One of the hardest periods of being a parent is navigating your way through the troublesome teenage years. When your children are younger, they’re more than happy to come to you for help and advice, but the older they get, the more they tend to pull away and strive to be more independent.
While it’s great to see your kids becoming more independent, it’s also difficult when it comes to their health because you can feel shut out, meaning that you’re unable to give them the help and support that they need.
With that in mind, as a parent of a teenager, it’s a good idea to know what the most common health problems are affecting them so that you know how to help them deal with them, should they occur.
Anxiety
One of the most common health problems affecting teenagers is anxiety, a mental health problem. The fact is that a lot of teenagers struggle with anxiety at one point or another, and when they do, they need all the help and support that they can get. Sometimes anxiety is linked to exams and school work deadlines, other times it’s linked to socializing or other activities. The cause of anxiety isn’t always easy to identify, which is why as a parent it can be hard to know how to help a teen suffering from anxiety. The important thing is to try and talk to them about the help that’s available through their doctor, online, and from mental health teams. If they won’t talk to you, it could be worth contacting their school. To learn more about anxiety in teens, there’s plenty of information on sites like http://teens.webmd.com/anxiety-and-teens.
The “anxiety” numbers are startling; According to a recent World Health Organization study, one in three college students worldwide have a mental health condition.
Badly aligned teeth
A lot of teenagers have self-esteem issues that are linked to their appearance. These issues can impact them throughout their lives, so it’s important to help them to build confidence and learn to be happy in themselves and their appearance. That being said, if their lack of confidence is linked to something like the fact that their teeth are badly aligned, it is often best to treat the problem by looking into getting them braces. There’s plenty of information online on sites like http://www.mydentalbrush.com/treatments/braces/ about braces; it’s just a case of taking the time to research and read up about the process. Although wonky teeth might not seem like a health problem, it is, as in later life it can cause all sorts of problems. So having your teen’s teeth fixed is something that’s worth considering.
Acne
At one point or another, most teenagers suffer from the occasional bout of acne. With their hormones in overdrive, it’s no wonder that most teenagers suffer from the odd breakout now and then. While the odd breakout isn’t really anything to worry about, if you teen is constantly covered in acne, then it could be worth taking them to the doctors or to see a dermatologist. Acne can not only impact your teen’s self-esteem but can also leave them with permanently scarred skin, if not treated properly. The good news is that there are various creams and lotions that your doctor or dermatologist can prescribe, as well as oral tablets that can help. The sooner your take your teen to see a specialist, the better, so don’t hold off on getting them treatment.
Period Problems
Most teenage girls get their first period between the ages of 10 and 15 years old. A girl’s monthly cycle is the number of days from the start of her period to the start of her next one. You often hear this is a 28-day cycle, however 28 is really just an average that doctors use. Cycle lengths actually can range from 24 days to 34 days. Young ladies often notice that their cycles are different lengths each month — especially for the first few years after 
she starts getting her period. Knixteen, which helps “get his bleeding once a month thing covered,” designed “cute panties that also hold in menstrual blood” — seamless, comfortable and leak-proof panties that have anti-microbial technology to fight bacteria and odor. They also have a helpful and informative “period talk” section on their website.
Eating Disorders and Overweight/Obesity
According to verywellhealth, nearly 90% of high school students “do not eat the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and more than 25 percent eat more than two servings of high-fat products a day.” Adolescents can develop eating disorders in a number of ways: 1) by not eating enough and intentionally starving themselves (anorexia); 2) they may binge eat and then vomit (bulimia); or 3) they simply may overeat and/or eat an unhealthy diet and become overweight or obese. Verywellhealth reports that about 33 percent of high school students do not get enough exercise, and about 36 percent are enrolled in daily physical education programs.
Conclusion
There are, of course, a lot of offer health problems that affect teens, but these are among the most common ones. It can be hard to talk to your teen about health problems, as they may not always want to talk to you. However, if you’re worried about something, it’s always best to try and broach the subject with them.
We hope you find this Mental Health Wellness Guide, created by Sami-Aid, useful:
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