How to promote good mental health in adolescents

by Sofia B. Behind every beautiful thing, there

Adolescence is the stage that goes from childhood to adulthood and a moment of important changes in the evolution of any person. Dr. Albert Majó recommends that we promote good mental health in adolescents with advice that can help us at this stage.

Adolescence is the stage that goes from childhood to adulthood and a moment of important changes in the evolution of any person.

These changes are biological, psychological and social, affect the body, related to growth and the preparation of organs for reproduction; to the mind, capacity for abstraction and to make decisions evaluating different alternatives and, on a social level, differentiate from adults, growing importance of friends to the detriment of the family.

The adolescent has much more autonomy than the child but maintains an important degree of dependence and it is still necessary to take care and be on top so that his development is optimal.

According to the WHO "half of mental illnesses begin before age 14, but most cases are neither detected nor treated." According to this organization, depression occupies an important place and suicide is the second leading cause of death between the ages of 15 and 19. Without forgetting the abuse of alcohol and drugs that can generate dangerous behaviors such as risky sexual practices or reckless driving. To these problems must be added eating disorders.

Therefore it is everyone's responsibility to accompany them during this stage to ensure that they become responsible, mature and happy adults.

Some recommendations:

1.- Relationship with the family.

It is important to leave them room to exercise their freedom, to explore and discover for themselves but just as important is to maintain a vigilant attitude to detect any change in the behavior of adolescents that can alert us that something is not going well.

It is necessary to organize family activities and not lose communication with them, so they know they can count on parents when they have a problem or concern.

2.- Limits

Teenagers need to discover the world for themselves, they are forming their adult identity and for this they often oppose authority figures (parents, teachers ...), at the same time they need and seek that those same figures set limits on them. Help them learn how far they can go. It is necessary to find the balance between leaving room for exploration and marking well the limits that should not be crossed.

3.- Respect

Teaching adolescents to respect themselves, others and the environment is essential to avoid risky behavior.

4.- Schedules and routines

During adolescence it is still of fundamental importance to maintain routines and schedules as in childhood because it helps them to structure, organize and limit themselves. Mark schedules and routines for meals, personal hygiene, study, home help, free time ...

5.- Balanced diet

In a period of life where biological and hormonal changes are so important that a balanced diet is essential. Healthy eating helps prevent certain health problems in the future and maintain a healthy lifestyle as adults.

Even more if we take into account that at this stage they start eating out, so they eat worse and also tend to skip breakfast, the most important meal of the day when they are studying.