Health is everyone’s responsibility and the responsibility of kids and teens should not be taken lightly. Our health affects us physically and mentally and may even cause us to lose our lives. Today more than ever kids and teens are becoming more aware of their overall health and how it affects their lives in the long run. In a time where more kids are becoming more active and involved with sports, there is also an increase in the kids and teens who are becoming more aware of what is going on within their own bodies. The Healthy Teens site aims to give teens and kids advice on everything that concerns health and wellness.
The Healthy Teens site covers a very wide spectrum of health issues for teens and kids. Some of the most popular health topics on this site include physical, mental, social and emotional wellness, food safety, healthy eating, exercise, sleep and stress management. Just about every health topic you can think of, there is probably an article, video or blog on this site that talks about it. There are even articles on parenting and teens that talk about how to get your kids and teens involved in the physical aspect of health. This includes exercise as a key component to staying both mentally and physically healthy.
Other health concerns for teens and kids include depression, suicide and other forms of mental health problems. As we all know, suicide is a serious issue. If something in your life is causing you a lot of worry and/or pain, it is probably a good idea to make sure you let someone you trust know about it. There are many warning signs that can indicate that a teen or child may be depressed, such as changes in behavior, sleeping too much or not being able to concentrate as well as they once could. Another sign of depression is that they are withdrawing from friends and family members and even themselves.
Bullying is another major cause of concern among young adults and teens. Teens and young adults have become the victims of cyber bullying, which makes it one of the leading cause of alarm for school administrators, parents and teachers. Internet bullying has become more than a trend; it has become the plague. Unfortunately, because of the anonymity associated with the internet, it can often go unchecked and kids feel that they can get away with it. Teens need to know that if they are being bullied online, they need to tell their bullies what they’re doing online. Sometimes the victims don’t even realize that what they’re doing online is bullying until someone tells them.
One of the biggest health risks for teens and young adults is actually connected to suicide. Suicides are rising significantly in schools across the country and a large part of the reason is because of the rising number of suicides occurring within school classrooms. Teens and young adults who are experiencing bullying may find themselves feeling very depressed or lonely, and ultimately feeling that they just can’t cope. Suicides become more common in those with diagnosable disorders.
Eating disorders and becoming obese in our youth are also a growing concern in our nation. Recent studies indicate that there is a correlation between obesity and childhood depression and substance abuse. Depression and substance abuse can lead to a variety of other health risks such as heart disease and diabetes. One of the best ways to combat these high health risks is through education about nutrition and physical activity.
Teens, especially those with eating disorders, are very likely to turn to suicide by their early adulthood. There are approximately one million teenagers and children who are suffering from depression. This number is steadily rising and we know that bullying has become a significant factor in this increase. In many cases, the victims aren’t even realizing that they’re struggling with serious mental health issues until they’ve reached their teen years and there’s already a pronounced risk of suicide. The most important thing for kids suffering from eating disorders is to seek help for themselves if they need it.
One of the leading causes of death among teens today is suicide and it’s important for parents to become familiar with the symptoms of suicide in their children so that they can better identify them when they see anything suspicious. Just because your teen or child may be trying to do something different at the time doesn’t mean that it isn’t related to depression or another mental health issue. Just because there are warning signs doesn’t always mean that your child will commit suicide. It is important to take the necessary steps to get help if you have reason to believe that your child may be dealing with serious mental health issues.