Teenager’s Mental Health Crisis Noi Period B

Did you know that, according to the World Health Organization, 20% of all
teens suffer from depression before they reach adulthood? The mental health of
teenagers has grown far worse over the last decade. And unfortunately, most of
those mental illnesses is left untreated. Which is why parents should take notice of
their children’s mental health before things get severe. There are multiple reasons
why teens become depressed such as the overuse of social media, peer problems,
and their relationships with their family.

One possible cause a teenager suffer with mental health could be the
overexposure to social media. A survey shows that ninety percent of teens aged 13-
17 have used social media. This puts a large amount of the population at risk of
depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. Social media is a world full of lies
and unrealistic view of people’s life. In fact, most teenagers do not realize the
negative impact social media has. Social media creates unrealistic expectations of
life and friendship in teen’s mind. Many teens tend to compare themselves to
others and get discouraged when encountering their peer’s contents. Increased use
of social media may also allow teens to stay isolated from the real world. They
might feel unmotivated to go outside and engage with people. This kind of
behavior can exacerbate their feelings of hopelessness, isolation, and depression. In
addition, teens may encounter bad news about the world which can greatly increase
stress. In fact, because of the way media portrays mental illnesses, people often get
the wrong ideas about the symptoms of mental health conditions. This kind of
misinterpretation can lead people to develop inaccurate ideas about how mental
illnesses should be treated.

As teens become more independent from their families, they spend more
time with their peers. And sometimes, peer problems may negatively affect their
mental health. This happens when an individual is having trouble cooperating with
others which may even lead to becoming a victim of a bully. When this happens,
teens should take immediate action before things get worse. In most common
cases, teens feel pressured to behave in a certain way to prevent from being left
out. Most individual does not have the courage to stand up for themselves in this
kind of situation. Although peer pressure is hard to be noticed, it can do serious
damage on your mental health.

Family problems also play a significant role in teen’s lives and can have a
massive influence on their mental health. Family problems such as abuse parental
relationships can make teens feel unwanted. Teens are still at an age where they
need love and comfort from their parents. For most teens, home is their only place
where they can be themselves without feeling judged by other people but when
problems arise within their home, they will no longer have a place to feel
comfortable. They will feel anxious when they are in an environment where their
own parents make them feel worthless and not good enough. Family problems
must be taken seriously as it can become a trauma for the children. The impacts
caused by family problems are permanent and will forever be in the teen’s mind.

Although it is proven by research studies and professionals that the

excessive use of social media has a negative impact on teen’s mental health, one
may argue that it is a user-friendly platform for social interaction and it gives an
individual an emotional support by virtually connecting with friends. However,
does it give the same effect as real life friends do? An actual social interaction is
different from the virtual interaction you gain from social media. Rather than
having friends who can’t actually be by your side, you can make time for real life
friends. As for peer problems, critics may say that peer pressure can be beneficial
to individuals as it may be used to push someone to do something good. But this
also means that, peer pressure can be used to push someone to do something bad.
So, we can never assume that peer pressure is beneficial. Lastly, it is undeniable
that family problems can have a strong impact on mental health but some argue
that family problems may not always have a direct impact on mental health. They
argue that some individuals are more resilient and are able to cope with family
conflicts without it affecting their mental health. However, family cases can still
contribute to the overall level of stress and anxiety in an individual’s life.

The society we live in is not fully aware of the issue being faced by
teenagers. Our society is not equipped enough to handle and provide support to
those who have mental illnesses. Researchers have also found that most academic
staff lack the knowledge and training to address issues with student mental health.
But despite the sad reality, there must be a change. In order to provide a safer
lifestyle for teens, we must take action. Whether the use of social media, peer
problems, family problems, or any other reasons are troubling teens, parents should
show support and remind them how worthy they are. School needs to talk more
about these illnesses so that they are taken seriously.