{"id":41705,"date":"2026-09-05T15:17:47","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T20:17:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/?p=41705"},"modified":"2026-09-17T10:20:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T15:20:56","slug":"three-ways-to-support-your-teens-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/three-ways-to-support-your-teens-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Ways to Support Your Teen\u2019s Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"41705\" class=\"elementor elementor-41705\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-31cf991 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"31cf991\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-385f154\" data-id=\"385f154\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bb61900 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"bb61900\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Teens are facing more challenges than ever. There&#8217;s pressure from school, friends and social media. No wonder their mental health can suffer. You don&#8217;t have to wait until your teen is in crisis to talk about it. Talk to your teen early and often. Research shows nearly half of all lifetime cases of mental illness start by age 14.&nbsp; And in the U.S., 1 in 6 young people ages 6-17 experience a mental health issue each year.<\/p>\n<p>Mental illness is a common health problem. It can affect a person&#8217;s thinking, feeling, actions or mood. These health problems deeply impact day-to-day living and relating to others. But many people are scared to talk about them.<\/p>\n<p>Parents and others can help support young people. The key is to be intentional about engaging with them. Give them safe spaces to show their true selves. Give them a chance to talk about how they\u2019re really doing.<\/p>\n<p>Mentally healthy children and teens have a positive quality of life and can function well at home, in school and in their communities. They reach developmental and emotional milestones and learn healthy social skills and how to cope when there are problems.<\/p>\n<p>Anxiety and depression are common issues for children and teens. But they often won\u2019t share their worries. So, parents need to be on the lookout for issues.<\/p>\n<h2>Watch For Signs<\/h2>\n<p>Keep an eye out for how they\u2019re feeling. Learn the warning signs of possible problems:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Changes in mood or personality<\/li>\n<li>Avoiding social interactions<\/li>\n<li>Missing school and\/or changes in grades<\/li>\n<li>Changes in eating or sleeping habits<\/li>\n<li>High irritability and\/or outbursts<\/li>\n<li>Increased physical complaints, like headaches or stomach aches<\/li>\n<li>Talking about self-harm or attempting suicide<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Offer Support<\/h2>\n<p>Look for ways to offer the support they may need. Start by asking open-ended questions. Some questions you might try are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>How are you feeling today?<\/li>\n<li>What\u2019s going on that is causing you to feel this way?<\/li>\n<li>What was the best part of your day?<\/li>\n<li>What was the worst part of your day?<\/li>\n<li>What is something you are looking forward to?<\/li>\n<li>What is something you are worried about this week?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s OK if their answers seem short. The goal is to keep talking. Check in with them often.<\/p>\n<h2>Keep It Going<\/h2>\n<p>Listen to your teen. Try hard to grasp their feelings and show you care. Remember:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t try to solve your teen\u2019s issue. Just show them you\u2019re actively listening. Be patient and don\u2019t judge.<\/li>\n<li>Avoid dismissing your teen\u2019s feelings in any way. Be sure not to use terms like \u201ccrazy\u201d or \u201cdramatic\u201d or \u201cattention-seeking.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Be caring when you respond. Empathetic responses can help your teen feel understood and more comfortable talking about difficult feelings with you. It also builds trust.<\/li>\n<li>Try to say things like: That\u2019s a hard feeling to cope with, but I\u2019m here to support you through this. We can find a way through this together.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Work to help them build resilience and coping methods. Being able to deal with changes and challenges is a sign of good mental health. If the steps you take on your own aren\u2019t enough, talk with your child\u2019s doctor. They may be able to help or suggest a qualified therapist, counselor or psychologist.<\/p>\n<p>Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/emotional-wellbeing\/\">Emotional Wellness webpage<\/a> for mental health resources.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Teens are facing more challenges than ever. There&#8217;s pressure from school, friends and social media. No wonder their mental health can suffer. You don&#8217;t have to wait until your teen is in crisis to talk about it. Talk to your teen early and often. Research shows nearly half of all lifetime cases of mental illness&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1971,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kadence_starter_templates_imported_post":false,"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41705","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-benefit-information"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Three Ways to Support Your Teen\u2019s Mental Health - Benefits<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tamus.edu\/benefits\/three-ways-to-support-your-teens-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Three Ways to Support Your Teen\u2019s Mental Health - Benefits\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Teens are facing more challenges than ever. 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