How we can help teens deal with mental health issues

The physical, emotional, hormonal and social changes of adolescence can make for challenges that may seem overwhelming to both teens and their parents/guardians.

As educators, our No. 1 concern is our students' safety and well-being. May is Mental Health Month, which grants us an important opportunity to shed light on how mental health affects young people.

Let's look at two major mental health concerns that adolescents are facing:

Depression

• Roughly 20% of adolescents nationwide suffer from depression, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Anxiety/Stress

Roughly 32% of adolescents are managing a diagnosed anxiety disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

These conditions can have significant negative impact on a teen's ability to have healthy relationships with friends and family and successfully problem solve, as well as their overall academic performance.

One of the most effective methods of raising mentally healthy children and adolescents is to foster social and emotional skills that help them tolerate unpredictable stressors.

According to the Collaborative for Social and Emotional Learning, it's critical that we teach children how to develop:

• Self-awareness to accurately identify personal strengths, areas that need development and how actions impact others.

• Social awareness, including being respectful of diversity and promoting social justice and equity.

• Self-management skills that foster resilience, assertiveness and self-efficacy.

• Responsible decision-making skills to be an active listener, be reciprocal in positive regard and demonstrate empathy.

• Relationship skills to communicate clearly, listen well, cooperate with others, resist inappropriate social pressure, negotiate conflict constructively, and seek and offer help when needed.

It's critical for schools to partner with parents and guardians in teaching and modeling healthy coping strategies and habits.

Parents can model the above skills for their children by talking with them about the events of the day, how they felt about those events and encourage resilience in the face of challenges.

Parents who spend quality time with their children engage in a range of activities from board games to nature hikes, to volunteering, sitting down at the table for dinner, and creating new hobbies and traditions establish lasting, positive connections.

Attend the many Glenbard Parent Series: GPS Navigating Healthy Families offerings. GPS provides high caliber programming to increase awareness and understanding of healthy behavioral development to help young people make their way through adolescence and become resilient adults.

Visit glenbardgps.org for resources and more information. Also, check out Glenbard District 87's resources page at https://www.glenbard87.org/other-online-resources-incomplete/.

Parents/caregivers should encourage their students to access their school counselor, school social worker or school psychologist about stress, anxiety or feeling depressed.

Student Services staff within the school system can refer students and their families to resources in the community, as well as links to additional resources. A wealth of resources is available through DuPage County's Community Resources Information System at http://dupagecris.org/.

Also, learn about free or low-cost opportunities through NAMI DuPage at http://namidupage.org/. NAMI awareness events are listed at https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Awareness-Events.

Together, we can help our teens lead healthy lives.

• David F. Larson is superintendent of Glenbard High School District 87. His column appears monthly in Neighbor.