Teenage friendships are a pivotal stage of adolescent development. When friendships are stable, they can bring immense joy, but when teens struggle with them, as many do, it can significantly affect self-esteem, confidence, and overall well-being. In this week’s session, we spoke with parenting expert and psychologist Dr. Maryhan about the hidden dynamics of teenage relationships and how to provide the right support to help teens navigate the complexities of their social lives.

The transition back to school after summer holidays can be challenging for some teenagers. They may experience stress and anxiety as they adjust to new routines, teachers, and social dynamics. Understanding and supporting them through these changes can really make a difference to their emotional wellbeing. 

Whether moving up to secondary school, into sixth form or off to college, school transitions can be a difficult period for teenagers and their families, often bringing a mixture of excitement and anxiety. In this week’s session, we talked to our resident Clinical Psychologist. Dr Sarah-Jane Knight, about the common challenges teens face and what practical strategies parents and carers can put into practice to support them over the summer break and into the new school year.

Substance abuse and vaping are critical issues affecting young people today, with the 2023 Action on Smoking and Health survey showing that a shocking one in five 11-17 year olds have tried vaping.

In this week’s session, we talked to Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, Founder and Director of drug education charity, The Daniel Spargo-Mabbs Foundation, set up in response to the tragic death of Fiona’s son from ecstasy.

Gender identity forms part of your sense of self. Connecting with your identity and being seen and accepted by others is crucially important for teenagers, their mental health, wellbeing and resilience. Adolescents experiencing gender-related distress face unique challenges that require careful and informed support.

In our latest live session, we were joined by Anastassis Spiliadis, a Systemic and Family Psychotherapist and Psychologist, to talk about understanding the complexities of gender-related distress in teenagers, the impact on mental health and the best practices for supporting young people through these experiences.

Teenage years are often marked by significant emotional and behavioural changes which can be challenging for parents, carers, and educators. For many, behaviours such as arguing, swearing, moodiness, and angry outbursts can become more frequent, especially during stressful periods like exam season. In this week’s session, Clinical Psychologist, Dr Sarah-Jane Knight, shared valuable insights into managing difficult teenage behaviour and understanding the underlying causes.

In a world where social media, peer pressure and societal standards are often dictating perceptions of beauty and worth, many teens can find themselves battling self-esteem issues. However, for some, these concerns go beyond typical adolescent insecurities and manifest as a more serious condition. In this week’s session, we worked through the complexities of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) with Dr Amita Jassi, Clinical Psychologist from the National Specialist Young Persons OCD, BDD and Related Disorders Clinic at the Maudsley Hospital, including recognising the signs of BDD and what parents and carers can do to help.

Research carried out by youth mental health charity, Stem4, highlights the significant impact of poor mental wellbeing on school attendance. Figures show that 27% of 12-18 year olds across the UK didn’t attend school the year after the pandemic, with family difficulties, bullying and exam stress as just a few of the reasons uncovered.

No parent likes to think that their teenagers are mean, and we don’t really think teens are mean either. However, we do know that many teens have a tendency to say or do mean things. It’s important that we try to understand some of the reasons behind these social interactions and what we can do to help teenagers learn from their behaviour.

This week, Jessica Hawley, Teen Mental Health Expert and CEO of the RAP Foundation, joined us to talk about what teens are coping with today that’s changing their developing teen personalities and personas, and how parents and educators can challenge the way young people talk to each other.

While most exams naturally trigger stress in teenagers, certain factors and beliefs can dial up the pressure levels. Feeling unprepared through lack of revision or procrastination, coupled with fears of failure or poor results can lead to a peak in stress during preparation time, having a significant impact on a students’ mental and emotional well-being. For parents and carers, it’s not always easy to know how best to support young people through these times.

Young people living with autism can face daily barriers and challenges, with symptoms during adolescence often becoming more apparent throughout this key stage of development. According to the National Autistic Society, only 26% of autistic pupils feel happy at school, with 7 in 10 autistic children and young adults saying that school would be better if teachers and pupils understood more about autism.

Every day we have tens of thousands of thoughts. According to some studies, up to 80% of them are negative (and 95% of those are repetitive from the day before). So, if you have negative thoughts, you're perfectly normal. But what impact do negative thinking traps have on the mental health and wellbeing of teenagers?

Parenting teenagers is a journey filled with challenges, especially when it comes to emotional well-being and mental health. Teen suicide prevention is an incredibly delicate but important subject, and something that should be given the same care and attention as any other safety or health issue.

This week, we were joined by Dick Moore, an experienced educator and advocate for youth mental health, to talk about the signs to look out for and what parents and schools can do if they believe a teenager needs help.

Self-harm among teenagers is a topic that often remains shrouded in silence, yet it’s something that affects a significant number of young people and their families. It’s thought that a startling 10 to 20% of teens in the UK engage in some form of self-harm; a figure that has dramatically increased since the pandemic. Awareness and understanding of the issue is crucial to ensure teens and parents can get the help they need.

For most teens, gaming can be a healthy activity encouraging connection, cognitive skills, creativity and teamwork. However, for a small percentage of young people, gaming can evolve into a compulsive behaviour that significantly disrupts quality of life and mental health.

In this week’s session, we were joined by Dr. Rebecca Lockwood, a consultant Clinical Psychologist from the National Centre for Gaming Disorders to talk about the challenging side of gaming and to offer some insight and advice for families concerned about potential gaming-related issues with their teens.

According to NHS England’s Mental Health of Children and Young People survey 2023, 2.6% of 11-16 year olds and 12.5% of 17-18 year olds in England are living with an eating disorder. And the numbers seem to be rising.

Like with all mental health conditions, we know that early intervention is key. But how do you know if your teen is struggling with an eating disorder?

Teenagers today are growing up in a world where technology is deeply embedded in their daily lives. According to a recent Ofcom report, by the age of 12, 97% of children already have their own mobile phone and by the age of 15, teens are spending an average of 7.5 hours per day looking at screens. New Government guidance announced this week backs headteachers in prohibiting the use of mobile phones throughout the school day due to classroom disruption and an increase in online bullying.

Adolescence is a pivotal time for developing self-esteem, yet it's also when many teens struggle with self-doubt and harsh self-criticism. Social Media, TV, gaming and music are just some of the mediums that present an image or message about what young people feel they should be and should look like. And so it’s no wonder that a third to a half of adolescents struggle with low self-esteem, with research showing that 61% of 10-17 year old girls in the UK have low self-esteem.

On Monday, we talked to Dr Gemma Allison, Clinical Psychologist, about what to look out for if a teen has low self-esteem and what parents, carers and schools can do to help them.

Here at Let’s all Talk Mental Health, we know how important it is to talk. But we also know how difficult having those important conversations with teens can be.

To mark #TimeToTalkDay and ahead of Children’s Mental Health Week next week, our brilliant resident Clinical Psychologist, Dr Sarah-Jane Knight, has shared some of her top tips on starting a conversation with young people (and also some advice on what not to say).

Whoever said that raising teens was easy? There are so many changes during adolescence when there are significant brain developments, teens exploring their identity, seeking independence outside the family unit, all the while experiencing intense emotions. Supporting them to have a healthy mindset is fundamental to their mental health and help builds their resilience so they are able to cope with all of life's experiences and learn to flourish.

On Monday, we were joined by Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Dr Bettina Hohnen, to talk about the building blocks of a healthy mind, how to make sure teens feel psychologically safe, listened to, respected and supported,