seeking’? Why do we not realize the importance of the mental well-being of a teenager until lives are lost? Several studies indicate depression rates soaring among teenagers and young adults. Globally, one in seven 10–19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder; suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds.
Yet we do not acknowledge mental health issues. It is disheartening that it costs the life of youth for us to be aware of the mental well-being of our peers. In this fast-paced world where every one of us seems to be stuck in a rat race, we often end up drained and look for an escape. Desperate for escape, young teenage minds that are yet to fully develop can stumble in the wrong direction under bad influences. Hence, we must look out for each other, be non-judgmental and to try to understand one another. Together we can unite to break free of this stigma and educate ourselves about the importance of mental well-being. With an open-minded approach, we can build a society
where opening up about mental health issues is normalized instead of being looked down upon or being conceived as a sign of weakness and vulnerability. We must initiate some change before more young lives are lost due to ignorance.
In our society most parents when confronted with their children dealing with mental health issues are unwilling to accept it. Due to the fear of social boycotts and stigmatization of their families, most parents are often in denial of their child’s state and blame external factors for it. They either seek remedy in superstitious means or might fall prey to rumored quick fixes which are ineffective. This results in stigmatizing these children and deteriorating their state of mind owing to the delay of essential help. Or parents happen to ignore it, misconceiving the state of their children to be a transient adolescent phase, finding relief in deeming it to be ‘normal.’ Marriage, in our society, is
held on a pedestal; most parents fear that the disclosure of their child’s mental illness will result in their families being groundlessly perceived as mentally unstable, aspersing them, and leaving their child unmarried. Hence most parents are keen on avoiding therapy and counselling. They happen to seek medical help only when their child’s condition is prolonged or drastically declining and are often inconsistent regarding medical follow-ups. Most parents and children are discreet about seeking medical help. The ignorance of mental health is a global issue that happens to be more prominent in our society, since we happen to be a closed society that is more inclined towards superstitious beliefs than a scientific approach. This results in unawareness amongst youth. Children too avoid therapy owing to the fear of being nagged by their peers for having mental health problems. While this does happen to be the case quite often, there also exist several teens who realize the importance of mental health and reach out to support their peers who struggle with it.
Why is it that we turn a blind eye to teenage mental health? Why is a teenager opening up about their mental health often misunderstood and deemed as ‘attention seeking’? Why do we not realize the importance of the mental well-being of a teenager until lives are lost? Several studies indicate depression rates soaring among teenagers and young adults. Globally, one in seven 10–19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder; suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds.
Yet we do not acknowledge mental health issues. It is disheartening that it costs the life of youth for us to be aware of the mental well-being of our peers. In this fast-paced world where every one of us seems to be stuck in a rat race, we often end up drained and look for an escape. Desperate for escape, young teenage minds that are yet to fully develop can stumble in the wrong direction under bad influences. Hence, we must look out for each other, be non-judgmental and to try to understand one another. Together we can unite to break free of this stigma and educate ourselves about the importance of mental well-being. With an open-minded approach, we can build a society
where opening up about mental health issues is normalized instead of being looked down upon or being conceived as a sign of weakness and vulnerability. We must initiate some change before more young lives are lost due to ignorance.
In our society most parents when confronted with their children dealing with mental health issues are unwilling to accept it. Due to the fear of social boycotts and stigmatization of their families, most parents are often in denial of their child’s state and blame external factors for it. They either seek remedy in superstitious means or might fall prey to rumored quick fixes which are ineffective. This results in stigmatizing these children and deteriorating their state of mind owing to the delay of essential help. Or parents happen to ignore it, misconceiving the state of their children to be a transient adolescent phase, finding relief in deeming it to be ‘normal.’ Marriage, in our society, is
held on a pedestal; most parents fear that the disclosure of their child’s mental illness will result in their families being groundlessly perceived as mentally unstable, aspersing them, and leaving their child unmarried. Hence most parents are keen on avoiding therapy and counselling. They happen to seek medical help only when their child’s condition is prolonged or drastically declining and are often inconsistent regarding medical follow-ups. Most parents and children are discreet about seeking medical help. The ignorance of mental health is a global issue that happens to be more prominent in our society, since we happen to be a closed society that is more inclined towards superstitious beliefs than a scientific approach. This results in unawareness amongst youth. Children too avoid therapy owing to the fear of being nagged by their peers for having mental health problems. While this does happen to be the case quite often, there also exist several teens who realize the importance of mental health and reach out to support their peers who struggle with it.
We as peers must try to help those in need by listening to them, being there for them, encouraging them to seek professional help and boosting their morale. The first step for parents towards helping in the betterment of their children would be to learn to accept the fact that their child is dealing with mental health issues. Comparisons and expectations of parents’ burden and pressurize children; excessive parental pressure is one of the leading causes of mental health issues among teenagers in our society; hence, they should prioritize their child’s well-being first. The government has declared it mandatory for all insurance companies to provide cover for mental illness under
health insurance policies but there is still a long way to go for its large-scale implementation.
health insurance policies but there is still a long way to go for its large-scale implementation.
By Ms,.Sharanya,12th Standard, Udupi, Daughter of our Dental Surgeon Dr. Sapna
