Staff file photo
Staff file photo
As summer vacation approaches, adolescents are filled with excitement at the prospect of freedom from the routine of school. However, behind the excitement lies a heartbreaking reality. Mental health concerns do not disappear even as the classrooms empty and the textbooks gather dust. It is essential to recognize and address the mental health challenges adolescents face even during the carefree days of summer.
Some teenagers enjoy spending hours on end alone, while others struggle with the lack of routine and socialization. Adolescence is a significant transition period, with physical, emotional and social changes. Summer vacation may bring relief from academic pressures, but it can also bring new stressors. Lack of regular routine, social isolation, family tensions and increased expectations can exacerbate existing mental health problems or create new ones.
Busy parents and guardians may want to find a time that works for both them and the young person in their care to ask about holiday expectations and really listen to any concerns they may have and how they can be addressed.
While your budget may dictate what you put on your family’s summer calendar, there are some free activities you can do, like movie nights at home, cooking dinner together, checking out summer programs at your local library, evening walks, or starting a small garden.
The key is to find a place and time where young people feel safe to talk about how they are feeling emotionally. Listening to their feelings throughout the year without judgement can help them open up about things that may be bothering them.
Do they feel lonely, bored, or isolated? Are these negative feelings prolonged and in need of treatment? Or could they be addressed by adding some structure to their daily schedule, like exercise, volunteering, or reading?
Signs that a young person may have mental health problems and need professional help include persistent changes in sleeping, eating or other daily routines, anxiety that interferes with daily life, expressed feelings of hopelessness, increased anger or irritability, substance use, and loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed.
Mental health issues are treatable. There are a variety of short-term and long-term treatments available to help you cope with and manage your mental health issues, including counseling, medication, and sometimes a combination of both.
Inpatient treatment is also available to help young people in acute crisis stabilize and learn skills to manage their mental health as they move forward.
As summer break begins, let’s not forget that adolescent mental health never takes a break. With MiraVista as our trusted partner, we reaffirm our commitment to nurturing the holistic wellness of young people year-round. Together, we can create a future where all young people feel supported, empowered and resilient when they face life’s challenges.
Kadene Hallie Stoby is the nurse manager for the adolescent unit at Mira Vista Behavioral Health Center in Holyoke, a psychiatric facility that provides inpatient treatment for adults and adolescents in crisis, as well as outpatient substance use recovery services.
