HANDBOOK #1-2

Hello everyone! I hope your time is going well! In the following weeks, I have decided that I would make some special posts! Essentially, in my Psychology Club, we were just able to create and print out copies of our own handbook, which covers many issues high schoolers may face. And guess what … I am going to share it with you! There are a total of 10 issues, which will be splitted into 5 posts, so be ready for it! Finally, before we start, I would like to show my deepest appreciation to my club members who have collaborated with me in order to make this handbook a reality!

1) Mental Health Issues

Puberty is the time where a lot of transformations occur within ourselves, both physically and emotionally. Because of this, adolescents are especially vulnerable to mental health issues - according to the World Health Organization, 1 in every 7 10-19 year-old experiences mental health conditions, yet these issues remain largely unrecognized and untreated (WHO, 2021). Without recognizing these mental health issues and seeking out for help, teenagers can be susceptible to numerous effects of these conditions, which can heavily affect their health and daily performances.

• Common Causes

• Domestic Violence - violence within a household may leave a traumatic imprint in adolescents’ heads, putting them in a constant state of fear. Feelings of hopelessness and guilt trip can heavily affect one’s mental health.

• Discrimination/Hatred - discrimination and hatred from other people, especially other students at school, can lead to teenagers feeling helpless.

• Severe/Long-Term Stress - mental health issues can build up from either severe stress or stress that occurs over a long period.

• Performance Pressure/Peer Pressure - expectations of one’s own self can play a huge role in the development of mental health issues, where performance pressure and peer pressure can decrease self-confidence.

• Relationship-Related Problems - relationships with other people (especially friends or boyfriends/girlfriends) also have a huge impact towards our mental health, and a lot of mental problems that teenagers face come from issues that are rooted from these social relationships.

• Types 

• Anxiety Disorder - respond to certain situations with fear 

• Depression - extreme sadness and loss of interest over a long period

• Bipolar Disorder - extreme mood swings (mania & depression)

• Eating Disorder - abnormal eating behaviors that affect health

• Dissociative Disorder - disconnectedness from reality

• Consequences

• Suicidal Thoughts

• Strained Family Relationships - without communication between the teenager and family members (adolescents tend to hide their mental health issues from their family), family relationships may be fractured 

• Reckless Behaviors - drugs/alcohol

• Poor Academic Performances - a teenager’s academic performance can be negatively affected with mental health issues, where students may have a tendency to skip classes as well as do worse in classes

• Social Isolation

• Challenges

• Stereotypes towards people with mental health issues

• Lack of Knowledge regarding mental health issues

• Tendency to handle mental health issues alone 

• Hesitancy to reveal personal details with professionals

• Lack of Accessibility of professional support

• How Can A Teenager Help Themselves?

• Recognize when you are showing signs of mental health issues

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help!

• Live a healthy lifestyle - eat and sleep well, relax often and spend time with friends

• Adaptive Coping Mechanisms - healthy coping strategies like mindfulness, exercise, engaging in hobbies

2) Conflict With Parents

Adolescence is often associated with a time where teenagers want to prove their identity and independence, but a lot of the times, the values and beliefs held by teenagers clash with that of parents, and as a result, conflicts with parents occur (Flannery, 2023). Whereas these conflicts are undoubtedly common among many households, without an approach towards the disputes, these seemingly-typical clashes can easily escalate into bigger problems which can cause issues between parents and children.

• Common Causes

• Teenagers have a tendency to distance themselves from their parents, and as a result this may lead to a lack of deep connection between the two sides.

• Misunderstanding is a big source of conflicts between teenagers and parents, where without effective communication, the issue can become much more complicated than it should be.

• Teenagers are inclined to exert their independence and sense of self, yet parents tend not to treat their children that way. As a result, this may lead to disagreements in things like curfew or usage of profanity.

• Consequences

• Lack Of Trust: from conflicts between parents and children, this can lead to a lack of trust of teenagers towards their parents.

• Fractured Relationships: from a lack of understanding resulting from conflicts with parents, teenagers may distance themselves from their parents, and this isolation over time can lead to emotional fragments that may never be able to be healed again.

• Stress/Depression: conflict can directly affect the mental health of the adolescent, where loneliness (from not being heard and acknowledged) and unease (from a lack of understanding) can cause stress/depression. Without dealing with these mental issues appropriately, consequences such suicidal thoughts or eating disorders are typical.

• Challenges

• Sometimes, parents and children can’t find a common ground regarding the conflicts. Often times, parents stay firm with their values and opinions, whereas adolescents display their ego and self by being adamant; these differences in values are very hard to deal with, especially when no one is willing to listen to the other side.

• Solutions

• Listen and be open-minded: by allowing others to discuss about the problems that are causing these disputes, parents and teenagers can understand more of the other’s perspectives, hence a common ground can be more easily reached.

• Willingness of communication from both sides: humans are imperfect, and sometimes parents may notice that their teenagers are conducting bad deeds. During these times, a good approach is needed in order to fix these behaviors while preventing intensification between the relationship of the parents and the teenagers. According to licensed professional counselor Marcy Adams Sznewajs, parents shouldn’t immediately jump to why the teen’s take is wrong, but rather, have an open ear and understand the teenager’s perspective before coming into any conclusion (Bray, 2022). On the other hand, teenagers need to listen to their parents’ advice along with admitting their mistakes as well, because only when two sides are willing to communicate are there going to be good outcomes

• Quality Time: quality time between teenagers are their parents are very essential in order for both sides to maintain good relationships with the other side. Through these moments, adolescents can have the chance to talk and share their concerns, which can build the trust between parents and children.