The Top 12 Signs Your Teen Needs Counselling

Did your teenager ever throw a plate at you raise their voice, or lash out at siblings? Have you ever noticed them sitting quietly at social gatherings, avoiding interaction with everyone around them? Sometimes they stay up late at night and sleep in the mornings. As parents, it’s easy to blame them or even ourselves or each other. But before we jump to conclusions, it’s important to understand what might truly be behind these weird behaviours. 

Being a parent of a teenager isn’t easy. Because the moods of an adolescent can change every second and handling them can be a great task. One day, your child might be quiet and reserved; the next, they could be loud or even angry. These mood swings can leave you tense, sometimes even wondering “Why are they behaving like this?” Rather than focusing on what’s changing, what if we change our approach?

Today let’s explore how to understand teenage mood swings and provide the right support. 

Addiction to mobile:

Most teenagers have their mobile phones. Some might need it for studies, others for social or entertainment purposes but having their phone can sometimes lead to negative impacts on their behaviour. Constantly being involved in social media or gaming streams, can make them behave differently, often making them more distracted. If your child is completely into gaming they tend to interact verbally less and physically more. These actions make them behave vigorously and agitated most of the time. This heavy screen time can even affect their interactions and the way they see the world.

If your child spends too much time on the phone then they may have different problems like:

• A lack of sleep
• Drastic thought changes
• Poor social interaction
• Loses interest in studies and co-curricular activities

Teach them how to balance their screen time. Let them know that the real world is what is happening outside and not what’s seen online.

Violent nature & Aggression

Aggression in teenagers can be a symptom of many diverse fundamental problems. It has a problematic nature; it can be due to some psychiatric conditions, medical problems, and life circumstances.

There could be several reasons driving aggression or violent behaviour in kids like being the victim of physical abuse and/or sexual abuse, exposure to violence in the home, being the victim of bullying, genetic reasons, exposure to violence in media, and use of drugs and/or alcohol. They might show intense anger, frequent loss of temper or blow-ups, extreme impulsiveness, and becoming easily frustrated. The best solution to control this problem is to help them to talk with the best psychologist in Kerala.

Weird behaviour

When speaking with parents of teenagers, one of the first concerns they often bring up is the lack of respect shown by their kids toward parents and elders, as well as the unkind way they sometimes treat younger siblings. There could be several reasons why they oppose or misbehave, but parents need to find out the reasons. 

Demanding more freedom:

Teenagers seek freedom more than how Indians in 1947 asked for. The only right from the constitution that they demand from parents is the “freedom of choice”. Your kids might keep pushing their boundaries for more freedom. Such rebellious nature should not be entertained but always give them the liberty to choose what’s right for them. 

Anxiety & Pressure

Exam anxiety is another type of anxiety which needs support. It is a feeling that someone might have in a situation where their performance counts or when they have pressure to do well.

There could be several reasons for it like fear of failure, lack of preparation and poor test history. The most common symptoms of exam anxiety in teenagers include worrying a lot, feeling tense, having severe headaches during exam time and consecutive stomach pains, losing interest in food or eating more than normal, being negative having a low mood and feeling hopeless about the future.

There are several online counselling and therapy services in Kerala. As a parent, it is your responsibility to make your child attend such sessions to overcome exam anxiety. 

Depression & Tension

Teen depression is a serious and common mental health problem in which there is a persistent feeling of sadness. Depression affects how your teenager thinks, feels and behaves. It can also result in emotional, functional and physical problems. There could be several reasons for this, but some common ones are peer pressure, academic expectations and bodily changes. 

Conduct Disorder & Disrespect 

Conduct disorder is a set of behavioural issues with teenagers. Some of the symptoms that show that your child has this problem are:

• Aggressive Conduct
• Deceitful Behaviour
• Destructive Behaviour
• Violation Of Rules

Drug Addiction:

Today most teenagers attend drug parties and even fall into gangs which serve drugs to their friends. In the beginning, they try drugs but later get addicted to them if they find it as the solution to all their problems and start taking drugs frequently. This issue can be sorted if you reach out to a professional counsellor.

Conclusion

If your child showcases any of the above-mentioned behaviours, don’t see them as a patient and avoid them. Rather take them to a counsellor because these are not illnesses but natural behavioural changes that occur during the teenage years. It’s best to consult an experienced counsellor at the right time.