1. Positive Mental Health in Adolescents – What Works

2. Adolescence and Mental Health
Most mental health difficulties commence adolescence.
Adolescents are concerned about mental health.
Early intervention usually works best.

3. Risk and Protective Factors
Risk Factors
Protective Factors
Poverty
Experience of abuse
Exposure to war
Premature birth
Parental psychopathology
Large family size
Family trauma
Close bond with at least one other person
Positive adult role models
Empathy with others
A set of values
Peer contact
Family harmony
Willingness and capacity to plan

4. Factors we can influence – 3 positive coping strategies
Many factors are beyond individual control.
Focus on what can be controlled.
Teaching positive coping strategies helps.

5. Positive Coping Strategy 1 Exercise
Rise in mental health difficulties correlates with the emergence of sedentary life-styles
Rise in depressive symptoms amongst adolescent females correlates with decrease in activity levels
Excessive screen-time linked with mental health difficulties in adolescents

6. Positive Coping Strategy 1 Exercise
Physical activity linked to improved mood, reduced anxiety, improved health, improved sleep pattern, improved attention/ concentration, increased retention of learning
Benefits are dose-dependent
Improvements are immediate
No financial costs
No negative side effects

7. Strategy 1 Exercise Start with five minutes per day.
Do activity you like – walking, dancing, swimming, cycling, football, yoga…
Model for others, join in...
For added benefits be active in a group.

8. Positive Coping Strategy 2 Relationships
Long term resilience based on effective relationship skills
A network of good relationships predicts longevity and good health into old age

9. Positive Coping Strategy 2 Relationships
Prioritise spending time together one to one; listen; praise and support.
By modelling effective skills for developing and maintaining relationships, we help young people to develop these skills to cope with adult relationships.

10. Teach active problem-solving skills
Positive Coping Strategy 3
Teach active problem-solving skills
Passive approaches to problems: pretending the problem doesn’t exist, blaming others, doing something that is easy but won’t address the problem, taking drugs/ alcohol…
Model active approaches to problem solving: identifying what the problem is, figuring out which bits you can control, making a plan, implementing a plan, reviewing the plan...

11. Teach active problem solving skills
Positive Coping Strategy 3
Teach active problem solving skills
Analyse the problem
What happened?
What am I feeling?
What thoughts are going through my head?
Is there another way to interpret this...thinking errors…
What would I tell a friend who was having this problem?

12. Teach active problem solving skills
Positive Coping Strategy 3
Teach active problem solving skills
What are the possible solutions to this problem? Think of three.
What will happen if I do option A, option B, option C….
What is the best one to pick?

13. Conclusion
If you think you are too small to make a difference, try spending the night with a mosquito.
The Dalai Lama

14. Further supports The Friends Programme Relax Kids