Youth Mental Health: A Holistic Approach vs. Medication
Anxiety is a common problem among teens. I would have to say that in my practice, the majority of my clients are experiencing anxiousness and anxiety during this stage of development. It is important for parents to take their children seriously when they display chronic anxiety symptoms as this could indicate that there is more to it than anxiousness. While anxiety is a normal emotion experienced by adolescents when they are under a great deal of pressure, it becomes a problem when it persists and interferes with their daily lives.
If these methods do not provide relief, your adolescent might require anxiety medication in the future.
The first step is to look at some holistic ways your teen can manage their anxiety.
Sleep
A major factor contributing to adolescent anxiety is sleep. We all know that they spend endless hours on their devices, interacting with others into the wee hours of the night. Scientific research shows that a typical teen needs at least 8-10hours of sleep every night. Teenagers with anxiety need more sleep and studies have shown that teens with insomnia are more likely to develop other mental health issues, such as depression and phobias. It is recommended that they should have no screen time at least two hours before they go to bed, although that can be challenging as they grow older. I put more focus on encouraging adolescents to keep a regular sleep/wake time as much as possible, Melatonin is a natural supplement that regulates night and day cycles. It can be helpful if used short term. This product helps with the timing of your circadian rhythms and with sleep. Several families have reported success using it.
Healthy Eating
Maintaining a healthy diet is helpful for reducing anxiety, although adolescents seem to steer clear of it, favouring fast food chains instead. Often, teenagers restrict their eating habits to achieve or maintain their ideal image. Fast food binging or denial of any food is quite common, and I feel that social media is doing that impressionable generation an injustice. Please keep an eye on your children's eating habits since disordered eating has increased drastically since the pandemic. When I speak with my clients, I often tell them that their bodies are like cars and their food is like fuel. When you put good fuel in, your car runs smooth and goes the distance, your body needs the same or it will not produce the way you need it to. High-protein snacks are great for teens on the go and limit caffeine and sugary food as they contribute to anxiety. If your adolescent is chronically abusing alcohol or drugs, that can directly impact their mental and physical health.
Exercise
Being active reduces depression and anxiety. Getting your heart pumping releases endorphins (feel-good chemicals in the brain). It boosts self-confidence, lowers stress, provides better sleep at night, improves learning and provides more energy overall throughout the day. It is not necessary for every teen to participate in extra-curricular activities or to join the gym, but a simple walk or a bike ride in the park can make the difference just as much.
Self-Care
Self-care is a good tool for managing anxiety. I encourage my clients to put self-care on their priority list. Relax with activities like massage, bathing, meditation, and yoga, and enjoy pleasant activities (outings, movies, playlists, feel-good things). When anxiety levels are high, it is very important to restore your teen's sense of self-worth and comfort.
Learn to relax: Deep breathing is a strategy that you can use to calm down quickly. It sends a message to your brain that you’re ok. Breathing deeply involves taking slow and gentle breaths until you are able to center yourself.
Counselling
Through counselling, most individuals are able to reduce or even eliminate some anxiety symptoms over time. It offers a safe space to talk about anxiety and other issues that may be related. As part of counselling, teens are taught to identify and address the way their thoughts and behaviours interact to cause anxiety. The goal of counselling is to identify how negative thought patterns affect behaviour and feelings. Although this provides some relief to anxious adolescence, it does not provide a comprehensive solution all the time. If an adolescent is still struggling after maintaining all these above recommendations, I often let parents know that it might be time to consider medication for a short period of time to get them through the rough patches of teenage life.
Anxiety Medication
There’s a time and place for anxiety medication. If an adolescent has severe anxiety that’s interfering with their ability to function, and the above recommendations are not resolving anxiety then medication may be helpful—especially as a short-term treatment. It is understandable that some parents may have concerns that their child may become dependent on it. Antidepressants do not lead to dependency, unlike some painkillers, sedatives, and sleeping pills. Some people see taking tablets as a sign of weakness. Taking medication to treat a mental illness is not shameful. Medicine can be helpful, and in some cases even necessary when trying to overcome anxiety. As for the side effects of the drug, that is something that can be discussed with a family physician. In the same way that diabetics need insulin to manage their condition, someone suffering from mental health issues may require some kind of medication to assist with mental balance.
In the case that you have monitored your adolescent's sleep, eating patterns, exercise, and self-care and they are still experiencing severe anxiety, I would counsel you to speak to your family physician and take the steps that may be needed to improve their condition.
For more support, please reach out to support@healthyroutes.ca or visit our website at www.healthyroutes.ca.
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