Welcome, Intros, And Acknowledgement

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Welcome you to Teen Mental Health Matters. My name is Pam Withe. I'm a clinical psychologist. I've been working as a psychologist for oh nearly 25 years, and I am I do work in private practice a couple of days a week. I'm a uh facilitator with the Black Dog Institute, and I've been working with them now for the past almost seven years, which is really wonderful. And I am a parent of two teenage boys. Uh so that is interesting times for me, also. And I'd like to introduce Elliot to you.

SPEAKER_01 0:35

G'day everybody, my name's Elliot. Um I'm a lived experience expert. Uh, so my story is that I have um uh a history of mental illness, unfortunately, but at the same time, I also bring that experience with me and hopefully can offer some insights today as well, which would be good. Um, I have a degree in psychology. Um, I have a passion in psychology and and mental health. And um, yeah, so hopefully today we'll uh we'll get stuck into it and we'll have a good time and and talk about um how we can make you know life for our our teenagers even better because life is meant to be enjoyed. So that's the game of that's the that's the aim of the game, very much so.

SPEAKER_00 1:22

Definitely, that's the aim of the game. So we would like to acknowledge country, Ellian and I both want to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we're all meeting. We might be on different lands today. Um, I am on Gadigal Country, uh and and I I welcome any Aboriginal people past uh who might be joining us today. Thank you very much. And extending my respects to Aboriginal elders, past, present, and emerging. Uh, there's not much housekeeping, but I would like to alert you or ask you very nicely if you have not yet done a pre-workshop questionnaire, pre-presentation evaluation, a questionnaire on what you think and know about this topic. You may have done it because it might have been sent to you in an email and you might have already done it. And if you have, thank you very much. If you haven't, you could use this QR code now and go through and do that as we're commencing. We won't know that you're doing that in the background, but we really appreciate your feedback because we want to know uh how this information is sitting with you and if we're meeting the mark, because we want to do the best we can for you, uh, and that's important to us. So uh we today are going to be talking about uh what to expect during this life stage. Oh, actually, before I do that, sorry, I'll

Housekeeping And How Q&A Works

SPEAKER_00 2:36

leave this up because we do need to do a little bit of housekeeping. Uh, we are here tonight to talk with you uh for uh we'll be talking, Elite and I'll be talking with you for just over an hour, and then we'll do some questions and answers. At any point, if you have a question, you can pop it in the QA bar. So have a look on your toolbar. See the QA icon, click on that, and that's where you can ask a question. At the end, we'll look through all those questions and answer them if we can. Now you can also see in the chat box there is people uh typing stuff in. And I have a wonderful colleague Lochland from Black Dog Institute, he's monitoring the chat as well, and uh and we'll be sharing uh information uh with you through that chat box as well as we go along. Um, but the QA is where we really want you to put any questions that you might have. Um, and there's no chance here to talk or interact with us directly, uh, but we will be doing that through the question and answer. Um, great. And uh thank you for people saying hello to each other in the chat box. That's very nice. Um all good. And yep, we can't hear anyone else in the background. We can't hear your background, we don't know what's going on in your houses. This is a webinar format, so it's just Elliot and I that you'll be able to see and hear today. Um, otherwise, all interactions are through the chat and through the QA. Okay, uh, let's start with what we're gonna be

What We’ll Cover Tonight

SPEAKER_00 4:00

talking about today. We're gonna talk about what to expect during this life stage and some specific challenges that young people face today. And we're gonna talk about mental health and how to recognize if a young person might be struggling. So you can see on the screen the first topic is we're gonna make sense of mental health in adolescence a little bit, then explore some of the signs you might see or have some concerns about. So, what signs can we look for that show what a mental health struggle might look like so we can pay attention and respond in these helpful ways? And then we're gonna look at how to support a young person, including how to have a conversation with them, where you can get help for them, where you can get help for yourself. And we're gonna explore some healthy habits, particularly around social connections, around sleep, and around screams, because they're really important for us to help young people to establish these healthy habits. Um, and although today is focused on young people and teens, we are also here to look after you too. Parents and carers, we need to make sure you're looking after yourself well so you can help others, and then you're showing a good role model and an example to our young people as well. So at the end of today, we want to leave you with some practical knowledge of how to help yourself and your young person navigating this life stage and um and looking after everyone well.

SPEAKER_01 5:27

Um, as we'll be discussing topics related to mental health, obviously, in this workshop today, um, we do ask you to be mindful of fellow participants during discussions. Um, there may be individuals with lived experience of mental health conditions or suicide in the presentation today. Uh, so please be mindful of the information that you choose to share. But that's uh that's probably a given, but at the same time, very important. Um, and it is important that we protect the confidentiality of young people and their family members. Um, we won't be able to answer any specific questions regarding your unique circumstances. Um, however, we will share resources for where you can access that support.

unknown 6:12

Thank

Adolescence Explained: Change And Context

unknown 6:13

you.

SPEAKER_01 6:13

So, adolescence is a period of massive, massive physical, emotional, social, and cognitive change that marks the transition from childhood to adulthood. It is a period associated with exploring identity. Who am I and where do I fit in the world? Uh, physical change due to puberty and exploring sexuality, uh, feeling and expressing stronger emotions, which for me was a lot of anger when I was a teenager. Um, making impulsive decisions. Yeah, there's a few of them too. Uh, increased influence of peers, looking for new experiences, including high-risk activities or risky behaviors, um, and really testing those limits and asserting independence, which is exactly what I did in a very, very angsty sort of way. While we've been through it and while there is consistency of experience across generations, um, each generation has its own unique context. And the current generation certainly are living in a time that we have not really seen before. Um, and we'll go through that in technology and social media in a minute. Um, so my question is if everyone wants to write in the chat box, um, what are some of the challenges that teenagers face now that we didn't?

SPEAKER_00 7:43

And by we, Elliot means uh, you know, people in their uh 20s and 30s and 40s and 50s, uh, and the times have changed. And oh my gosh, everyone in the chat box, social media, online bullying, and I guess could be linked with social media, absolutely. Um, definitely. Constant connectivity. We are on, and we're just being uh uh stimulated by uh experiences constantly now.

SPEAKER_01 8:15

Look at that social media answer keep popping up. Yes, social media has so much to explain, so much to to um that holds that sort of responsibility. The bullying 24-7, it all goes hand in hand. Um, it's very, very difficult, that's for sure. Um, research indicates that adolescents has changed in the last 20 years. Uh, they are taking longer to reach adult milestones. For example, fewer Australian adolescents are obtaining a driver's license, uh, working in paid roles and having romantic relationships. I'm having trouble with the last one as well. Um, at the same time, young people are more exposed to developmentally uh inappropriate content through guess what, social media platforms, we know this. Uh, many of today's teens are exposed to inappropriate or harmful content online. It is everywhere, even if you're not looking for it. The way adolescents socialize and interact has changed because of digital platforms. So people don't talk as much in real life to each other as they used to. It's um it's yes, it's very interesting. Uh, also, they've been exposed to climate disasters. So all the bushfires and floods and extreme weather, which you know, Australia is sort of known for it, but but it's really ticked up a gear because of climate change. And um that in itself brings along lots of anxiety as well. And then COVID, too. COVID is well, need I say more, COVID was a huge disruptor, and it's its uh impacts are still being felt today.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

Yeah, definitely. So this generation of young people are more stressed than ever, and we really don't know why. So, to find out why, uh the Black Dog Institute is undertaking the largest and most comprehensive cohort study of adolescent mental health in Australia. So they're following 6,300

Today’s Pressures: Social Media And Climate

SPEAKER_00 10:15

students from year eight over five years to better understand how and why mental health problems emerge and what the impact is, and if maybe these mental health difficulties could be prevented resources and support such as smartphones and interventions. So we asked these students what issues are you concerning you most at the moment? And this is what they told us. It surprised us actually. We didn't think school and academics was going to be the top of their list, but it is. Now, when I reflected on this in my clinical work with people when I'm supporting young people, uh, it really is still one of their top concerns. And I agree, 24.5% of young people said that was their biggest concern. There's a lot of uh expectations we have on young people during uh these uh high school years, and uh and uh and a lot is asked of them. So yeah, I can see why that is still their biggest concern, and uh, of course, on their social relationships, mental health and well-being, family and home life, and society and the environment. So all the things really we were having a look at uh in the in the in the chat box there, and the uh even though uh phones and social media wasn't listed on there, the difficulties associated with social media might definitely fall into these other categories here, right? Um, so the research also found high rates of distress. So 31% of the 6,300 students, 31% reported experiencing psychological distress, 18% symptoms of anxiety, 15% symptoms of depression, and 5% of students reported having suicidal thoughts. The future proofing researchers found that girls tended to report mental health symptoms like anxiety and depression at a rate of two to three times higher than boys. And students with uh who identify as LGBTQIA plus are four times more likely to experience symptoms of anxiety, depression, and thoughts of suicide. So let's just pause for a moment to reflect on these uh these numbers and what it really means. Perhaps think about a young person you know, because they tell us a lot about how young people are struggling, what they're struggling with. And this can be of confronting for us as parents and carers to just spend the time thinking about that and knowing that uh it's challenging, isn't it, for them? And adolescence is a roller coaster ride for all of us. As parents and carers, you play a crucial role in supporting them. But we can't underestimate how challenging that is for you. And there's no clear rule book given to us or a manual on exactly what's going to help in this situation. And even what helps with one child may not help with another child, right? Uh, even if you've I've got two boys, and and I mean they're very different. What helped what worked with one that I figured out actually it needed to be different for the other one. So uh it's actually really challenging and complicated.

SPEAKER_01 13:26

There are lots of ways to talk about mental health and well-being. This is influenced by culture, certainly. Uh, for example, First Nations people might talk about a broader concept of social and emotional well-being, which is about lots of aspects of well-being, including mental health, um, but not just mental health. Wellness can incorporate spirituality, culture, family, connection to the land, and well-being and grounded in community engagement. And

What Teens Say They Worry About

SPEAKER_01 13:55

it is different for the individual as well. Uh, today we're referring to well-being as a state of where we can cope with the normal, normal stresses uh of life and do the things we want to do. So, our mental health and well-being varies across our lives. Uh, it can be useful to think about mental health and well-being as existing along a broad continuum that you can see on your screen right now, for example, that ranges from well to unwell. So, well and coping doesn't mean that we're not experiencing any challenges. That's that's we all know that life is difficult and it's complicated, that's for sure, for all of us. Um, and that's actually normal. For young people, well and coping looks like being able to, and this goes, this is the same for us as well, uh, that are a little bit older, which is we need to be able to bounce back from the challenges of life. Life, uh, if if it pins us down too long, then you start asking questions. But the the key is being able, and the sort of determinant, I suppose, is to be able to bounce back from challenges with support, generally having good relationships with friends and family, uh, having healthy routines around activity, food, and sleep, which is something I'm struggling with so much at the moment. Um, struggling, on the other hand, is when we notice changes from their usual behaviour. For example, we might see a change in emotions. Um, I said before I got a bit angsty when I was in my teenage years. When things weren't going well, I got angry. That's that was the litmus test, I suppose. Um, but it's not just anger, there's other emotions depending on the individual. Um, but but that was that's what it was for me. Um there's also this this not enjoying the things that they usually enjoy, andhedonia, it's called, um, and withdrawing from social activities. So I tick all those boxes, unfortunately. Unwell is when these changes in behavior start impacting on what we would call usual functioning and are creating significant distress. So for me, um often I would get, like I said, a bit angry.

Distress, Anxiety, Depression: The Data

SPEAKER_01 16:24

And, you know, I do a lot of grunting at people, especially my mother for some reason. You know, how is your day at school? Yeah, whatever. Um, and I also used to withdraw from activities that I usually would find quite interesting and enjoyable. So I'm a big Newcastle Knight supporter. So if my voice is a little hoarse today, that is because yesterday at the game, the uh referee was not pulling up Penrith for being offside. Um, but what I also find as a real litmus test for me, even today, but certainly was back in my teenage years as well, was that if I didn't care about how the knights were going, bad sign, bad sign. That means things were not going very well. Um for First Nations people, feeling of disconnection to spirit, um, land, body, mind, culture, family, kinship, and community may be more relevant as indicators of signs of struggling. The more areas of disconnections can mean greater risk of disturbed social and emotional well-being. Disconnection can be experienced as a weakness or a sickness in spirit. And more information can be found on our resource hub. Um, so how do you tell the difference between a change in behaviour related to adolescence versus a change in behaviour related to struggling with mental health? Pam, how do you do that?

SPEAKER_00 17:55

Gosh, it's really tricky. And this is uh something that parents I know and carers kind of struggle with and are not sure, do I intervene now? Is this okay? Is this normal or is this too much? Obviously, we want to do the best we can for our young people. So it's a question I get asked quite a lot. Ultimately, uh, I don't I don't think it's as important to know whether it's a diagnosed mental health condition. If you're concerned, it's always good to be having conversations and reaching out to support someone. But generally speaking, when to respond, on the screen right now, we're giving you some guidelines to help you navigate that tricky, uh, tricky decision. Uh, we need to be concerned when a change in behavior is occurring and it's it's not uh residing and getting back to their usual self, it's ongoing for a period of two weeks or longer. When when the difficulties or when they're they're showing distress or they're communicating distress, and when they're having an impact on functioning, and that's what Elliot talked about, uh experiencing that distress and then impacting on ability to function in his usual ways. Um, if the young person is showing challenging behaviours, and uh maybe they're not communicating distress, but they're showing us distress in these challenging behaviors, or they're showing us different uh disconnection in these challenging behaviours, and when these challenging behaviours might be occurring more frequently, certainly when it is difficult to calm someone down. So when they normally would be able to calm down with some support and reassurance, if that's no longer calming them down and the change in behavior is causing distress, ongoing, causing dysfunction, that's a difficulty. Of course, when they're showing dangerous behaviours or physical or verbally aggressive,

The Continuum: Well To Unwell

SPEAKER_00 19:40

these are all signs of when to be concerned because it might be that they're struggling with a mental health difficulty. Now, navigating this line between what is mental health and what's normal adolescent moodiness or normal adolescent changes is a bit tricky too. So I'll give you an example. Um changing interest is actually a normal part of adolescence. So my son, who's always played soccer, said he didn't want to go to training anymore. He was moody on game days, and this was a change in his behaviour. So if when to be concerned would be if he was talking uh, so when not to be concerned, normal adolescent changing interests, if he was talking about changing to another sport, he was still his usual self at other times, other than soccer time, then that would be a sign that his uh his moodiness around soccer was related to that specific challenge, but uh normal adolescent changing interests. But if he was showing signs of a mental uh struggle, if he was showing signs of that he was struggling with mental health, it could be if he was also talking more negatively about himself, not responding to praise, being very sensitive to negative comments, getting irritable and angry and withdrawn from other things that maybe the family would normally do or that he would normally do with others. And maybe with school, maybe he was doing schoolwork or not wanting to go to school, um, or having been sick, having headaches more often. These are all other changes that are showing there's more going on here than just soccer training and soccer, right? And uh and would warrant getting a little bit of extra help and understanding and support.

SPEAKER_01 21:16

Um, if you are concerned, it is better to have things checked out further. Um, it doesn't have to be at the point of a diagnosed mental health condition to benefit from support. We know that life is difficult. That's just part of the game, unfortunately. Um, and it is better to err on the side of caution in this case. Um, the earlier you notice the signs, of course, the sooner that they can be explored and hopefully you know fixed up, straightened out. Um, getting the right help early can reduce the impact on everyday life. And it does lead to a quicker uh recovery. So, which which makes sense. Um, but with that in mind, uh, let's move on to supporting your young person and where you can access help for them.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

And it's not all doom and gloom. While adolescence is challenging and mental health difficulties can be uh really uh overwhelming at times. Uh, young people are incredibly resilient. They have the capacity but to bounce back from their stress and from their challenging, challenging experiences. And actually, they can learn and grow from these experiences. So we don't want to protect them from those experiences, we want to support them through these experiences so that they can grow. Uh, and there is a lot we can do as parents and carers. Our support and our guidance to help them navigate this life stage is crucial. So we want to notice and have conversations so we can keep our connections strong and be involved in their lives, and then you can notice the changes and you might have more opportunities for conversations. So both casual checking in as well as a more direct pointed conversation about something about their mental health is recommended. We want you to upskill like you're doing tonight. Thank you all for coming. Share what you've learned with other parents and other carers. Um, so use trusted resources and learn what you can do to understand what might be happening in your more unique circumstances and get some help. Access help for yourself and for your young person. Um, and it's important for them to have the support and for you to have the support that you might need to proactively manage mental health for all and supporting mentally healthy habits. Young people need our help to develop these healthy habits, and that can protect their mental health. So, some of the key areas that we need to uh that they need our help with are sleep, social connections, and screens. And they need our guidance to set age-appropriate boundaries in a collaborative way rather than us just telling them what to do. We need to help them understand and set these guidelines in these collaborative ways. And we actually need to model these healthy behaviors ourselves too. So live by example and do good things ourselves when it comes to our sleep, our social connections, and our screens. And we're going to talk about these things a bit further.

SPEAKER_01 24:14

Um, if you notice any of the changes in behavior that we're discussing here today, uh, it is important that you talk to your young person and check in to see what's going on. Um, this will help you determine if they're if uh this is

When To Worry And Act

SPEAKER_01 24:30

in reaction to a specific temporary situation or a more serious continuing problem. Um, it will help you determine what level of support and help they they need. Uh so let's look at some tips for having those conversations uh that can be difficult, but they can certainly be done for your young person and yourself. So creating a safe space sometimes where you'll both need to feel comfortable, won't be interrupted or distracted. That's huge, the interrupted one was for me, and have time. That was important because if I, as a teenager, was actually saying, you know, the negative things that were going on, um, very easily I could be stopped in my tracks and then the walls go straight back up again. So yeah, um that did happen once we got interrupted, and I was like, nope, nope, that was the chance. Sorry. So yes, uh safe space obviously is very important. Um, but yeah, 100% concentration on what the young person is saying. Um, and prepare. So your mindset, consider what mindset would be helpful in this situation. Uh, calm, for example, empathetic, helpful, focused on them. I would say all of those are important. Um, consider what you'd like to achieve by having this conversation. Um, develop an understanding of what is happening for them. Convey to them that you care and are here to help. Um, encourage more open conversations about uh feelings uh and understand so you can determine how to help them. Understand before being understood. Uh they may open up and talk to you, they may share information that is hard to hear, so we need to prepare for that. Um, they may become, like I did, very upset, angry, or not talk at all. Whatever happens, it is important that you stay calm, empathetic, helpful, and focused on what they need. Even though I was being all angry and deep down, there was a little sort of part of me saying, thank you to mum and dad for being understanding. Thank you for being empathetic. It just took a while for me to uh get to the point where I could verbalize that. But even though there was all this, you know, all this angst and stuff, um, deep down I was very thankful and I understood that they were being empathetic and caring. So even if it doesn't appear like the message, your message this is, uh, or your you know, positivity, healthy vibes get across, um, they they definitely do, that's for sure. But it might take a while for the young person to um come to that conclusion. Um, so what to say? Start with the strength, something positive that you have noticed. So we don't want it to be all negative because nothing's all negative, and and we need to sort of convey that message as well. Um, share a change in behavior that has concerned you and that you'd like to know more to help. You know, I've noticed you're not as interested in the nights at the moment, what's going on, you know, that's very unlike you. Um, validate their feelings. Oh, yes, huge, huge. It's normal to feel sad, worried, or angry. Even if, see, this is the thing. When I was even now, so I have many mental illnesses. I probably should have listed them at the start, but there's eight of them. I've got eight, can you believe it? Um, and one of them is borderline personality disorder. If anyone's got questions about that, I'll I'll talk to you at the end. Um, and one

Supportive Parenting: Connection First

SPEAKER_01 28:30

of the huge parts of that condition, that disorder, is this invalidating environment that seems to pop up around the individual. Um, so for me, it was so important that my feelings were validated because sometimes I would think things logically, if we did some CBT, logically, it's like, okay, there's no real sense to this, what's going on. But the fact is, I still felt those emotions really, really, you know, intensely. So even if the, I guess, even if it doesn't seem like those emotions should be being felt, um, if they are, we need to validate them. So that's a big one for me. Um, express care and reassure them that you're here to help them through this. Um, so for example, thank you for telling me uh I'm here to help and we'll get through this together. Um, be the number one supporter. You don't have to have the answers, but you know, really stand by their side and say, right, you know, you're up against this, but I'm with you. Um and then plan the next steps together. Together. This will vary depending on the conversation, but this may be a follow up conversation or the decision to explore options for more support. So um sorry, my screen just glitched out. There we go. We're back. We're back. Um, so yes, include um creating a safe and supportive environment and relationship at all times where possible, please. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

Yeah. And I agree, Elite. Sometimes a well-meaning parent or person might say, Oh, I don't feel like that. And actually, the young person is feeling like that if that's what they're communicating to us. It's so hard to resist our kind of automatic instinct to kind of reassure or or just kind of direct them to another perspective. But validating is certainly very important. So validating, uh, you know, you can say, I'm sorry that you're feeling that way, but I'm glad that we're talking about it. Tell me more what that's like for you, or how can I help you when you're feeling this way, uh, rather than I don't feel like that. And that's a great way to really validate and show them that they're safe to continue to talk with you about how they're feeling. And in doing so, that will help to better understand what their feelings are as well. So I want to talk just for a few minutes. Uh oh, before I do that, I want to talk just for a few minutes about uh talking about suicidal thoughts and self-harm. Because this is important. Remember from that future-proofing study, we know that young people are experiencing suicidal thoughts. So it is more common than what we might think. Suicidal thoughts and feelings are distressing for the young people and for family members, but they are relatively common. About 30% of 12 to 20 year olds experience suicidal thoughts at some point. They can be a sign of temporary stress and feelings that things are

Talking About Tough Stuff

SPEAKER_00 31:35

just too hard and that they've run out of options. But when suicidal thoughts include a decision to die and a plan of how they might die, this can lead to a suicide attempt and it can lead to death. So we want to take all signs of suicidal thoughts and behaviors really seriously. We want to ask directly if they're having suicidal thoughts and because that gives them permission to talk with us about it. We can talk about it then and provide support. We now know that asking directly is the most helpful approach and it doesn't put ideas in someone's head. In fact, it helps us to prevent suicide through engaging people in helpful conversations and increasing their connectedness and support. So self-harm is deliberately hurting oneself through behaviors like cutting, most people might know, but also things like burning, scratching, hitting, suffocation, overdosing, and risky behaviors. So on purpose, engaging in risky behaviors without care that are likely to then cause harm. That could be also things like starting fights, um, playing chicken with cars or trains, those sorts of things. Now, self-harm is different to a suicide attempt. In a suicide attempt, the intention is to die or to permanently end unbearable pain. Young people often self-harm because they don't want to die. They just can't cope with their feelings in any other way. So it's not the same necessarily as a suicide attempt. In some cases, young people have learned to self-harm from others and are experimenting with seeing if this is a coping strategy for me. While some young people may self-harm to communicate their distress, it's rarely used as a means of seeking attention because it actually brings young people a lot of shame and difficulties and difficult feelings. So self-harm is a sign of distress and a sign that your child needs some support from you as well as support from health professionals. And a minor self-harm injury doesn't mean minor distress. All self-harm needs to be taken seriously with the support of health professionals. And we have got information in our resource hub to help you further understand if you want more information about uh supporting a young person with suicidal thoughts or self-harm.

SPEAKER_01 34:06

Um so we've developed a list of resources for you. However, for now we'll just talk through some of the key options. Um there is plenty out there though, which is great. Um we've classified them in terms of informal networks, uh, crisis support, helping professionals, uh, and digital online options. So don't underestimate the support you can get from your informal networks, from family members, friends, and other parents. Think about who that is for you. Uh, this might not be all that you need, but it is a good starting point. When talking with someone within your support network, be mindful of what information your adolescent will be okay for you to share. Um, loose lip sync chips, or at least that's that's what the teen may believe. Um, and those walls will go back up again. So respect those boundaries of your teen as well. And you can get uh sorry,

Suicide And Self‑Harm: Ask Directly

SPEAKER_01 35:10

you can get support without sharing specific information that they may not want others to know. So crisis options include uh Beyond Blue, Lifeline 13 Yarn, the suicide prevention callback service, and emergency services. Me personally, I've used Beyond Blue Lifeline and Emergency Services quite a bit, especially that last one over the years. Um, but they are really, really good resources, definitely, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 35:44

Definitely good resources. And it's really helpful for us to know that uh you as a parent and carer can call these crisis support services to ask for help as well and to work out what to do. You could call them with your young person and chat together. And some of these, like it says on your screen, it's a phone call. You can talk to someone over the phone. They've also got chat and text and web chat options with some young people kind of like the slower conversation. I mean, they're pretty quick with their texting, but it's uh it's a bit of a slower conversation where they can think and reply and then consider answers, which can be really helpful for people. Uh and remember, Suicide Callback Service is there for people who are having suicidal thoughts, but also for parents and carers or others who are concerned about someone else who's at risk. And they're there for anyone bereaved by suicide. So if you've uh experienced experiencing grief after someone has died by suicide, you can contact Suicide Callback Service for some grief support there as well.

SPEAKER_01 36:48

And one that's not mentioned there, I'm just gonna uh butt in and mention because it's um been a big part of my journey for those in New South Wales. The New South Wales mental health line, um, which is run by New South Wales Health, really, really good. Now, my memory's not too good. I think the number's 1300 51101. But the fact that I can't quite remember it is a good sign because that means I haven't used it lately. Um, so yeah, for those in New South Wales, I'm sure the other states and territories there, um, sort of government uh mental health assistant lines are great as well. But New South Wales, definitely, definitely recommend.

SPEAKER_00 37:31

Good. And Milochler might help us to pop something up. We'll give him a bit of time to research that one and he might help us with that in the chat box. Yeah, putting it in the resource the resource hub will have links through to your state services that you can uh utilise as well. And uh and not on that list, but very helpful for young people, of course, is Kids Helpline. And that is also uh over the internet as well as over the phone, and Kids Helpline helps people up to 25. So uh it's a it's a great service. I've had many young people get some great support from Kids Helpline. Um, and uh they've been a vital part of providing support in uh the longer term. So that's been really good. Now we want to talk about GPs, uh so getting sorry, getting support from professionals, helping professionals. So this could include a GP, um, a psychologist or a counsellor like me, or a psychologist or counsellor, or a uh support, a person through your employee assistance program. So these first three here, GP, psychologist, and your employee assistance program, might come from the parent or the carer. So if you're working, you might your organization may give you employee assistance program support where you can access uh a counsellor through that method. Sometimes your EAP will also give uh support to family members, and that might be for your child or your young person to access help that way. I have worked with young people who have got to me via their parents' EAP program as their starting point, and what a great way that was to navigate the system and help get that young person through

Where To Get Help: Crisis To Clinics

SPEAKER_00 39:10

to really good care. So accessing uh your GP to talk about your child's physical and mental health, and then the GP can talk with you about the next steps. And they've got a good understanding of the local mental health services and other services in the area, they can arrange referrals if that's needed through your GP. And sometimes people continue to see their GP for support while these referrals are getting managed. Um, and you could, with your GP, get a mental health care plan, which allows you to have Medicare to rebate up to 10 sessions with a psychologist in a year. Uh, and so if you're wanting that and you're wanting to talk about mental health with a GP, it's really important to talk uh to book a long appointment so that your GP's got enough time to talk with you about all the things they need to, uh to understand your situation and take the time needed to have that conversation to understand and to help think through some referrals. Um, now psychologists and counselors, they work privately. Some work in GP practices, so you might see your GP and book an appointment with a psychologist at the same centre, but some psychologists work in other locations or through agencies and support services. And Headspace is an example of another kind of agency or support service where a young people might see a psychologist. Um, now private fees and waiting times will vary across the different services. Of course, at Headspace there wouldn't be a fee because all the psychologists there bog bill. And your GP might be able to get you into these services a bit sooner or advocate through their networks if you need a bog billing psychologist and get to know where they might be for you. Um, it's really important that you and your young person feel comfortable and heard and supported by your psychologist or counsellor and by the GP and you have a clear understanding of what your treatment goals are and what the treatment method is that's being provided. Uh, if it doesn't feel right, give it a go. This is what I tell people when they come and see me. Look, I don't know if I'm going to be the right psychologist for you, but I'd like to be. Give me a go. I think two or three sessions is enough for you to know if I'm the right person for you to talk to. And if it doesn't feel quite right, it's okay to let me know because it's most important for you to get to the right person to talk to rather than just giving up and not talking to anyone at all. Okay. All right. Now at schools, uh, there are a variety of different roles that can support students and their student well-being. Uh, so this might include the school counselor, but a lot of schools have other staff there as well that support well-being. It could be student support officers or pastoral care staff. We've got indigenous workers and uh well-being officers at schools as well. There's a range of different schools that have different types of supports for students. And now none of these roles can provide long-term psychological treatment, but they might be a really crucial part of being part of the team and to support your young child while they're at school. So involving the school may be may seem a bit unnecessary at first, but it is where your young person might be spending a majority of their time. And if someone at school is aware of a vulnerability or a challenge and looking out to help them navigate school in a healthier way to be more effective, then that's going to be worth it. So talk about it and work out if uh involving school might be a helpful option for your young person. And Elliot's already talked about the mental health team. So mental health crisis teams are in every state. Uh, there are special teams that are really focused on supporting people who are experiencing a mental health crisis or a challenge. And the teams have different names in different states, but they're most commonly referred to as the mental health crisis and treatment teams. And these phone lines are open 24-7 to the public so that they can be used by families to ask for advice or how to treat someone who might not be very safe at the time. And they're state funded, they're free to use so that there would be no uh out-of-pocket expense whatsoever. And you don't even need the Medicaid card, really. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 43:17

Yeah. So just uh on a side note, because one of my other diagnoses is ADHD. I've been looking at the uh chat box. There's some great questions going in there. I can see me staying on here for hours to try and answer them and see how we go. That's really good. Um there now there are dozens. There's a lot, there's a lot on the internet. There's a lot on the internet. For me personally, the internet was a huge, huge benefit because I was not willing to talk to anybody about what was going on for a few reasons. One of them being I didn't actually know really that what I was going through was a problem and could

Digital Supports That Actually Help

SPEAKER_01 44:00

be improved. Uh, and then when I did sort of come to the point of understanding that maybe there's something going on, I thought that I was the only person that was going through it and no one else would understand. And then there's that extra stigma on top that I thought potentially, you know, people would rip me off and sort of put me down, and that would actually make me worse. So what I did was, at least in the beginning, was use the internet big time, big time. Now, there's some rubbish um articles on there, especially about borderline personality disorder. Um uh, but it it provided this sort of base fundamental level of mental health literacy. And then once I was armed with you know the knowledge and and and the understanding that maybe things going on could be improved, then I was able to sort of present you know my case to uh to those in my support network, and then it all sort of grew from there. So the internet's very important, but as I said, um there's a bit of rubbish on there. Um Bed unfortunately cops it a lot, I've noticed. Um, so it's very, very important that the right sort of avenues are taken and and um and resources used.

SPEAKER_00 45:20

So and young people, but they're not gonna know what is safe online and what's not, uh, unless we can guide them to some safe places to get some help. And that's what you can see on your screen right now. Some digital services for young people to access to get some safe support that's gonna talk with them about a range of different mental health difficulties and guide them towards things that they can do to look after themselves or ways to communicate about it. And Elliot, that's what you were saying. You were looking up online just to find to understand a bit more what it was that you were going through and what that was, uh, and how to then be able to communicate it and what to do to feel better. Is there anyone here that you've uh that you would recommend, Elliot?

SPEAKER_01 46:02

Um This way up, I found was very good. So that's a cognitive behavioral therapy sort of based program. Um I I quite enjoyed that actually, which is which is good because usually I don't enjoy this sort of therapy stuff. Um, Headspace, uh I'm in Newcastle now, but I did live in Tamworth for a couple of years, and I used to use the headspace up there quite frequently, and it was very good. Um, and Beyond Blue, Beyond Blue is great. So, yeah, really good.

SPEAKER_00 46:32

It is good, and I like this way up as well, and I recommend that to people. And the Brave program is an anxiety program, they've got separate uh separate kind of programs for children, and they've got an adolescent age group of programs, and the Brave program is for anxiety and it's for a parent to help their child with their anxiety, and then the teenage program is for uh the the uh the teenager to help themselves as well as some parent information and support as well. So they're designed slightly differently. So if you've done the Brave program uh when they're a child, they might need to revisit it at some stage in their adolescent, knowing that the uh the adolescent Brave program is going to be useful for them as well. Um, and I think uh Lochland's already mentioned the Sleep Ninja app in the chat box. That's another app that

What Predicts Risk: Sleep Matters

SPEAKER_00 47:20

could be helpful for uh sleep difficulties for young people. Now we've also got some information about parents and carers, some resources uh about digital services that you can go to as parents and carers to get information to help you out as well. There's a lot there. Uh, it's hard to navigate, you know, finding right, safe information. So we want to make it easier for you. This is all in the resource hub for you to have a look at. Uh, I want to highlight on here, I did not know that Triple P, the Positive Parenting Program, some parents might have been aware of that when your child was little. Uh, because we think of that as, you know, like how do I navigate toddlers and babies and that sort of thing. But actually, there is an adolescent module for that as well. And at the moment, the online program of Triple P is free. It's been funded by the government. So it's absolutely free for you to join a triple parenting program. And if you're at the beginning stage of adolescence, uh, it might be a useful one to go through and have a look at. Uh, and my compass is also another version of an online treatment program that you can go to help you with some resources. And if you're not sure what's happening and you're an adult uh for yourself, if you're not sure what's happening for yourself, then you can go to online clinic, that's the last one on the list there, and fill in a questionnaire. All the words are on the screen. You don't even need to know really how to explain it. You just need to answer the questions. How often do I feel this? How often do I feel that? And then it will give you some uh a report with some guidance on on what might be helpful for you to investigate further and how to communicate about it. Uh, so that could be really useful.

SPEAKER_01 48:54

Black Dog's online um sort of assessments for bipolar depression and anxiety, they were actually the three um that I used that sort of really locked in this idea that you know there might be something going on. So very much recommended, very much so.

SPEAKER_00 49:14

Awesome. Okay, so the future proofing study has allowed us to track young people's mental health across high school, and it has highlighted what lifestyle factors are most important for young people's mental health. So we're gonna do this quick quiz. Now, unfortunately, I'm gonna reveal all the answers all at once. So I want you to have a look through and note down what you think the answers might be, true or false. Uh, technology use is a key driver in youth mental health crisis. True or false, just note your own answers, private, private reflection. Social media interferes with connecting with friends in real life, true or false. Improving teen sleep can reduce the chance of developing depression and anxiety, true or false. Your sleep patterns, friendships, and screen time use or influence your child's behavior, true or false? And Elliot's going to talk us through some of these.

SPEAKER_01 50:10

So the first one is um funnily enough, is actually false. So there is little consensus or evidence in the literature that screen time negatively impacts on mental health. Can you believe that? Uh, we do know there is a link between increased screen time and the high likelihood of teens meeting clinical levels of depression, um, especially for young girls as well, which is interesting. But the direction of this relationship is unclear. So we don't know if increased screen time causes depression or depression leads to increased screen time or a mix of both. So there you go. Um, question two is false. We found that most people, uh, most young people, 79% primarily use social media to communicate with real life peers. It doesn't stop them from seeing their friends in real life, and they tell us it strengthens friendships. Interesting. Uh question three is true. Addressing sleep can help prevent depression and anxiety. Uh,

Sleep Basics For Teens

SPEAKER_01 51:20

big time. I did my thesis on sleep, um, a lot of it in the wee hours of the morning. Uh, in the future proofing study, poor sleep was one factor that predicted which year eight students develop depression or anxiety in year nine.

SPEAKER_00 51:36

So that's just amazing. Isn't it that we can the people with poor sleep was a one factor that predicted which year eight students developed depression or anxiety in year nine? If you can make that effort to try to help your young person improve their sleep, that is likely to be very beneficial for their mental health.

SPEAKER_01 51:55

Sorry. No, no, that's right. Can I just say can I say my sleep hasn't improved much over the years, which is a problem. Anyway, question five is true. What young people see us doing is the most powerful influencer, modeling behavior. So think about what you model about sleep, social connection, screen use, and mental health in general. So let's touch on these factors, sleep connections and screens in a bit more detail. They are all factors we can help our young people set up healthy habits around.

SPEAKER_00 52:34

And I'm going to start with talking about sleep. Lucky it's me, Elliot, not you. So, Elliot, you might need to pay attention because this is what you need as well. We need you to sleep well, we need you to be well. And sleep plays a vital role in our overall well-being. It actually allows our body to repair and restore itself. It consolidates memory, it supports cognitive function, and it regulates various different physiological processes that promote physical and mental health. So we're actually doing a lot when we're sleeping. And we need enough time of sleep for all of that very important work to happen. So for teenagers, their brains are still developing. Consistent and sufficient sleep is essential for them to have optimal functioning. And we now know that improving sleep can prevent mental health problems from developing. And we it can help people if someone is struggling with their mental health, if we can get their sleep back on track a bit, that's going to help them with that time of struggle. Now it's interesting because teenagers actually have a change in their sleeping preferences, their sleeping pattern biologically. Uh, and uh gosh, understanding sleep from babies to toddlers to children. Uh, there's a lot of changes that happen in our sleep over our development. And teenagers, there's another change. Teenagers actually need eight to ten hours of sleep per night. Um, but their patterns do change, they get sleepy later. And so around say 11 p.m., they might be getting sleepier rather than what we would like them to be sleepier a bit earlier. And they have a preference to wake up later. That's biological, that they have this later time of wanting to go to or feeling sleepy and a later time of waking up. So up to 40% of young people experience some form of sleep disturbance. A lot of factors get in the way of these healthy sleeping routines, right? Teenagers have a lot more going on in their lives, well, their phones, but also TV, uh, or what they're watching, and now it's on demand. They can just keep watching show after show after show. They don't have to wait a whole week for another episode, like I had to back in my day. Uh, and they've got after-school jobs, uh, social activities, sports, homework, as well as worries and keeping up to date with what's going on around them in their lives and with their with their connections and their people. So sleep might be low on that priority list. All these other things might seem much more important. In Australia, 83% of 17-year-olds report using their mobile phones between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. This means they go to bed later and they have interrupted sleep patterns because they might be replying to their friends' texts during the night. It might not just be them, but it might be their peer network that is uh kind of keeping them a bit more awake as well. So helping support young people to set boundaries around screen time is going to be an important part. And we are going to cover that a little bit later, but let's just stick with

Building Healthy Social Connections

SPEAKER_00 55:30

sleep for now. You can see if they go to sleep, they start to get sleepy around 11 p.m. and would prefer to wake up at 8 a.m., school hours and then catching the school bus to get to school on time don't really fit with that. So we do need to help support really healthy sleeping patterns to help people get the eight to 10 hours of sleep that they really need. And you, as parents and carers, can play a crucial role in helping young people establish these good sleep patterns. Uh, setting and modeling family values around sleep, making it a family priority for sleep to be important. If they see mum and dad up all night, uh, but we're telling them to go to bed, uh, that might not be as useful or as skillful as if we all go through the motions of getting ready for bed and we're all leading by example. We need to upskill. And young people are more likely to uh to sleep well when they're informed about why and how to make that happen. So we can use evidence-based resources to help improve their sleep routines. And when they're doing it themselves because they choose to, that's going to be much easier than us trying to get them to do it, right? So we do recommend the Black Dog Institute Sleep Ninja. It's designed specifically for teens and will help them with this information and uh and setting it up. You can do it with them, yeah? You can uh download the Sleep Ninja app and you can do it with them together and show support that way. We want to negotiate consistent sleep routines, regular bed times and wake-up times that can significantly improve sleep quality. There needs to be some flexibility around times when life gets busy, absolutely, but we do need uh when someone's struggling with their mental health to prioritize sleep as one of those most important life choices to help them in the long run, right? And to help at that vulnerable time. And we want to promote a healthy lifestyle. So that means encouraging a balanced diet, regular eating, including breakfast. That's my big thing to make sure young people are eating breakfast, they often skip it. Something to fuel your brain for the morning. Uh, and regular exercise, it's really important. Exercise helps our body so much, and it can actually help with sleep as well. So let's look at some social connections now.

SPEAKER_01 57:47

Um, so it can be so challenging. It's it's hard to see our young people experiencing loneliness and struggles with friends. Um, there are no quick fixes, unfortunately, um, but there are things you can do to help. Research has shown that teenagers who have at least one close friendship are better able to bounce back from stress and have high resilience scores. Um, we also know that all positive connections benefit well-being, whether it is the same-age peers, older or younger, uh, family, teachers, coach, elder, neighbor, community groups, and pets. So, generally speaking, it doesn't matter who it is, but if there's a positive connection there, that's that's a very good sign. Um, for First Nations people, this may extend to include spiritual connections and connections to land and community. So we can help by educating our teams. That keeps coming up, education, education, um, about the quality of connections and encouraging them to invest in positive connections, the ones

Screens: Balance, Not Bans

SPEAKER_01 59:00

that make you feel good about yourself afterwards. Uh, this is for in-person and online interactions. Um, of course, online interactions are not necessarily a bad thing. Um, as the data showed before, sometimes young people can find themselves investing in a neutral connection that has neither a positive nor negative impact, but it takes away from investing in a connection that could create positive benefits. So we've got to pick and choose, you know, who we hang out with and invest our energies in. Um, it's normal for young people's connections to change across adolescence. Mine certainly did. Um, they find that they don't connect as well with friends that they may have known for a long time. Unfortunately, the guys I went to primary school with, you know, I sort of drifted away from them and made some new connections. That's that's that that happened during uh high school. And it's very tricky for people to navigate too, that's for sure. We can help them identify the quality of their connections and encourage them to put their energy into building positive connections by recognising the value and opportunities in all sources, connections, not just girlfriends. Remember, it doesn't necessarily matter who it is as long as it's positive. Supporting interests and encourage extracurricular activities. So promote the participation in clubs and activities to facilitate connections with others to share similar passions. Go along with them getting to know their friends too. Modelling positive social interactions. So demonstrating healthy relationships within the family and with friends. There's a lot of that modelling going on. You know, we've got to really set the tone. Providing opportunities for socializing, so host gatherings at home to create a comfortable space for socializing and arrange social outings or group activities. Providing emotional support. Be a supportive listener. This just goes across the board. Offering comfort during friendship challenges. Talk to them regularly about their friendships so that you know what is happening and you can offer support along the way.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:30

And let's have a look at screens. Just like Elliot was talking there, uh, how important it is that we are we have relationships and connections with people that help us to feel good. We need to think about screens and how does interacting with screens or using that app or being on that social media platform, how do I feel about myself when I engage in that screen time? And that's actually most helpful for us to stay focused on. So approximately 95% of teens in Australia now have access to a smartphone, and social media is firmly established as their preferred platform for communicating with others. And screens are a big part of all of our lives now, really. And screens are here to stay. So we have to learn how we're going to work well with screens to support mental health. Now, young people in years 10 to 12 in our future proofing study told us that outside of schoolwork, that they use their device for three to four hours a day. Uh, to with two to three hours of that time on social media, they were using their devices for screaming, screaming, streaming video content uh like Netflix and YouTube, as well as searching the internet and gaming. Now we often are asked, we're we are often asked how many hours a device should be limited to. What is the guidelines? And from a research perspective, that's actually really difficult for us to determine and advise you. There are some national guidelines, but they're out of sync with how devices are being used by young people. So they may the guidelines that are out there might not be that useful for us at the moment until they're better looked at. So while research is happening around this, the best way to access healthy screen habits is to understand why the young person is using their screen. What are you using it for? How does it make you feel when you have time on that? And is the content appropriate? And is the device use getting in the way of other important things like sleep, time with family and friends, physical activity, hobbies? We need to have a balance of different things, including screens. Now we have an important role to play

Practical Screen Rules That Stick

SPEAKER_00 1:03:40

in helping our young people develop healthy digital habits and it's interlinked to key health behaviours like sleep, socializing, and physical activity. They also need our help to limit exposure to interactive content and to help them understand the design features in the app or the program that might make it difficult to disengage. They might not be aware of that. We might need to help them to understand why they have this desire to keep going with this game because of the design features of the game. Remember, their brain is still developing and uh and understanding some of these complex uh kind of thinking things is what they need our help with. So banning them or being overly rigid and controlling doesn't usually work for teenagers. I have tried that. Uh, and it might just reduce the communication, but we can't just give in and do nothing at all. What we want you to do is not demonize the screens. Uh, recognize there's positive aspects of gaming, there's positive aspects of social media, uh, and find out what is it that they enjoy doing with that particular thing. Then have an open dialogue, a good conversation, an open conversation where you're showing genuine interest in that young person's digital world, watch them while they're gaming to see what they're doing. Ask them if you can be involved in in um some in a way that they use their screen. Model balance tech use. So we need to help them work out what's enough time on something. And then how do I disengage to be able to do other things as well, right? And if I haven't done these other things in life yet today, how can I incorporate that in so that there's balanced use of all things? And that's just teaching lifestyle balance overall, right? Which is healthy for all of us. And we want you to upskill, learn about the platforms and the design features that might be part of these things so that you can help your young person to understand the impact of that and have uh and remember that healthy lifestyle promote overall well-being by engaging healthy relationships and physical activity and balanced nutrition and good sleep. And that will be very helpful overall. So that is bringing us to uh an end of the information that we have prepared for you. We've got some time now. Um, we've touched on these issues like sleep and uh and social connections and screens. We've talked a bit about noticing what signs might be when someone's struggling with their mental health, as well as normal signs of changes in adolescence. So let's have a look at some of your questions and we'll see that. Now I did see a very specific question in the chat box, but I do want to answer it, and it was about TMS, which is transmagic stimulation, a type of therapy. The person asked about that. What is uh what is my opinion about that? Uh, or uh is it useful? And I can say 10 years ago, uh, I hadn't heard much about it, to be honest. I wasn't very often finding a young person that even heard of it or had I had gone through it. I now have had several young people, uh, probably later adolescents, 16 and older, uh, have had some TMS because they were treatment resistant. Their mental illness wasn't being treated with CBT, with psychology, or with medications very well. After a number of medications were tried, psychiatrists assisted with an assessment and they did go through TMS and it was very effective and helpful for them. So I think TMS is a safe and effective treatment with proper consideration by a psychiatrist and

Live Q&A: Treatments And Access

SPEAKER_00 1:07:20

making sure we've already given some of these other interventions a go. So that's my answer to that one. Let's have a look at these other questions too.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:27

Can I just jump in as well? I've got to do a bit of self-promotion, everybody. So if you want to hear, I always feel funny when I do this. If you want to hear more about my story, I have a podcast. It's arguably probably the most fed income podcast on the internet. It's called the Disregulated Podcast. And it's all about my story uh growing up and living with mental illness. Um, you'll learn things about me that you didn't even want to know. So the dysregulated podcast, every time someone listens, my little graph goes up and the dopamine levels in my head go up as well. So uh if if you want to listen to me talk more about mental health, that is a great resource, in my opinion. Um, and uh yeah, that's that's my potty. Love it.

SPEAKER_00 1:08:19

Great. And I I encourage you to have a go and look at that and support Elliot. We want to support Elliot in any way that we can, absolutely. Uh, screen time, how do we handle that with PCs and phones? It is tricky. Uh, you need to discuss that with your depending on how old your teenager is, uh, it's hard to go backwards. Uh, it's easier to kind of uh develop some family guidelines and discuss why that might be recommended and then negotiate a little bit more with them so that it's a true negotiation, not just I tell you this and that's what goes, uh, and then stick to it. Uh, and that would be really useful. But remember, you do need to adjust those as the young person gets older. So, what what kind of uh decisions the family might make around screen time for a 12-year-old will be different to a 14-year-old, different again to a 16-year-old, and different to an 18-year-old. So just think about making sure you you offer this chance to review. And how great is that when you're the one that brings it up? Hey, uh it's uh, you know, you're in year nine now, let's talk about screen time. What are we gonna, what are we gonna arrange for this year? What do you think is fair and reasonable? What do you think my concerns are gonna be and how can we manage that? Um, and then try to stick with it.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:33

Yeah, that's a question here. Um, and I'd like to think I'm an expert on this topic. So sleeping well is strongly indicative of how well, if a person is coping, definitely. Certainly, sleep is a is a big determinant. There's a bi-directional relationship, um, which means that bad sleep equals well, not always, but can equal bad mental health outcomes. Bad mental health outcomes can equal poor sleep. So sleep is huge, as not only sleep's important not only to to um get the hours we need, so it it it looks after our mental health. Um it's also important because it is sort of a litmus test, if you like, um, to see if people are coping. Um quite often people think as well, I've found that um poor sleep or you know could equal sleeping in as well. Um, as we said earlier on, young kids need eight to ten hours sleep. Um, they do need a little bit more than the rest of us. So that needs to be kept in mind. Um but I found when I was actually quite depressed and anxious that I would wake up really early. So it wasn't that I was sleeping in and couldn't get out of bed as much. It was also waking up really, really early because the mind was just spinning. So, but again, it depends on the individual. It's very individual. Um, and it depends on how uh these mental health concerns are manifesting themselves.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:11

Yeah, and but to and with sleep, there's another question about melatonin. Uh, is that a useful tool to help young people with sleep problems or will it create a dependency? I'm not aware of melatonin creating a dependency in young people. I have had some young people find it quite helpful. And remember, if they're having difficulties, uh, they're not feeling sleepy and they need to go to sleep, what are they then going to do for the hours while they're waiting for sleep to start? So melatonin could be a great way of assisting, you know, the uh them to get ready for sleep, and it does help with sleep. Uh now you can't get melatonin without a prescription for young people. Older people can access melatonin through the pharmacist without a GP prescription, but young people cannot. You will need to see a doctor and have a conversation about that. And I would say, and I've heard GPs say that uh it would just be a short term. It's not a long-term thing. It's uh we try it for a little bit of time to get a nice routine in place, and then we would stop using melatonin. And I've certainly had people take melatonin for uh two to four months and find uh with consistent uh other support and a good routine that might be enough to get things back on track a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:21

Yeah, let's put it this way. I I've uh I don't know, I've tried everything. Um, melatonin um was was one of them. I found uh

Motivation, Meaning, And Routine

SPEAKER_01 1:12:30

not looking at my phone late at night to be much more important than popping melatonin. So, but again, it's very individual, very individual.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:39

And I agree, and I would I'd I'd put the two together. I'd say if you are gonna, if the doctor thinks melatonin could be helpful, then take melatonin, but also uh no screens in your room at night time. So charging devices outside the room when sleep when people are sleeping. Uh and uh that's what I've done in my household. Uh you know, you if you're young, you your phones get charged outside your room, but you can access it in the morning and have a look at what's been going on if you want. Uh, but no phones in rooms overnight. Yeah. Um, you go, you go, all good. There's a question here about divorced and separated households. Look, that one's this is this is really tricky when you're wanting certain routines to happen in one house. Obviously, that's going to be better if it can happen across both households. But we have to also respect at an at a separate household, uh, there might be different routines and different ideas and opinions in place there. What's going to be most helpful is if you are consistent in the way that the information you're sharing with your young person, rather than being overly focused on what's happening at the other house. If your young person knows that this is what happens when I'm in this household and I'm okay to talk about things in this household, that's going to be more helpful in the long run, right? Because you're then modelling consistency and accepting of diversity and of differences and coping when these differences happen in a life so that you don't get impacted overall. Uh, and that can happen in future workplaces and in life in general. So you're just uh giving your young person a heads up on tolerating those differences and still looking towards what I can do best for myself in the long run, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:14:24

Um, there's a comment here um uh how hard it is to get into a psychiatrist uh for medication for ADHD. And can I not just say I understand completely because I'm going through the same problem at the moment? My ADHD is not being medicated and it is causing big, big problems. But I cannot see a psychiatrist. Um I just can't find anybody that's available. So I'm in Newcastle, like I said before, God's country. Um, but I am looking at Sydney to try and get a psychiatrist. I'm happy to commute, whatever. Um, except I still can't find someone. So I don't have an answer for that, but I sympathize, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_00 1:15:11

Yeah, and we just want to encourage you to keep uh keep up your your hope and your energy for finding someone. Uh, GPs often do have networks and links through to other services or other people that might be able to access psychiatry. And their government's always looking at ways that we can uh increase accessibility uh to services and to people. So we just want you to keep going to try to advocate for a young person to find something. Uh definitely it is challenging to find. And I know I just can't make enough appointments uh for people who might need them. I have to uh just do the best that I can for the people that I get to work with that I'm very privileged to work with. Um, now there's another question on um uh how do you help an adolescent when they're not ready to accept that there's a problem? Uh often an adolescent, you might be concerned and you broach the topic with someone and they respond and they get angry or defensive or uh paranoid even, uh, and then it just turns into a real challenging situation. So, first of all, I would say uh you might just want to broach the conversation in a few different ways. And I think when you're driving somewhere with a young person, we're not looking at each other, but as we're driving somewhere going on a long drive, uh we can start talking about life and you might talk about this, and that could be a way in. And I found a lot of young people prefer that uh they end up talking when they go on a long drive with a parent and when there's no one else in the car. Yeah. So if there's a somewhere you can go where you can take them, then that could be one way to have an opportunity for a conversation. And the next thing I'd say is I would say to the adolescent, if I understand if you don't think there's a problem, maybe I'm concerned for something that not that isn't a problem. I am still concerned though. How can I know that there's not a problem? What are you showing me that tells me that everything's okay? Um, maybe I'm not looking at the signs you're giving me that everything is okay. And if it's not okay, then we can work on it together. So maybe reassure them that they're not going to be blamed or default. If things are not okay, uh, there

Self‑Harm, OCD, And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 1:17:20

can be ways that can be worked through together. Yeah. Um, and sometimes it's not necessarily you might be concerned, but there might be another adult in that person's life that could be helpful and influential to just have more contact with that person for a period of time, right? I know for a little while uh my lovely uh adopted sister. Well, you know, she's not technically adopted, but just uh a person that I adopted in my life as a sister figure, uh, really just started talking with my son more often. And uh for a while, uh he started interacting and talking with her too more. Um, they never really talked about mental health difficulties, but gosh, that support was helpful. So there could be other people in that in your network or in your life that could be lovely uh to connect and to engage that person to help them at that time as well.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:13

Um there's been a few uh questions around um teenagers not being motivated to get out of bed and sort of engage with the social world. Um, that was me as well. Uh, and what I found very helpful was I um I uh completed a program which was all about dreaming, first off, about a realistic future that I would be happy with, and then writing down the ways in which to try and do it, those sort of concrete goals and and routines and habits. Um there's a few of them online. I know Jordan Peterson's very controversial, but his future authoring program is pretty good. Um, but there's plenty of others as well. Um, I would recommend something like that because it all comes down to this sort of meaning and purpose. I didn't have a meaning and purpose for a long time, so I was just swishing around, getting dragged in every direction by influences that weren't my own. Um, but once I really tightened up my outlook on life and galvanized my approach towards this meaning and purpose that I created, all of a sudden the inspiration uh to get out of bed and get stuck into it, it was there because I was actually working towards something at that point. Whereas before I didn't know what was going on. So, yeah, just a bit of that's just helped me. And um, yeah, I think meaning and purpose is unbelievably important.

SPEAKER_00 1:19:44

I agree. Meaning and purpose is definitely an avenue towards someone feeling able to start to do a bit more and to take that risk, and especially if they're anxious, it's actually really overwhelming to start to do things that are different. And it's much easier just to no, say no to that, and just to stay doing the status quo because that's much more comfortable. So it is understandable that they might get into that pattern and then get quite stuck in it. But we need to hold hope and we need to help them to uh find that engagement in things that are meaningful and purpose and uh to help direct their life a little bit more, or connect them with uh a counselor that they can talk that through with as well and develop it for themselves.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:25

Yeah, there's there's just a follow-up. Um, how old was I when I found this meaning of purpose? I was 27. Um, 27, which was way too late, should have happened a lot earlier. But again, there wasn't much mental health literacy going on. There was definitely no conversations. Um, but 27 years old it took um when things were looking very bleak, but turned it around.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:49

Good on you. And it good on you, Elliot, that you turned it around and that you just persisted for that time to find it. Now, I know some young people achieve the same sort of thing as you're describing, Elliot, where they can be quite lost for quite a while and actually very stuck in that situation. And then something happens where they develop this inside and this hope for how things could be different or what they might start to do differently. And that can actually happen at any age. And I think that's what is so important for us doing this, having this conversation tonight, to know that all these effort you might make for a conversation or an opportunity or an experience, uh, and it might be knocked back, they're still really helpful for you to keep doing that and to stay uh keep your energy up for it. Uh, and uh knowing that even the idea that someone thought that might be fun or that might be an opportunity or might be an experience is still showing regard for someone, showing them that they're important, that they're thought about, that they're considered uh without too much arguing or pressure if they say no. But opportunities that are present are the way to go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:55

Uh just I'm gonna jump in again on loving these questions, loving them. As there's a question about uh borderline personality. Um where would you find the best information? Okay, so on YouTube, there because there's a lot of bad information on the internet when it comes to BPD, it's highly stigmatized, and there is a lot of negativity

Key Takeaways And Closing

SPEAKER_01 1:22:20

from people out there that are affected in one way or another. And we need to get away from that because it's it's it's not helpful at all. Um, one resource I found which was a game changer, is um on YouTube there's this psychologist called Dr. Daniel Fox, and he is brilliant when it comes to B per D. Not only does he know everything about it and how to sort of try and manage it and move forward, but he does it in a way that is just so lovely. Like, I don't know how else to describe it. It's just full of hope, and it's just it's amazing. So, Dr. Daniel Fox um is is very good when it comes to BPD. Uh, my podcast is also really good when it comes to BPD as well. Um but yeah, they're they're sort of well, I guess two resources that I would look at. Um and also I just want to, this is a bit of a side note again, but it's important to say that BPD, when treated, um, has a great prognosis, a really, really good prognosis. Um, so yeah, BPD.

SPEAKER_00 1:23:33

I can match for that, Elliot. I think it can have a great prognosis. And some of these people, some of these people with BPD in their life, they'll struggle for a period of time for sure. And those struggles are very real, but they can turn out to be the best adults and the safest adults ever. So I think it's definitely worth our time to make sure we can get actually uh quality interventions and support and make sure it's ongoing for the time that it's needed. So I know, Elliot, you want to stay here all night to answer questions, but we're gonna do two more. Well, I'm gonna do one and then you can pick one. So while I'm talking, you can pick whichever one you like. I've noticed a question here, and uh now Lochlan has answered it, but I want to answer it as well. How do you phrase asking them about suicide? I think that's actually a really important question. So thank you for putting that up there as a question for us to discuss. I think you can sometimes we're concerned about what words to use for people of yes, say 12, 13, 14. Uh, and I think some some of that is our concern about the word rather than them. We wouldn't, we won't put ideas in people's minds by asking about it, okay? So it's okay for us to ask about it. I think a way to ask about it was is by asking, have you I'm really concerned with what's happening with you right now, or I'm really concerned with what you're describing or what you're experiencing. Are you having thoughts of hurting yourself? Have you ever had thoughts of hurting yourself? Are you having thoughts of not wanting to be around or not wanting to be alive? Yeah, so we can kind of uh start it off as uh uh uh a little bit and then add to it a bit more if we need to, depending on what their answer is. And if we say the words first, then they know that it's okay for them to talk about it with us. If we're too cautious about asking directly, then actually they kind of when that's something we shouldn't talk about because it makes people uncomfortable. So uh that's uh something that you can do. Uh, school counsellors, they can be a good resource for you as a parent as well uh to have a chat to a school counselor and how to talk to young people because they're very skilled at it. They could even help you to talk about it with them. You can call kids helpline and and talk to them yourself first. Say, I'd like to ask my child about if they're having suicidal thoughts, I'm not sure how to do it. And they could even say, Well, why don't we all talk together? You, me, and your child uh together in a phone call. Um, so there's ways that you can do it and get support while you're doing it as well. Uh and those resources that Lachlan shared are likely to be helpful uh to help guide you in though that as well. All right, Locke, uh Elliot, which one are you going to pick?

SPEAKER_01 1:26:10

Um, there's a question here about routines and responsibilities, um, whether whether they should uh be continued when these mental health battles are going on. And can I just say yes, yes, yes, yes, definitely, definitely. Routine and responsibilities are so, so important. Um, now this is this is the thing. Sometimes, and this happens to me still now, some of those days I'm just in, I'm in the hurt locker and I just cannot uh complete the routines or responsibilities that I would like to. It's just sometimes it just leads me. But then we try again the next day. And it's it's important because people that are anxious um, you know, have a fear of the future really. And a way to sort of get rid of that fear is to come up with routines and responsibilities that defines the future moving forward. So for anxiety, it's very important. For ADHD, it's huge. Um, because you know, with ADHD, all of a sudden, you know, what was a step-by-step process of the days out the window and we're just floating around doing every little thing. If if we have consistent routines with ADHD, um, eventually it becomes second nature and it just happens. And that's just two disorders that um I have an affinity with, where routine and responsibility is so important. And those responsibilities, you know, it all works towards the meaning and purpose. But that's the thing. The routines and responsibilities, if they're sort of feeding the meaning and purpose, um, and it's all galvanized and it's all sort of the same way, heading the same way, very, very important. So, yes, and school work, household chores, no household chores, man, I'm still hopeless at that. But school and work um huge as well, because I found if I don't go to work, if I don't go to work currently, um, you know, that that actually makes me feel worse. Whereas if you go to work, go to school, that's a massive achievement, especially if there's some mental distress going on. So, yeah, I would I would keep keep at all of them, but also be mindful that some days it's just a no-go as well.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:40

So now there was one question, I have to do one more because uh there is a question that was asked uh in the chat, but there's a couple. So what I might there's a couple in the chat box that Lochland suggested I'll be able to respond with an answer, and I will. Uh I might help, I might get him to do, I might be able to respond to that to you individually with an email. But one of them was about self-harming. I've just lost it now. One was about self-harming. Uh, and uh if someone was self-harming, definitely in the answered section. Let me find it. Um is self-harming the same? Is the treatment or the response for self-harming the same if they have a mental health condition and they're self-harming? What if they don't have a mental health condition and they're self-harming? And what if they have OCD and they're self-harming? Now it's uh that's a really good question. I would uh I would treat it the same. If someone is self-harming, we look at what the function of that difficulty is. Why are they self harming? What are they trying to gain or how is that helping them? And then look at helping them learn other ways that they can get the support they need or have the response that they need that isn't harmful. Um, so we start to change that behaviour, but we also look at if there's possibly An underlying mental health condition or a vulnerability to at the moment they're feeling uh low in their mood or they're anxious, they may never have been diagnosed. So we would be looking at the bigger picture, not just the self-harming behaviour. And when it comes to OCD, that does complicate things a little bit. So I would recommend seeing a specialist, a GP or a psychologist or a specialist psychologist who works with OCD to determine if the OCD could be part of a compulsive OCD behaviour, or is it a self-harming behavior because of emotional distress? So that one is a tricky one. So you did ask a very good question, a tricky question, and we'd I'd need to look at that in much more specifics of the individual to determine which it could be, um, and then what the most appropriate treatment might be for that as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:48

And OCD isn't just about washing your hands as well. I just want to make that point because it's another affliction that I've got. Um, and it took so long to identify because I had this preconceived idea of what OCD was about. It's actually much broader in scope. And um it's uh yeah, so I just want to make that point clear. I'm just trying to get that out there.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:14

So and the one last one that uh that Lochlan suggested we could answer. And we you have kind of already answered this, I think, Elliot. I think, in planning the road to recovery from depression and when they're having suicidal thoughts with their depression as well. How do parents balance the need to encourage the adolescent getting back to the activities they enjoyed versus the adolescent driving the plan with the risk of it being overly drawn out? And I think that's when we've got to negotiate for a little bit of both. Uh, I hear you're saying you'd like this, and can we do a bit of this as well? And that way we're both working towards it and seeing how it goes. So we just have to negotiate that because sometimes the adolescent might have plans and they what they want to have happen might not be possible financially, it might not be possible practically, uh, or it might actually just be it won't give them the benefit immediately because it's a longer-term vision. Uh, so we need a bit of both, but we do need to encourage people getting back to activities that they enjoyed, or having some new immediate activities that they can enjoy that's feasible to put into their life now. Is that what you would say too, Elliot?

SPEAKER_01 1:32:22

100%. Couldn't have said it better myself.

SPEAKER_00 1:32:25

Yeah. Good. I think you've answered that too with some of your other examples. So that was really good. I think we just want to say thank you so much for your attendance and for everyone to stay on asking questions. I hope we've got to answer some of your questions. I'm really sorry if we didn't get to answer your specific question. Uh, what Lochlin has been working really hard there to try to give you access to resources. Remember that resource hub is terrific. Uh, that will certainly help you uh to have access to resources. Our key message from the training today is uh look, the unique challenges that adolescents face today. Uh, that's certainly true. And parents, you can help. Parents and carers have really play a crucial role in helping teens to navigate this life stage. So we want you to stay connected and stay involved in their lives. That helps you notice changes. It helps you be more able to have conversations with them about their mental health. We need you to create routines that can allow you to have time to talk and connect. I hear sometimes parents complaining about having to drive their young person to work after school jobs and picking them up after the job, right? But I think what a beautiful time that could be regularly to be able to just have chats and have chances to have this time together to be available. Uh so I encourage you to change the way you think about that, is not as a hassle or an inconvenience, but as a vital time that you're showing uh genuine support for a young person. Uh, ask directly uh about how they're going and about their mental health and work together to create these healthy routines and upskill and get support for your help. And if you're struggling with your own mental health, get support support for you. If you're struggling with parenting, get support for the parenting. Um, and so we want to invite you to think about what your key takeaways from today are. Make a note of them somewhere so they don't get lost. Sometimes we do some great insight in these sorts of uh sessions, and then we our life just gets busy, busy, busy, and all of a sudden uh we we miss out on that learning that we've done. So find a place where you can document and be aware of what you're what you gained from today, what you're hoping to do. Um and if there's anything else that's uh kind of on your mind from today, think about your next steps. What might you do next to get more information? Who could you talk to that could guide you in that as well? Just remember keeping confidentiality of your young person's information safe and protected as well. And there is a post-workshop evaluation. Uh, check your emails and you will get the link to that. We really would love for you to fill in that survey uh and uh to help us get some ideas. If you did the pre, we want to know what you think now and any other feedback, comments you've got, please do share it. We're taking your information very seriously at the moment, trying to make sure this is the best program we can have to meet the needs of parents currently. And a very big thank you from me. Thank you so much for your time, for your interest, and your young people for the support you might provide to their extended network. And Elliot, thank you so much for sharing your lived experience with us for your insight and for your survival of your uh mental health challenges. It's just amazing.

SPEAKER_01 1:35:36

No, thank you for having me. I uh I thoroughly enjoyed that. So thank you guys, and I hope you uh learned something from today. And and yeah, moving forward, feel a bit more empowered and and ready to change the course potentially of your team's sort of you know development.