talk to your kids
talk to your kids

How does your child see their world?

Mental illness is a term covering a range of different symptoms and diagnoses. It takes many forms and can have many different consequences. This group of illnesses and disorders can be the result of many factors, including biological and social factors; however, it’s not always possible to identify one main cause for why mental illness occurs.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2007) defines mental illness as being ‘Disturbances of mood or thought that can affect behaviour and distress the person or those around them, so the person often has trouble functioning normally. They include anxiety disorders, depression and schizophrenia’.

Mental illness can have degrees of severity. Mild forms of mental illness may not prevent a person functioning in society. Severe forms of mental illness may interfere with daily living and lead to incapacitation, hospitalisation, self-harm and suicide. The most common time for the onset of many kinds of mental illnesses and disorders is in the mid-to-late teen years, making what’s already a difficult developmental stage for humans, far more complex and confusing.

Symptoms

One of the first signs of deteriorating mental health is an unexplainable change in established sleep patterns; these can range from an inability to get to sleep or waking up early without being able to fall back to sleep; a shift in sleeping periods from night to day; or a strong need to stay in bed, sleeping for days at a time.

It’s still important to remember that adolescence is a time when young people’s bodies are developing and short-term changes in sleep patterns may be completely normal. An indication that something may be wrong is, if sleeping or lack of sleep is interfering in an ongoing way with daily routines and the young person’s ability to think clearly.

Another indication that someone’s mental health may be declining is an increased tendency to withdraw from previous social networks and interactions. Withdrawing from close friends without clear reasons, avoidance of school or uni or jobs that were previously enjoyed, all may indicate that the person is having difficulty thinking clearly and so wants to avoid situations that require intense communications; or that their mood has changed so that healthy levels of feeling “happy” or “content” become increasingly difficult to reach.

Different disorders have different symptoms. Some examples are:

Depression:

  • Weight loss or gain when not dieting
  • Less interest or pleasure in all activities
  • Tiredness or loss of energy
  • Feeling worthless
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Thoughts of death

Anxiety:

  • Feeling very worried
  • Finding it hard to stop worrying
  • Finding that anxiety is making it difficult to do everyday activities (e.g. work, study, seeing friends and family)?

Panic Disorder:

  • Sweating
  • Shaking
  • Increased heart rate
  • Shortness of breath
  • Choking
  • Nausea or pain in the stomach
  • Dizziness, light-headedness or faintness
  • Numbness, feelings of unreality or depersonalisation (feeling detached from yourself or your surroundings)
  • Hot or cold flushes
  • Fear of going crazy
  • Fear of dying

What to do next:

Evidence from years of research has shown that where signs of a mental health disorder are starting to emerge, early intervention can improve the outlook for a young person’s future mental health. It stresses the importance of picking up early warning signs and getting mental health professionals like psychologists and psychiatrists involved very quickly.

DO

  • Be there to talk if they want
  • Be patient and give them time
  • Get professional support and guidance for them and for yourself
  • If the young person’s behaviour is becoming dangerous to themselves or others, accept that they may not be able to organise their own treatment, and that you may need to take responsibility for organising it, even if the person affected does not believe it’s necessary. Often people who are developing mental illnesses are not aware that it is happening.
  • Try to be involved in recovery and relapse prevention plans
  • Learn what you can do by reading and talking to others who’ve been through similar experiences
  • Look after yourself and the rest of the family. There may be a lot of emotions and feelings about the situation. There may also be feelings of loss and grief involved which need to be addressed
  • Build support networks that will be able to take pressure off you when needed; these may involve relatives or friends
  • Keep an open mind

DON’T

  • Don’t blame yourself. Most conditions have more than one cause and build up over time and/or are triggered by various factors
  • Don’t ignore it – it won’t go away
  • Don’t tell them to “pull their socks up” – mental health problems are real
  • Don’t give up – it takes time and they’ll need support

Everyday safety nets for stress:

  • Having a healthy relationship with at least one parent or close adult
  • Having experiences which provide social support and help develop your ability to trust
  • Prioritising the ability to display and receive care and warmth
  • Developing good social skills
  • Developing problem-solving skills
  • Developing the ability to act independently
  • Developing a sense of purpose and future
  • Practising at least one useful coping strategy
  • Developing special interests or hobbies
  • Developing the ability to soothe yourself after being upset and to improve your speed of return to an emotionally balanced state.