Navigating Youth Mental Health

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From an early age, we start teaching our children how to navigate the world. As part of these life lessons, they need to learn and understand the connection between mind and body. When working with young people, we talk about how our bodies communicate our daily needs (such as hunger, tiredness, and thirst) and indicate our emotions through physiological symptoms (like increased heart rate, shallow breathing, feeling hot, and tense muscles). The mind-body connection refers to how our attitudes, thoughts, and feelings can impact our physical well-being and health. Taking care of our mental health can significantly affect our overall physical health.

Normalizing mental health is the first step in helping children understand themselves and the world around them. By helping a child understand when they are feeling overwhelmed, angry, nervous, or sad, we can teach them how to regulate their emotions and regain control of their environment. Being mentally healthy during childhood involves reaching developmental and emotional milestones and learning healthy social and coping skills. Mentally healthy children are more likely to have a positive quality of life and function well at home, school, and in their communities.

For children and adolescents, the role of parents/guardians in healthy development is crucial, as well as that of other caregivers who may be an initial source of support. Talking to children about mental health can be challenging if one lacks comfort in understanding mental health and emotion regulation skills. Children often learn how to cope with stressors by observing others. Parents who have mental health difficulties, such as depression or anxiety, may have more difficulty providing care for their children compared to parents who report good mental health. Parents and children may also share adverse risk factors, such as generational trauma, inherited vulnerabilities, living in unsafe environments, and facing discrimination or hardship.

Both parents and children can take small steps towards managing mental health by normalizing its existence and discussing it. So, how do we start these conversations? By creating a safe and open environment where you and your child can talk about their day, validate their emotions, and guide them on how to solve problems. It’s important to have conversations with your children, aiming to listen and validate, and then guide them in developing problem-solving and coping skills.

*If you or your child need immediate help due to having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text the Crisis Text Line by texting “START” to 741-741. If there is an immediate safety concern, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Monica Barreto, Ph.D., is the Clinical Director for Behavioral Health for Nemours Children’s Health Primary Care in Central Florida.

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