Helping Your Stressed-out Teen

School
demands, sports commitments, body changes, confusing media messages. How can
you help your kids manage life’s pressures as they hit the teen years –
especially now at the end of the school year when exams and events pile up?
Start by making sure the health basics are in place: good nutrition, solid
sleep habits, and regular exercise. And don’t underestimate your teenager's
need for downtime.By
Mary Brophy Marcus, health writer, APA

These
resources can help:

Nutrition:
The USDA
has a site for teens all about healthy eating
with snack ideas, info on vitamins, weight and nutrition trackers, and more.
There's nutrition advice for vegetarian teens and athletes, too.

Sleep:
Teenagers need 8 - 10 hours a night, according to the National Sleep
Foundation (NSF). However, almost 70% of high
school students aren't logging that much, says the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Inadequate sleep can put them at risk for accidents, mood and
behavior issues, and poor school performance. NSF shares tips like cutting out
caffeinated sodas and setting a regular sleep routine.

Exercise
and Relaxation: Physical activity helps increase
"feel-good" endorphins in the brain, according to the Mayo
Clinic. To relax, The
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
suggests practicing relaxation breathing and building a supportive circle of
friends and family to cut stress, too.

If
your tween or teen is still stressed and struggling, reach out to your child's
doctor or a mental health professional who specializes in adolescents because a
more serious health issue may be going on, such as depression or an anxiety
disorder.

By
Mary Brophy Marcus, health writer, APA

The Power of Words: Addressing the Stigma of Mental Illness

Jenna Bowen, medical student, University of Wisconsin

Reviewed by Claudia Reardon, MD

Crazy.  Insane.  Deranged. Mad.  Lunatic. —Misused as nouns, adjectives and
lay-diagnoses, their use perpetuates stereotypes of the wide variety of people
who experience mental illness.

Maybe you know someone or, more likely, a number of people who
experience depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder or other brain disorders.  According to the National Institute of Mental
Health, 1 in 4 American adults and 1 in 5 American youth experience a form of
mental illness every year. People with mental illness are teachers, accountants,
neighbors, sisters, fathers and friends. Anyone you know could be experiencing
mental illness, but afraid to come forward and be treated. Maybe that person is
you.

People living with mental illness continue to have an identity
that is beyond a diagnosis, similar to other medical conditions. While managing
mental illness may be challenging at times—similar to challenges faced by
people with diabetes, high blood pressure, or other medical illness— there is
greater difficulty in getting the treatment needed because of feelings of shame
and stigma surrounding mental illness. However, treatment for mental illness
works. Research shows the majority (65 percent to 80 percent) of individuals
with mental disorders will improve with appropriate treatment and ongoing
monitoring. People with mental illness need to know that they will continue
to be seen as people – your brother, best friend, daughter —and not “crazed” or
“insane” if they appropriately seek help for a treatable medical condition that
they happen to be experiencing.

Bring Change 2 Mind, an organization aimed to end stigma and
discrimination surrounding mental illness, offers recommendations to reduce
your impact on the stigma surrounding those with mental illness.

• Use "person first" vocabulary. When we say a person is
  schizophrenic, we make their mental illness fully define their identity.
  Instead, be clear that this is a disease that individuals manage and live with—
  "He is living with schizophrenia."


• Avoid the verb "suffers" when discussing mental illness.
  Instead, choose, "lives with mental illness" or "is affected by
  mental illness."


• There are many phrases and terms; "crazy,"
  "nuts", "psycho", "schizo", "retard"
  and "lunatic" that may seem insignificant, but really aren't.

Be an advocate for those that you know, and the many that you
don’t know, who are living with some form of mental illness by breaking down stigma,
and being conscious of language surrounding brain disorders. To learn more check
out:

·        
Bring
Change 2 Mind

·        
NAMI
– Stigma Busters

·        
Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity and
 Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health (SAMHSA)

·        
Mental
Health Terminology:  Words Matter