It’s good for teens to be able to have conversations with their family about mental health. They see the effects of mental health all around them and may have questions for their family. We know that mental health can be affected by genetic, environmental, and biological factors. It can be intimidating to start that conversation with family members to better understand what mental health concerns the family has as well as trying to voice their own concerns of what they may be experiencing.

We have some tips to help impower a teen to have these conversations with their family:

1.       Think about what you would like to say. What are the questions you would like to find answers to? What have you been experiencing and write it down to share with your family. Try to give examples of what you may be experiencing or what you have been witness to.

2.       Make sure the timing is right. Ask for some time to talk with a parent or trusted adult. It might be helpful to let your family or trusted adult know that you want to have a serious conversation and make sure that the setting is someplace private.

3.       Conversation starters:

a.     “I am struggling with my mental health and would like some advice”.

b.     “I have been wondering what our mental health family history is, can you fill me in?”

c.     “I have noticed that I have been struggling to concentrate in school and getting assignments done. I am really

distracted, and I don’t know why.”

4.       Talk about possible next steps and what should happen next. Create a plan and action steps you and your family can take together to tackle some of the concerns brought up. Do you need to reach out and get support or check out online resources together. Do people within the family need to be contacted to create a better mental health family history? Try not to leave the conversation without some type of follow-up needs to be done. That may also include reaching out to the family doctor or pediatrician to get recommendations

5.       Make time to follow up on the questions or concerns. Keep the conversation going so that if there needs to be more conversations in the future it will be easier.

6.       We understand that not all families will be open to this conversation on mental health. There are some things to keep in mind if you find that your family is not willing to help you get the support you need: they may be struggling with their own feelings of guilt or blame, they may have concerns about the cost of getting professional help, or they may believe that mental health concerns to be delt with privately and not trust professionals.

7.       There are ways to seek help for yourself if your family is not on board:

a.       Call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline 988/988lifeline.org

b.       Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center Psychiatric Intake Response Center (PIRC) 513-636-4124

 Written by: Alison Wall, AFL Senior Engagement Specialist

References:

How to Talk to My Parents or Guardian | National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

Talking To Adolescents and Teens: Time To Talk | Mental Health America