Supporting Those with Mental Illness is Our Responsibility

By: Mary E. Bellcock, LPC

As a manager of an Intensive Outpatient Program that serves adolescents with mental health and substance abuse issues, I have become increasingly aware of the necessity of outside support for these individuals. Equally important is the responsibility that parents and primary caregivers have in recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders, in particular adolescent depression. According to the California Adolescent Health Collaborative (californiateenhealth.org), common signs to look for include, sleep disturbances, problems with academic performance, frequent statements about feeling sad and substance abuse.

One of the most common symptoms of depression I see with the adolescent population at my clinic is anger. Frequently, adolescents have a difficult time appropriately expressing feelings of sadness or loneliness and this often manifests in inappropriate expressions of anger. Adolescents who cannot appropriately express feelings will often engage in self-harm behaviors such as cutting or burning. At the most extreme, difficulty with expressing or an inadequate support system may lead to suicidal ideation (thoughts) or suicide attempts.

As a mental health professional, I believe it is my responsibility to assist my patients in developing positive and healthy coping skills to better manage depression and the symptoms of other mental health disorders. One of the primary ways to make this happen is to involve parents and other family members. Families are encouraged to attend group therapy at my clinic at least once a week. During family therapy, the opportunity exists for exploring family dynamics that may be contributing to poor coping skills, identification of healthy strategies to assist adolescents in more effective management of feelings and implementation of these strategies to prevent further incidence of maladaptive coping. I encourage parents, please continue investing in the emotional well-being of your children; this often makes all the difference.