Page 18 - Brandon Sun - Healthy Lifestyles

18 THE BRANDON SUN • HEALTH • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

» MENTAL ILLNESS AMONG TEENS

What parents should know

The Mental Health Com-
mission of Canada estimates
that 1.2 million children and
teenagers are affected by men-
tal illness. What’s more, suicide
is the leading cause of death
among Canadians who are 15
to 24 years old, second only to
accidents. Roughly 4,000 young
people die each year by suicide.

POTENTIAL CAUSES

Pressure to perform in
school, stigma about mental
illness, unhealthy diets, lack of
exercise and poor sleep hygiene
can all contribute to mental
health issues in teens.
Psychologists also suspect
that heavy social network use
may increase the incidence of
clinical anxiety and depression.
Finally, the lack of accessi-
ble mental health resources for
young people is partly to blame.
According to Youth Mental
Health Canada, only one-fifth
of affected youth receive the
help they need.

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO

Young people should be
taught that asking for help
isn’t an admission of failure or
weakness. In addition, parents
can do these simple things to
help teens protect their mental
health:
• Minimize the pressure
placed on them to perform
• Spend time together as a
family
• Provide a healthy diet
• Support a healthy sleep
schedule
• Encourage them to get self-esteem tion, self-denigration, unusual crisis, but signs of mental illness
regular exercise moodiness, sadness and ex- should never be dismissed.
• Enrol them in activi- Indicators of psycholog- treme fatigue. A moody teen
ties that build confidence and ical distress include agita- doesn’t necessarily point to a » Wire Services