Adolescents
Suicide can be a difficult topic to discuss. Nonetheless, it is an essential conversation to have.
This page was designed to help you figure out how to improve on your own mental health and how to have these difficult conversations. Below you will find tips on how to use social media safely, alternative therapies and healthy habits to implement.
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger:
Please call the helpline below:
800-273-8255 (available 24 hours)
When to Ask for Help
If you are struggling and unsure whether you should ask for help, you are not alone! One study showed that there is often little ability amongst teenagers to identify what exactly constitutes depressive symptoms (7). You should not wait too long. If you find yourself feeling especially low, as many of us do, it is perfectly okay to consult a professional. There is nothing lost by trying to hear from a therapist or a counselor!
Many people consider therapy an important part of self-care. You do not need a diagnosis to speak to a therapist. We all go through rough patches in life and seek support to help us get by.
Signs to Look Out for in Yourself
Outlined below are some of the warning signs of depression that you could experience (8). Make sure to get in the habit of reflecting on your mental health every week or so to ensure your well-being is taken care of!
1. Loss or increase in appetite
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2. Low self-esteem or feeling worthless and guilty
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3. Difficulty focusing or concentrating
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4.Feeling fatigued or tired all the time
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5. Difficulty sleeping and waking up
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6. Self-injury
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7.Finding it hard to be interested in activities and hobbies you once enjoyed
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8. Always feeling sad or hopeless
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Asking for Help
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It can be difficult to ask for help when we need it, especially for the first time. Questions like who should I ask? What should I say? Will they think differently of me? might run through your mind. The good news is you are not alone in those thoughts! We all struggle and we all fear undesired backlash. It is perfectly normal to feel intimidated when asking for help. But you should not let it deter you from thriving and improving your health.
One of the common reasons for this hesitancy to reach out might be due to your preference for independence or it might be because you want to avoid feeling embarrassed when opening up to someone.
So, let us talk about why some of these obstacles are why they not as scary as you might think!
Obstacles to Reaching Out for Help​
Talking it Out
Begin by talking to your friends or trusted family members about mental health in general. We all have our struggles and talking about them to each other and with ease is a great reminder that it is okay to struggle. Just as your body gets the cold, your mind can get its own version of the cold too! There is no reason to prioritize one over the other (36)
Asking for Help
One study demonstrated that an extreme sense of independence or self-reliance is linked with more dangerous depressive symptoms (29). While keeping to yourself is the most comfortable approach, it also happens to be more damaging. If you are finding it difficult to ask for help, look to others who have overcome that barrier and how far they have come as a result. What might seem scary at first could lead to the most positive results
Who to Ask for Help
If you are under the age of 18, start by talking to your guardians. Ask them if it would be okay for you to visit your primary care doctor and perhaps get a referral to a therapist. If you think it would be unsafe to talk to your parents, consult a trusted adult at your school or visit your school counselor (24).
If you are above the age of 18, start by locating a therapist in your area or by consulting your primary care doctor.
​Addressing Additional Cultural Challenges
Asking for help can look very different for people of different ethnicities and backgrounds. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that foreign challenges might arise. One such challenge is an increased sense of familial responsibility (22). Normally, feeling like a source of support and contribution to your family is great. But, it should not interfere with your own well-being. A lot of immigrant households and collectivistic cultures place great emphasis on the value of familial obligation (more so than European or independent American cultures). So, this might lead you to feel like you would be adding extra stress to your family by asking for help or like you should be repaying them for their efforts to give you a better life and not burdening them. These feelings are completely valid and are often felt by a number of Asian adolescents worldwide.
Another challenge you might be dealing with is the societal expectation of self-control (22). Some cultures might expect you to demonstrate excellent emotional control at all times, which can be difficult to deal with. However, expressing your emotions in a healthy manner can be therapeutic and might be worth looking into.
Overcoming Additional Barriers
If you want to seek therapy but are afraid that your therapist would not understand your perspective on certain issues (such as speaking to your family about mental health). Try seeking therapist that shares your cultural background! There is diversity in all fields and you can take advantage of that (make sure your comfort needs are met!).
If you are interested in looking for therapists of a similar background, please click here to browse and filter nearby therapists by sexuality, religion and ethnicity...
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Another great resource that could help you navigate issues of mental health, culture and religion is the experiences of others! You are certainly not the only person who is experiencing these challenges. But, there is no doubt that it can feel pretty isolating if you are not surrounded by a diverse environment. So, I would encourage you to read the stories of others and learn from their experiences.
If you are interested in reading up on such publications, I would recommend starting with this article detailing the experience of how a gay immigrant Latina woman overcame some of our previously mentioned challenges!
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Why Should You Care about Your Social Media Usage?
The growth of social media has led to a new set of difficulties within our psyche. It can be extremely exciting to document your life and share it with friends, family members, and even the world. However, it is important to keep in mind that what is posted on social media does not always reflect reality. Life comes with its ups and downs and social media tends to focus mostly on the ups. It is also important to remember that while a person might be posting about exciting life events, they too, can be struggling with their health whether that is physically or mentally. That is why one should develop a sense of what their social media triggers are in order to browse safely.
Social Media Triggers
The use of social media has risen with the recent rise in technology. While it does provide the opportunity to connect with others and share our experiences, Is it all positive? Does it come at a cost?
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To address this question, let us consider how social media might make you feel....
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Have you ever been scrolling through social media and experienced the following?
1. FOMO- Fear of missing out - feeling like your inconsistent use of social media platforms might result in you feeling left out in real-life which induces anxiety
2. Feeling pressured to post attractive pictures to get a high amount of likes and comments on your posts (looking for positive validation)
3. Constantly comparing your body to the bodies of other people on social media
(i.e feeling like you are not thin enough, feeling insecure about specific body parts)
4. Suffered from imposter syndrome - feeling like you are a fraud and that your accomplishments are a result of mere luck instead of your hard work
5. Sleep problems due to late night social media use
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Tips for Online Safety
The use of social media clearly comes with many negative consequences which can put you at an increased risk of depression, anxiety and suicide. While a lot of us might know that social media use tends to affect us negatively, we might not know how to prevent these negative consequences. Let us consider some real-life changes that we can implement for a more positive day-to-day experience.
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1. Research suggests that limited social media time is associated with an increase in well-being (schedule a daily time to check your phone, use an app tracker to monitor the amount of time you spend on social media, find alternate activities)
2. Use Social media actively and not passively, do not consume too much. Instead, communicate with others and post authentically
3. Remember that people's post are idealized and do not depict reality (posters often use filters or facetune their photos)
4. If your FOMO induced anxiety is usually high during certain times, find alternative activities to engage in during that time
5. Spend quality time with friends or family instead
6. Self-reflect on how social media makes you feel and what accounts you should unfollow on a regular basis
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Seeking Comfort and Wisdom From Other Adolescents
While suicide might seem like a way to release the pain, a solution to everything that one is feeling, it is not. In fact, many teens and adolescents who attempted to commit suicide regret doing so immediately. Kevin Hines, who attempted suicide when he was 18, is now speaking of his experience in order to raise awareness and help others. Through that, he has also helped others who were in his shoes. Hines has received letters from other teenagers who told him that after they heard him share his experience, they too were able to ask for and receive help for their suicidal thoughts.
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Carson Moelle is another survivor who is speaking out about his experience and his life after his suicide attempt at the age of 14. Moelle is accomplishing his goal through TikTok, where he posts videos talking about his suicide attempt, recovery, and highlights from his life. He has also received comments and messages from others who decided to seek help because of his story.
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Life is ever-changing. That, coupled with the pressures of being a teenager in today's climate can be scary, making one feel that they are continuously falling deeper into the abyss, that they are all alone. It is important to remember that that isn't the case. If you are struggling, reach out for help. That could be to parents, therapist, or even the anonymous hotline at 800-273-8255
Alternative Paths to Therapy and Asking for Help
If you are still feeling hesitant regarding open up to your family about your own mental health, but would still like to seek the deserved help you need. You might benefit from the advice of MCPHS University's licensed mental health counselors, Cassandra Spina and Gabriela Trainor as they recommend who to open up to and how to go about safely doing so.
The following video might also help you explore your options regarding possible treatment journeys that do not have to include the traditional method of talk therapy.