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Recognizing Warning Signs: A Guide for Teachers, Coaches, and Community Leaders

Author:
Jemma Strain
Jemma Strain
B.S. Psychology
Editor:
Emma Loker
Emma Loker
B.S.
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Many educational professionals and community leaders wonder what to do if a student shows mental health warning signs. Like physical health, a teenager’s mental health can determine their outlook and success in life – so it’s important to be aware of the signs a teen may be struggling to cope.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines mental health as a teen’s “…state of well-being that enables [them] to cope with the stressors of life, realize [their] abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to [their] community.” In other words, if a teen is finding coping with their mental health challenging, their emotional and physical health, relationships, self-esteem, and academic performance may suffer.1

Educators, coaches, and community leaders are often well-placed to spot personality and behavioral changes in teens, which could indicate mental health issues. If you’re concerned about a teen, support and advice are available. This article can help by covering:

  • The warning signs of mental illness in teens
  • How to spot mental health issues in students
  • Supporting students with mental health struggles
  • Therapy options for warning signs of mental health issues in teens
Recognizing warning signs of poor mental health

Warning Signs of Mental Illness in Teens

The warning signs of mental illness in teens rarely just come out of nowhere – there are buildups that can indicate that something may be happening below the surface. Teachers, coaches, and community leaders are in a good position to spot these warning signs as they are often in close contact with students on a daily basis. They can also ensure a teen receives the early support they need. 

As every mental health condition is different, so too are teenagers, so there are no concrete warning signs. Instead, the following symptoms could be considered a guide to look out for when concerned about a teen’s mental health. 

Mental Health Warning Signs for Teachers:2,3

  • Drop in performance: A drop in academic or physical performance may indicate something going on behind the scenes.
  • Fatigue: If a student frequently seems tired, this may indicate sleep disturbances caused by emotional issues, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, or lack of revitalizing sleep. 
  • Weight changes: If a student has lost or gained a lot of weight, this could be due to changes in hormones as a result of stress. They could also feel too distracted to think about eating (weight loss) or be using food as a way to manage their emotions (weight gain).
  • Withdrawal: Pulling back from friends, school staff, and family can be a sign of emotional issues. 
  • Difficulties concentrating: Lack of sleep, mental distraction, and changes in brain structure can lead to problems thinking, problem-solving, and focusing. 
  • Heightened physical sensitivity: Finding bright lights, touch, textures, and sounds overstimulating may indicate a mental health issue.
  • Slow responses: Taking a long time to answer questions or physically react may be due to mental distraction, problems focusing, or alterations in the brain. 
  • Loss of interest: No longer enjoying or feeling motivated to participate in activities they previously enjoyed can be a common warning sign of stress and mental health issues.
  • Behavior changes: Acting in uncharacteristic ways, or showing “odd” or “peculiar” behaviors may indicate a problem. 
  • Seeming flat: A student experiencing changes to their mental health may feel “unreal” or disconnected from their surroundings and the people in it. 
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Aside from these warning signs, sometimes it’s good to trust your gut. Our instincts sometimes communicate that there’s a problem before our brains can make sense of the issue. A teen may attempt to hide that there’s a problem, but your gut can put you on the right track. 

How to Spot Mental Health Issues in Students

If a number of the previous warning signs show up in a teenager, it may be time to consider communicating with parents and school counselors. However, if you’re still unsure, you can use the following checklist for how to spot mental health issues in students. 

Mental Health Indicators for Educators Checklist:

Area #1: Personality Changes

You may have known this student for some time, meaning that you’re well positioned to recognize shifts in their personality. 

Do they recently seem uncharacteristically…

  • Nervous?
  • Apprehensive?
  • Angry?
  • Emotional or upset?
  • Moody?
  • Disinterested?

If a student acts quite different from their usual personality traits, this could indicate that they’re trying to cope with challenges to their well-being.4

Area #2: Behavior Changes

Showing out of the ordinary behaviors could also be a sign that a student is dealing with mental health issues. For instance, a typically timely student may suddenly start showing up late to class or not attending at all. 

Other behavior changes could include…

  • A sudden lack of interest in school work or sports
  • Difficulties concentrating or focusing
  • Emotional challenges, such as controlling outbursts of sadness or anger
  • Forgetting instructions, coursework, or belongings

These are only some examples of behavior changes. Anything out of the ordinary for a student could signal a need for concern.4

Area #3: Appearance Changes

Changes to how a student looks or dresses may be another indicator of mental health issues. For example, if they suddenly start losing or gaining weight. Also, wearing long sleeves or trousers in hot weather or during physical activities may be a sign of risk-taking behaviors, such as self-harming.5  

Appearance changes to be mindful of include…

  • Sudden weight loss or gain
  • Looking tired
  • Looking consistently sad 
  • Neglecting personal hygiene
  • Perfectionism or over-focus on looks
  • Shifts in clothing style

Area #4: Isolation

Not every student can be a social butterfly, but if they recently have stopped socializing with their regular friend group or seem withdrawn, this could be a mental health indicator. 

Other signs of isolation include…

  • Spending lunch hours alone
  • Seeming more disconnected in class or sports practices
  • Increasing amounts of time spent alone before, during, and after school

You can’t keep an eye on a student all the time, but teens often walk to class together, as well as spend time chatting before and after school. If you regularly notice a student no longer doing this and instead spending time by themselves, they may be dealing with psychological issues or problems such as bullying.6
Student receiving support for the warning signs of mental illness

Supporting Students With Mental Health Struggles

Young people face a wide array of challenges which could affect their mental health. If you’re concerned about a teen’s mental health, how you can support them might depend on the context in which you know them and your position within the school and community. Professional advice, such as from a school counselor or community-based mental health specialist, can assist you if you are worried about a teen’s well-being. 

The following steps can also help when supporting students with mental health struggles. 

1. Think About the 5Ws:

Mental health issues don’t come from nowhere; they’re a perfect storm of genetics, biology, experiences, and surroundings. Therefore, mental health issues need to be thought about in terms of the big picture.  

When thinking about how to support a student with mental health concerns, it can help to break their challenges down into the 5Ws: who, where, when, why, and what. 

  • Who     are they acting nervous, sad, or angry around?
  • Where are they acting this way? In the classroom, sports fields, or with friends?
  • When are they struggling most? During academic tasks, socializing, or when playing sports?
  • Why might they be struggling? You may not be able to determine the answer to this, but thinking about it might help you understand and show empathy.
  • What can you do? If you’re concerned about a student’s mental health and well-being, it might be necessary to inform a senior colleague, school counselor, or family member.   

The answers to these questions (or your assessment of them, at least) can guide the next steps you take and the information you share. 

2. Connect With Them

Often, each grade of students is set up with a tutor who will support and advise them on any issues that could affect their studies, performance, and well-being. If you’re not this student’s tutor, you could raise their tutor’s awareness of your concerns. This tutor may check in on the student’s welfare and ask them if they would like to speak to someone, such as a school counselor. 

You could also check in with them informally, just to let them know that you care and can help them find support if they need it. You cannot force a student to talk to you, but sometimes saying something as simple as “Hey, how have you been coping lately?” shows them that you’re aware of them.  

Every school will have a different system set up to support student mental health. If you’re unsure what steps to take, speaking to a senior colleague could help you better understand what to do. 

3. Help Arrange Peer Support

Many schools and communities offer peer support programs, as these have been shown to help teenagers cope with their mental health in adaptive ways. These programs can also help teenagers better understand their challenges and see that others their age often deal with similar issues.7

Peer support can come in many different forms, including:

  • Peer mentoring:     Peer mentoring offers teens with mental health challenges the opportunity to speak to someone of a similar age. This form of mentoring can be especially helpful if a teen doesn’t feel ready to speak to an adult about what they’re going through. These mentors have usually also received basic mental health training. 
  • Self-help groups: Self-help peer groups are run by peers with mental health training and promote sharing experiences, ways of coping, and educational and practical activities. 
  • Mental health campaigns: Young people can help raise awareness of how to access mental health support in schools and the community. 
  • Drop in sessions: Peers can set up designated areas in schools where teens know they can call in to talk about how they’re feeling or ask for support. 

Signposting these resources to a student can help them feel less alone, more understood, and can also allow them to widen their social circle. 

4. Help Them Find Support

Schools and community leaders can offer to help teens speak to their parents about their mental health. However, if a teen is unwilling to speak about their issues, you may still have to take steps to protect their well-being – especially if you’re concerned about their immediate safety. 

As an educator, coach, or community leader, you can only go so far with your concerns. However, sharing your worries with a senior colleague or a teen’s parents or guardians can ensure that a teen receives the support they need. For instance, they may need medical attention from a doctor or require appropriate treatment from a mental health professional.

It can be tough to know how to help a student or teen with mental health challenges. However, explaining the option of professional mental health treatment to parents or caregivers can go a long way in ensuring a teen receives the help they need. We discuss options for this next.

Therapy for Warning Signs of Mental Illness in Teens

Many educators and community leaders receive regular mental health training to help students and families cope with the signs of mental health conditions. This training can go a long way in supporting a teen with mental health challenges. However, if you’re concerned about a teen’s well-being, recommending professional mental health treatment can ensure a teen receives specialized treatment for their needs.

The following are common therapy options which can be offered as part of a mental health treatment package:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT is proven to be effective in treating many teen mental health conditions. It works by targeting teens’ thoughts and actions, identifying negative patterns, and helping them build healthy ways of coping. A school counselor may also use CBT techniques.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Sometimes, a teen may experience mental health issues if they’ve experienced negative events, such as trauma. EMDR is an effective way of treating trauma as it changes how these memories are stored in the brain, helping a teen move past trauma and form more positive beliefs.

Interpersonal Therapy

A teen’s relationships can contribute to mental health difficulties. Interpersonal therapy can help them work through these issues and figure out better ways of coping to improve their mental health.

Many schools work together with community resources, such as treatment facilities, to offer school-based therapy. These professionals can provide further advice on how to talk to teens and families about these therapy options. 

Teens receiving support for warning signs of mental ill-health

How Mission Prep Can Help

Mission Prep is a team of licensed professionals that caters to a wide range of teen mental health needs. We offer a variety of treatment programmes, in various locations, based on a teen’s individual needs. 

Our team is available 24/7 to answer your mental health questions, regardless of how small, and can talk families and teens through options such as residential treatment, outpatient treatment, and intensive treatment options. Often, a teenager’s mental health depends on the care of many, and when these systems come together, they can start to heal and recognize that a bright future lies ahead.  

References

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). About mental health. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/mental-health/about/index.html#:~:text=Mental%20health%20is%20the%20component,and%20contribute%20to%20our%20community.
  2. American Psychiatric Association. (n.d.). Warning signs of mental illness. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/warning-signs-of-mental-illness
  3. American Academy of Pediatrics. (n.d.). Mental health and teens: Watch for danger signs. HealthyChildren.org. Retrieved from https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/teen/Pages/Mental-Health-and-Teens-Watch-for-Danger-Signs.aspx#:~:text=Signs%20your%20teen%20may%20be,or%20more%20intense%20than%20before
  4. Engage Education. (n.d.). How to spot changes in students’ mental health. https://engage-education.com/blog/how-to-spot-changes-in-students-mental-health/
  5. Stitz, M. E., & Pierce, J. D. Jr. (2013). Changes in appearance in the presence of major stress events. SAGE Open, 3(2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013485093
  6. Psychology Today. (2022, November). Isolation’s silent role in the teen mental health crisis. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/democratizing-mental-health-care/202211/isolations-silent-role-in-the-teen-mental-health-crisis
  7. Pfeiffer, P. N., Heisler, M., Piette, J. D., Rogers, M. A., & Valenstein, M. (2010). Efficacy of Peer Support Interventions for Depression: A Meta-Analysis. General Hospital Psychiatry, 33(1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2010.10.002

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