Teen Mental Health Matters: How to Support Young People Through Change (Black Dog Institute)

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:04):
Welcome you to Teen Mental Health Matters.
My name is Pam Withe.
I'm a clinical psychologist.
I've been working as apsychologist for oh nearly 25
years, and I am I do work inprivate practice a couple of
days a week.
I'm a uh facilitator with theBlack Dog Institute, and I've
been working with them now forthe past almost seven years,

(00:25):
which is really wonderful.
And I am a parent of two teenageboys.
Uh so that is interesting timesfor me, also.
And I'd like to introduce Elliotto you.

SPEAKER_01 (00:35):
G'day everybody, my name's Elliot.
Um I'm a lived experienceexpert.
Uh, so my story is that I haveum uh a history of mental
illness, unfortunately, but atthe same time, I also bring that
experience with me and hopefullycan offer some insights today as
well, which would be good.
Um, I have a degree inpsychology.

(00:57):
Um, I have a passion inpsychology and and mental
health.
And um, yeah, so hopefully todaywe'll uh we'll get stuck into it
and we'll have a good time andand talk about um how we can
make you know life for our ourteenagers even better because
life is meant to be enjoyed.
So that's the game of that's thethat's the aim of the game, very

(01:21):
much so.

SPEAKER_00 (01:22):
Definitely, that's the aim of the game.
So we would like to acknowledgecountry, Ellian and I both want
to acknowledge the traditionalcustodians of the land on which
we're all meeting.
We might be on different landstoday.
Um, I am on Gadigal Country, uhand and I I welcome any
Aboriginal people past uh whomight be joining us today.

(01:43):
Thank you very much.
And extending my respects toAboriginal elders, past,
present, and emerging.
Uh, there's not muchhousekeeping, but I would like
to alert you or ask you verynicely if you have not yet done
a pre-workshop questionnaire,pre-presentation evaluation, a
questionnaire on what you thinkand know about this topic.
You may have done it because itmight have been sent to you in

(02:04):
an email and you might havealready done it.
And if you have, thank you verymuch.
If you haven't, you could usethis QR code now and go through
and do that as we're commencing.
We won't know that you're doingthat in the background, but we
really appreciate your feedbackbecause we want to know uh how
this information is sitting withyou and if we're meeting the
mark, because we want to do thebest we can for you, uh, and
that's important to us.

(02:25):
So uh we today are going to betalking about uh what to expect
during this life stage.
Oh, actually, before I do that,sorry, I'll leave this up
because we do need to do alittle bit of housekeeping.
Uh, we are here tonight to talkwith you uh for uh we'll be
talking, Elite and I'll betalking with you for just over

(02:46):
an hour, and then we'll do somequestions and answers.
At any point, if you have aquestion, 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 throughall those questions and answer
them if we can.
Now you can also see in the chatbox there is people uh typing

(03:08):
stuff in.
And I have a wonderful colleagueLochland from Black Dog
Institute, he's monitoring thechat as well, and uh and we'll
be sharing uh information uhwith you through that chat box
as well as we go along.
Um, but the QA is where wereally want you to put any
questions that you might have.
Um, and there's no chance hereto talk or interact with us

(03:28):
directly, uh, but we will bedoing that through the question
and answer.
Um, great.
And uh thank you for peoplesaying hello to each other in
the chat box.
That's very nice.
Um all good.
And yep, we can't hear anyoneelse 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, soit's just Elliot and I that

(03:50):
you'll be able to see and heartoday.
Um, otherwise, all interactionsare through the chat and through
the QA.
Okay, uh, let's start with whatwe're gonna be talking about
today.
We're gonna talk about what toexpect during this life stage
and some specific challengesthat young people face today.
And we're gonna talk aboutmental health and how to

(04:10):
recognize if a young personmight be struggling.
So you can see on the screen thefirst topic is we're gonna make
sense of mental health inadolescence a little bit, then
explore some of the signs youmight see or have some concerns
about.
So, what signs can we look forthat show what a mental health
struggle might look like so wecan pay attention and respond in
these helpful ways?

(04:32):
And then we're gonna look at howto support a young person,
including how to have aconversation with them, where
you can get help for them, whereyou can get help for yourself.
And we're gonna explore somehealthy habits, particularly
around social connections,around sleep, and around
screams, because they're reallyimportant for us to help young

(04:52):
people to establish thesehealthy habits.
Um, and although today isfocused on young people and
teens, we are also here to lookafter you too.
Parents and carers, we need tomake sure you're looking after
yourself well so you can helpothers, and then you're showing
a good role model and an exampleto our young people as well.

(05:14):
So at the end of today, we wantto leave you with some practical
knowledge of how to helpyourself and your young person
navigating this life stage andum and looking after everyone
well.

SPEAKER_01 (05:27):
Um, as we'll be discussing topics related to
mental health, obviously, inthis workshop today, um, we do
ask you to be mindful of fellowparticipants during discussions.
Um, there may be individualswith lived experience of mental
health conditions or suicide inthe presentation today.
Uh, so please be mindful of theinformation that you choose to

(05:48):
share.
But that's uh that's probably agiven, but at the same time,
very important.
Um, and it is important that weprotect the confidentiality of
young people and their familymembers.
Um, we won't be able to answerany specific questions regarding
your unique circumstances.
Um, however, we will shareresources for where you can

(06:09):
access that support.

unknown (06:12):
Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 (06:13):
So, adolescence is a period of massive, massive
physical, emotional, social, andcognitive change that marks the
transition from childhood toadulthood.
It is a period associated withexploring identity.
Who am I and where do I fit inthe world?
Uh, physical change due topuberty and exploring sexuality,

(06:38):
uh, feeling and expressingstronger emotions, which for me
was a lot of anger when I was ateenager.
Um, making impulsive decisions.
Yeah, there's a few of them too.
Uh, increased influence ofpeers, looking for new
experiences, including high-riskactivities or risky behaviors,

(06:59):
um, and really testing thoselimits and asserting
independence, which is exactlywhat I did in a very, very
angsty sort of way.
While we've been through it andwhile there is consistency of
experience across generations,um, each generation has its own
unique context.

(07:19):
And the current generationcertainly are living in a time
that we have not really seenbefore.
Um, and we'll go through that intechnology and social media in a
minute.
Um, so my question is ifeveryone wants to write in the
chat box, um, what are some ofthe challenges that teenagers

(07:40):
face now that we didn't?

SPEAKER_00 (07:43):
And by we, Elliot means uh, you know, people in
their uh 20s and 30s and 40s and50s, uh, and the times have
changed.
And oh my gosh, everyone in thechat box, social media, online
bullying, and I guess could belinked with social media,
absolutely.
Um, definitely.
Constant connectivity.

(08:05):
We are on, and we're just beinguh uh stimulated by uh
experiences constantly now.

SPEAKER_01 (08:15):
Look at that social media answer keep popping up.
Yes, social media has so much toexplain, so much to to um that
holds that sort ofresponsibility.
The bullying 24-7, it all goeshand in hand.
Um, it's very, very difficult,that's for sure.
Um, research indicates thatadolescents has changed in the

(08:37):
last 20 years.
Uh, they are taking longer toreach adult milestones.
For example, fewer Australianadolescents are obtaining a
driver's license, uh, working inpaid roles and having romantic
relationships.
I'm having trouble with the lastone as well.
Um, at the same time, youngpeople are more exposed to

(08:58):
developmentally uh inappropriatecontent through guess what,
social media platforms, we knowthis.
Uh, many of today's teens areexposed to inappropriate or
harmful content online.
It is everywhere, even if you'renot looking for it.
The way adolescents socializeand interact has changed because
of digital platforms.

(09:19):
So people don't talk as much inreal life to each other as they
used to.
It's um it's yes, it's veryinteresting.
Uh, also, they've been exposedto climate disasters.
So all the bushfires and floodsand extreme weather, which you
know, Australia is sort of knownfor it, but but it's really
ticked up a gear because ofclimate change.

(09:40):
And um that in itself bringsalong 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 stillbeing felt today.

SPEAKER_00 (09:55):
Yeah, definitely.
So this generation of youngpeople are more stressed than
ever, and we really don't knowwhy.
So, to find out why, uh theBlack Dog Institute is
undertaking the largest and mostcomprehensive cohort study of
adolescent mental health inAustralia.
So they're following 6,300students from year eight over

(10:17):
five years to better understandhow and why mental health
problems emerge and what theimpact is, and if maybe these
mental health difficulties couldbe prevented resources and
support such as smartphones andinterventions.
So we asked these students whatissues are you concerning you

(10:38):
most at the moment?
And this is what they told us.
It surprised us actually.
We didn't think school andacademics was going to be the
top of their list, but it is.
Now, when I reflected on this inmy clinical work with people
when I'm supporting youngpeople, uh, it really is still
one of their top concerns.
And I agree, 24.5% of youngpeople said that was their

(11:00):
biggest concern.
There's a lot of uh expectationswe 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 isstill their biggest concern, and
uh, of course, on their socialrelationships, mental health and
well-being, family and homelife, and society and the

(11:21):
environment.
So all the things really we werehaving a look at uh in the in
the in the chat box there, andthe uh even though uh phones and
social media wasn't listed onthere, the difficulties
associated with social mediamight definitely fall into these
other categories here, right?
Um, so the research also foundhigh rates of distress.

(11:44):
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 researchersfound that girls tended to

(12:07):
report mental health symptomslike anxiety and depression at a
rate of two to three timeshigher than boys.
And students with uh whoidentify as LGBTQIA plus are
four times more likely toexperience symptoms of anxiety,
depression, and thoughts ofsuicide.
So let's just pause for a momentto reflect on these uh these

(12:28):
numbers and what it reallymeans.
Perhaps think about a youngperson you know, because they
tell us a lot about how youngpeople are struggling, what
they're struggling with.
And this can be of confrontingfor us as parents and carers to
just spend the time thinkingabout that and knowing that uh
it's challenging, isn't it, forthem?
And adolescence is a rollercoaster ride for all of us.

(12:51):
As parents and carers, you playa crucial role in supporting
them.
But we can't underestimate howchallenging that is for you.
And there's no clear rule bookgiven to us or a manual on
exactly what's going to help inthis situation.
And even what helps with onechild may not help with another
child, right?
Uh, even if you've I've got twoboys, and and I mean they're

(13:12):
very different.
What helped what worked with onethat I figured out actually it
needed to be different for theother one.
So uh it's actually reallychallenging 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 Nationspeople might talk about a
broader concept of social andemotional well-being, which is
about lots of aspects ofwell-being, including mental
health, um, but not just mentalhealth.
Wellness can incorporatespirituality, culture, family,

(13:50):
connection to the land, andwell-being and grounded in
community engagement.
And it is different for theindividual as well.
Uh, today we're referring towell-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 andwell-being varies across our

(14:13):
lives.
Uh, it can be useful to thinkabout mental health and
well-being as existing along abroad continuum that you can see
on your screen right now, forexample, that ranges from well
to unwell.
So, well and coping doesn't meanthat we're not experiencing any
challenges.
That's that's we all know thatlife is difficult and it's

(14:34):
complicated, that's for sure,for all of us.
Um, and that's actually normal.
For young people, well andcoping looks like being able to,
and this goes, this is the samefor us as well, uh, that are a
little bit older, which is weneed to be able to bounce back
from the challenges of life.
Life, uh, if if it pins us downtoo long, then you start asking

(14:57):
questions.
But the the key is being able,and the sort of determinant, I
suppose, is to be able to bounceback from challenges with
support, generally having goodrelationships with friends and
family, uh, having healthyroutines around activity, food,
and sleep, which is somethingI'm struggling with so much at

(15:17):
the moment.
Um, struggling, on the otherhand, is when we notice changes
from their usual behaviour.
For example, we might see achange in emotions.
Um, I said before I got a bitangsty when I was in my teenage
years.
When things weren't going well,I got angry.

(15:37):
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 whatit was for me.
Um there's also this this notenjoying the things that they
usually enjoy, andhedonia, it'scalled, um, and withdrawing from

(16:00):
social activities.
So I tick all those boxes,unfortunately.
Unwell is when these changes inbehavior start impacting on what
we would call usual functioningand are creating significant
distress.
So for me, um often I would get,like I said, a bit angry.

(16:24):
And, you know, I do a lot ofgrunting at people, especially
my mother for some reason.
You know, how is your day atschool?
Yeah, whatever.
Um, and I also used to withdrawfrom activities that I usually
would find quite interesting andenjoyable.
So I'm a big Newcastle Knightsupporter.
So if my voice is a littlehoarse today, that is because

(16:47):
yesterday at the game, the uhreferee was not pulling up
Penrith for being offside.
Um, but what I also find as areal litmus test for me, even
today, but certainly was back inmy teenage years as well, was
that if I didn't care about howthe knights were going, bad
sign, bad sign.
That means things were not goingvery well.

(17:09):
Um for First Nations people,feeling of disconnection to
spirit, um, land, body, mind,culture, family, kinship, and
community may be more relevantas indicators of signs of
struggling.
The more areas of disconnectionscan mean greater risk of

(17:31):
disturbed social and emotionalwell-being.
Disconnection can be experiencedas a weakness or a sickness in
spirit.
And more information can befound on our resource hub.
Um, so how do you tell thedifference between a change in
behaviour related to adolescenceversus a change in behaviour

(17:51):
related to struggling withmental health?
Pam, how do you do that?

SPEAKER_00 (17:55):
Gosh, it's really tricky.
And this is uh something thatparents I know and carers kind
of struggle with and are notsure, do I intervene now?
Is this okay?
Is this normal or is this toomuch?
Obviously, we want to do thebest we can for our young
people.
So it's a question I get askedquite a lot.
Ultimately, uh, I don't I don'tthink it's as important to know

(18:17):
whether it's a diagnosed mentalhealth condition.
If you're concerned, it's alwaysgood to be having conversations
and reaching out to supportsomeone.
But generally speaking, when torespond, on the screen right
now, we're giving you someguidelines to help you navigate
that tricky, uh, trickydecision.
Uh, we need to be concerned whena change in behavior is

(18:38):
occurring and it's it's not uhresiding and getting back to
their usual self, it's ongoingfor a period of two weeks or
longer.
When when the difficulties orwhen they're they're showing
distress or they'recommunicating distress, and when
they're having an impact onfunctioning, and that's what
Elliot talked about, uhexperiencing that distress and

(19:00):
then impacting on ability tofunction in his usual ways.
Um, if the young person isshowing challenging behaviours,
and uh maybe they're notcommunicating distress, but
they're showing us distress inthese challenging behaviors, or
they're showing us different uhdisconnection in these
challenging behaviours, and whenthese challenging behaviours
might be occurring morefrequently, certainly when it is

(19:21):
difficult to calm someone down.
So when they normally would beable to calm down with some
support and reassurance, ifthat's no longer calming them
down and the change in behavioris causing distress, ongoing,
causing dysfunction, that's adifficulty.
Of course, when they're showingdangerous behaviours or physical
or verbally aggressive, theseare all signs of when to be

(19:42):
concerned because it might bethat they're struggling with a
mental health difficulty.
Now, navigating this linebetween what is mental health
and what's normal adolescentmoodiness or normal adolescent
changes is a bit tricky too.
So I'll give you an example.
Um changing interest is actuallya normal part of adolescence.
So my son, who's always playedsoccer, said he didn't want to

(20:03):
go to training anymore.
He was moody on game days, andthis was a change in his
behaviour.
So if when to be concerned wouldbe if he was talking uh, so when
not to be concerned, normaladolescent changing interests,
if he was talking about changingto another sport, he was still
his usual self at other times,other than soccer time, then
that would be a sign that his uhhis moodiness around soccer was

(20:26):
related to that specificchallenge, but uh normal
adolescent changing interests.
But if he was showing signs of amental uh struggle, if he was
showing signs of that he wasstruggling with mental health,
it could be if he was alsotalking more negatively about
himself, not responding topraise, being very sensitive to

(20:48):
negative comments, gettingirritable and angry and
withdrawn from other things thatmaybe the family would normally
do or that he would normally dowith others.
And maybe with school, maybe hewas doing schoolwork or not
wanting to go to school, um, orhaving been sick, having
headaches more often.
These are all other changes thatare showing there's more going
on here than just soccertraining and soccer, right?

(21:10):
And uh and would warrant gettinga 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 thepoint of a diagnosed mental
health condition to benefit fromsupport.
We know that life is difficult.
That's just part of the game,unfortunately.
Um, and it is better to err onthe side of caution in this

(21:38):
case.
Um, the earlier you notice thesigns, of course, the sooner
that they can be explored andhopefully you know fixed up,
straightened out.
Um, getting the right help earlycan reduce the impact on
everyday life.
And it does lead to a quicker uhrecovery.
So, which which makes sense.

(22:00):
Um, but with that in mind, uh,let's move on to supporting your
young person and where you canaccess help for them.

SPEAKER_00 (22:08):
And it's not all doom and gloom.
While adolescence is challengingand mental health difficulties
can be uh really uh overwhelmingat times.
Uh, young people are incrediblyresilient.
They have the capacity but tobounce back from their stress
and from their challenging,challenging experiences.
And actually, they can learn andgrow from these experiences.

(22:29):
So we don't want to protect themfrom those experiences, we want
to support them through theseexperiences so that they can
grow.
Uh, and there is a lot we can doas parents and carers.
Our support and our guidance tohelp them navigate this life
stage is crucial.
So we want to notice and haveconversations so we can keep our
connections strong and beinvolved in their lives, and

(22:50):
then you can notice the changesand you might have more
opportunities for conversations.
So both casual checking in aswell as a more direct pointed
conversation about somethingabout their mental health is
recommended.
We want you to upskill likeyou're doing tonight.
Thank you all for coming.
Share what you've learned withother parents and other carers.
Um, so use trusted resources andlearn what you can do to

(23:15):
understand what might behappening in your more unique
circumstances and get some help.
Access help for yourself and foryour young person.
Um, and it's important for themto have the support and for you
to have the support that youmight need to proactively manage
mental health for all andsupporting mentally healthy
habits.
Young people need our help todevelop these healthy habits,

(23:37):
and that can protect theirmental health.
So, some of the key areas thatwe need to uh that they need our
help with are sleep, socialconnections, and screens.
And they need our guidance toset age-appropriate boundaries
in a collaborative way ratherthan us just telling them what
to do.
We need to help them understandand set these guidelines in

(23:59):
these collaborative ways.
And we actually need to modelthese healthy behaviors
ourselves too.
So live by example and do goodthings ourselves when it comes
to our sleep, our socialconnections, and our screens.
And we're going to talk aboutthese things a bit further.

SPEAKER_01 (24:14):
Um, if you notice any of the changes in behavior
that we're discussing heretoday, uh, it is important that
you talk to your young personand check in to see what's going
on.
Um, this will help you determineif they're if uh this is in
reaction to a specific temporarysituation or a more serious

(24:36):
continuing problem.
Um, it will help you determinewhat level of support and help
they they need.
Uh so let's look at some tipsfor having those conversations
uh that can be difficult, butthey can certainly be done for
your young person and yourself.
So creating a safe spacesometimes where you'll both need

(25:00):
to feel comfortable, won't beinterrupted or distracted.
That's huge, the interrupted onewas for me, and have time.
That was important because if I,as a teenager, was actually
saying, you know, the negativethings that were going on, um,
very easily I could be stoppedin my tracks and then the walls

(25:21):
go straight back up again.
So yeah, um that did happen oncewe got interrupted, and I was
like, nope, nope, that was thechance.
Sorry.
So yes, uh safe space obviouslyis very important.
Um, but yeah, 100% concentrationon what the young person is
saying.
Um, and prepare.

(25:42):
So your mindset, consider whatmindset would be helpful in this
situation.
Uh, calm, for example,empathetic, helpful, focused on
them.
I would say all of those areimportant.
Um, consider what you'd like toachieve by having this
conversation.
Um, develop an understanding ofwhat is happening for them.

(26:04):
Convey to them that you care andare here to help.
Um, encourage more openconversations about uh feelings
uh and understand so you candetermine how to help them.
Understand before beingunderstood.
Uh they may open up and talk toyou, they may share information

(26:26):
that is hard to hear, so we needto prepare for that.
Um, they may become, like I did,very upset, angry, or not talk
at all.
Whatever happens, it isimportant that you stay calm,
empathetic, helpful, and focusedon what they need.
Even though I was being allangry and deep down, there was a

(26:48):
little sort of part of mesaying, thank you to mum and dad
for being understanding.
Thank you for being empathetic.
It just took a while for me touh get to the point where I
could verbalize that.
But even though there was allthis, you know, all this angst
and stuff, um, deep down I wasvery thankful and I understood
that they were being empatheticand caring.

(27:10):
So even if it doesn't appearlike the message, your message
this is, uh, or your you know,positivity, healthy vibes get
across, um, they they definitelydo, that's for sure.
But it might take a while forthe young person to um come to
that conclusion.
Um, so what to say?

(27:32):
Start with the strength,something positive that you have
noticed.
So we don't want it to be allnegative because nothing's all
negative, and and we need tosort of convey that message as
well.
Um, share a change in behaviorthat has concerned you and that
you'd like to know more to help.
You know, I've noticed you'renot as interested in the nights

(27:55):
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 havemany mental illnesses.
I probably should have listedthem at the start, but there's

(28:17):
eight of them.
I've got eight, can you believeit?
Um, and one of them isborderline personality disorder.
If anyone's got questions aboutthat, I'll I'll talk to you at
the end.
Um, and one of the huge parts ofthat condition, that disorder,
is this invalidating environmentthat seems to pop up around the

(28:38):
individual.
Um, so for me, it was soimportant that my feelings were
validated because sometimes Iwould think things logically, if
we did some CBT, logically, it'slike, okay, there's no real
sense to this, what's going on.
But the fact is, I still feltthose emotions really, really,

(28:59):
you know, intensely.
So even if the, I guess, even ifit 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 reassurethem that you're here to help
them through this.
Um, so for example, thank youfor telling me uh I'm here to

(29:23):
help and we'll get through thistogether.
Um, be the number one supporter.
You don't have to have theanswers, 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 stepstogether.
Together.
This will vary depending on theconversation, but this may be a

(29:45):
follow up conversation or thedecision to explore options for
more support.
So um sorry, my screen justglitched out.
There we go.
We're back.
We're back.
Um, so yes, include um creatinga safe and supportive

(30:07):
environment and relationship atall times where possible,
please.
Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 (30:12):
Yeah.
And I agree, Elite.
Sometimes a well-meaning parentor person might say, Oh, I don't
feel like that.
And actually, the young personis feeling like that if that's
what they're communicating tous.
It's so hard to resist our kindof automatic instinct to kind of
reassure or or just kind ofdirect them to another
perspective.

(30:33):
But validating is certainly veryimportant.
So validating, uh, you know, youcan say, I'm sorry that you're
feeling that way, but I'm gladthat we're talking about it.
Tell me more what that's likefor 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 reallyvalidate and show them that
they're safe to continue to talkwith you about how they're

(30:54):
feeling.
And in doing so, that will helpto better understand what their
feelings are as well.
So I want to talk just for a fewminutes.
Uh oh, before I do that, I wantto talk just for a few minutes
about uh talking about suicidalthoughts and self-harm.
Because this is important.
Remember from thatfuture-proofing study, we know
that young people areexperiencing suicidal thoughts.

(31:16):
So it is more common than whatwe might think.
Suicidal thoughts and feelingsare distressing for the young
people and for family members,but they are relatively common.
About 30% of 12 to 20 year oldsexperience suicidal thoughts at
some point.
They can be a sign of temporarystress and feelings that things
are just too hard and thatthey've run out of options.

(31:38):
But when suicidal thoughtsinclude a decision to die and a
plan of how they might die, thiscan lead to a suicide attempt
and it can lead to death.
So we want to take all signs ofsuicidal thoughts and behaviors
really seriously.
We want to ask directly ifthey're having suicidal thoughts
and because that gives thempermission to talk with us about

(31:59):
it.
We can talk about it then andprovide support.
We now know that asking directlyis the most helpful approach and
it doesn't put ideas insomeone's head.
In fact, it helps us to preventsuicide through engaging people
in helpful conversations andincreasing their connectedness
and support.
So self-harm is deliberatelyhurting oneself through

(32:22):
behaviors like cutting, mostpeople might know, but also
things like burning, scratching,hitting, suffocation,
overdosing, and risky behaviors.
So on purpose, engaging in riskybehaviors without care that are
likely to then cause harm.
That could be also things likestarting fights, um, playing

(32:44):
chicken with cars or trains,those sorts of things.
Now, self-harm is different to asuicide attempt.
In a suicide attempt, theintention is to die or to
permanently end unbearable pain.
Young people often self-harmbecause they don't want to die.
They just can't cope with theirfeelings in any other way.
So it's not the same necessarilyas a suicide attempt.

(33:07):
In some cases, young people havelearned to self-harm from others
and are experimenting withseeing if this is a coping
strategy for me.
While some young people mayself-harm to communicate their
distress, it's rarely used as ameans of seeking attention
because it actually brings youngpeople a lot of shame and

(33:27):
difficulties and difficultfeelings.
So self-harm is a sign ofdistress and a sign that your
child needs some support fromyou as well as support from
health professionals.
And a minor self-harm injurydoesn't mean minor distress.
All self-harm needs to be takenseriously with the support of
health professionals.

(33:48):
And we have got information inour resource hub to help you
further understand if you wantmore information about uh
supporting a young person withsuicidal 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 talkthrough some of the key options.
Um there is plenty out therethough, which is great.
Um we've classified them interms of informal networks, uh,
crisis support, helpingprofessionals, uh, and digital

(34:26):
online options.
So don't underestimate thesupport you can get from your
informal networks, from familymembers, friends, and other
parents.
Think about who that is for you.
Uh, this might not be all thatyou need, but it is a good
starting point.
When talking with someone withinyour support network, be mindful

(34:49):
of what information youradolescent will be okay for you
to share.
Um, loose lip sync chips, or atleast that's that's what the
teen may believe.
Um, and those walls will go backup again.
So respect those boundaries ofyour teen as well.
And you can get uh sorry, youcan get support without sharing

(35:12):
specific information that theymay not want others to know.
So crisis options include uhBeyond Blue, Lifeline 13 Yarn,
the suicide prevention callbackservice, and emergency services.
Me personally, I've used BeyondBlue Lifeline and Emergency

(35:35):
Services quite a bit, especiallythat last one over the years.
Um, but they are really, reallygood resources, definitely,
definitely.

SPEAKER_00 (35:44):
Definitely good resources.
And it's really helpful for usto know that uh you as a parent
and carer can call these crisissupport services to ask for help
as well and to work out what todo.
You could call them with youryoung person and chat together.
And some of these, like it sayson your screen, it's a phone

(36:05):
call.
You can talk to someone over thephone.
They've also got chat and textand web chat options with some
young people kind of like theslower conversation.
I mean, they're pretty quickwith their texting, but it's uh
it's a bit of a slowerconversation where they can
think and reply and thenconsider answers, which can be
really helpful for people.
Uh and remember, SuicideCallback Service is there for

(36:25):
people who are having suicidalthoughts, but also for parents
and carers or others who areconcerned about someone else
who's at risk.
And they're there for anyonebereaved by suicide.
So if you've uh experiencedexperiencing grief after someone
has died by suicide, you cancontact Suicide Callback Service
for some grief support there aswell.

SPEAKER_01 (36:48):
And one that's not mentioned there, I'm just gonna
uh butt in and mention becauseit's um been a big part of my
journey for those in New SouthWales.
The New South Wales mentalhealth 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.

(37:12):
But the fact that I can't quiteremember it is a good sign
because that means I haven'tused it lately.
Um, so yeah, for those in NewSouth Wales, I'm sure the other
states and territories there,um, sort of government uh mental
health assistant lines are greatas well.
But New South Wales, definitely,definitely recommend.

SPEAKER_00 (37:31):
Good.
And Milochler might help us topop something up.
We'll give him a bit of time toresearch that one and he might
help us with that in the chatbox.
Yeah, putting it in the resourcethe resource hub will have links
through to your state servicesthat you can uh utilise as well.
And uh and not on that list, butvery helpful for young people,
of course, is Kids Helpline.

(37:52):
And that is also uh over theinternet as well as over the
phone, and Kids Helpline helpspeople up to 25.
So uh it's a it's a greatservice.
I've had many young people getsome great support from Kids
Helpline.
Um, and uh they've been a vitalpart of providing support in uh
the longer term.

(38:13):
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 orcounsellor, or a uh support, a
person through your employeeassistance program.

(38:33):
So these first three here, GP,psychologist, and your employee
assistance program, might comefrom the parent or the carer.
So if you're working, you mightyour organization may give you
employee assistance programsupport where you can access uh
a counsellor through thatmethod.
Sometimes your EAP will alsogive uh support to family

(38:53):
members, and that might be foryour child or your young person
to access help that way.
I have worked with young peoplewho have got to me via their
parents' EAP program as theirstarting point, and what a great
way that was to navigate thesystem and help get that young
person through to really goodcare.
So accessing uh your GP to talkabout your child's physical and

(39:17):
mental health, and then the GPcan talk with you about the next
steps.
And they've got a goodunderstanding of the local
mental health services and otherservices in the area, they can
arrange referrals if that'sneeded through your GP.
And sometimes people continue tosee their GP for support while
these referrals are gettingmanaged.
Um, and you could, with your GP,get a mental health care plan,

(39:39):
which allows you to haveMedicare to rebate up to 10
sessions with a psychologist ina year.
Uh, and so if you're wantingthat and you're wanting to talk
about mental health with a GP,it's really important to talk uh
to book a long appointment sothat your GP's got enough time
to talk with you about all thethings they need to, uh to
understand your situation andtake the time needed to have

(40:00):
that conversation to understandand to help think through some
referrals.
Um, now psychologists andcounselors, they work privately.
Some work in GP practices, soyou might see your GP and book
an appointment with apsychologist at the same centre,
but some psychologists work inother locations or through
agencies and support services.
And Headspace is an example ofanother kind of agency or

(40:24):
support service where a youngpeople might see a psychologist.
Um, now private fees and waitingtimes will vary across the
different services.
Of course, at Headspace therewouldn't be a fee because all
the psychologists there bogbill.
And your GP might be able to getyou into these services a bit
sooner or advocate through theirnetworks if you need a bog
billing psychologist and get toknow where they might be for

(40:48):
you.
Um, it's really important thatyou and your young person feel
comfortable and heard andsupported by your psychologist
or counsellor and by the GP andyou have a clear understanding
of what your treatment goals areand 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 whenthey come and see me.

(41:10):
Look, I don't know if I'm goingto be the right psychologist for
you, but I'd like to be.
Give me a go.
I think two or three sessions isenough for you to know if I'm
the right person for you to talkto.
And if it doesn't feel quiteright, it's okay to let me know
because it's most important foryou to get to the right person
to talk to rather than justgiving up and not talking to

(41:30):
anyone at all.
Okay.
All right.
Now at schools, uh, there are avariety of different roles that
can support students and theirstudent well-being.
Uh, so this might include theschool counselor, but a lot of
schools have other staff thereas well that support well-being.
It could be student supportofficers or pastoral care staff.

(41:52):
We've got indigenous workers anduh well-being officers at
schools as well.
There's a range of differentschools that have different
types of supports for students.
And now none of these roles canprovide long-term psychological
treatment, but they might be areally crucial part of being
part of the team and to supportyour young child while they're
at school.

(42:13):
So involving the school may bemay seem a bit unnecessary at
first, but it is where youryoung person might be spending a
majority of their time.
And if someone at school isaware of a vulnerability or a
challenge and looking out tohelp them navigate school in a
healthier way to be moreeffective, then that's going to
be worth it.
So talk about it and work out ifuh involving school might be a

(42:36):
helpful option for your youngperson.
And Elliot's already talkedabout the mental health team.
So mental health crisis teamsare in every state.
Uh, there are special teams thatare really focused on supporting
people who are experiencing amental health crisis or a
challenge.
And the teams have differentnames in different states, but
they're most commonly referredto as the mental health crisis
and treatment teams.

(42:56):
And these phone lines are open24-7 to the public so that they
can be used by families to askfor advice or how to treat
someone who might not be verysafe at the time.
And they're state funded,they're free to use so that
there would be no uhout-of-pocket expense
whatsoever.
And you don't even need theMedicaid 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 chatbox.
There's some great questionsgoing in there.
I can see me staying on here forhours to try and answer them and
see how we go.
That's really good.
Um there now there are dozens.

(43:39):
There's a lot, there's a lot onthe internet.
There's a lot on the internet.
For me personally, the internetwas a huge, huge benefit because
I was not willing to talk toanybody about what was going on
for a few reasons.
One of them being I didn'tactually know really that what I
was going through was a problemand could be improved.

(44:01):
Uh, and then when I did sort ofcome to the point of
understanding that maybe there'ssomething going on, I thought
that I was the only person thatwas going through it and no one
else would understand.
And then there's that extrastigma on top that I thought
potentially, you know, peoplewould rip me off and sort of put
me down, and that would actuallymake me worse.

(44:22):
So what I did was, at least inthe beginning, was use the
internet big time, big time.
Now, there's some rubbish umarticles on there, especially
about borderline personalitydisorder.
Um uh, but it it provided thissort of base fundamental level

(44:43):
of mental health literacy.
And then once I was armed withyou know the knowledge and and
and the understanding that maybethings going on could be
improved, then I was able tosort of present you know my case
to uh to those in my supportnetwork, and then it all sort of
grew from there.
So the internet's veryimportant, but as I said, um

(45:05):
there's a bit of rubbish onthere.
Um Bed unfortunately cops it alot, I've noticed.
Um, so it's very, very importantthat the right sort of avenues
are taken and and um andresources 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 somehelp.
And that's what you can see onyour screen right now.
Some digital services for youngpeople to access to get some
safe support that's gonna talkwith them about a range of
different mental healthdifficulties and guide them
towards things that they can doto look after themselves or ways

(45:43):
to communicate about it.
And Elliot, that's what you weresaying.
You were looking up online justto find to understand a bit more
what it was that you were goingthrough and what that was, uh,
and how to then be able tocommunicate it and what to do to
feel better.
Is there anyone here that you'veuh that you would recommend,
Elliot?

SPEAKER_01 (46:02):
Um This way up, I found was very good.
So that's a cognitive behavioraltherapy sort of based program.
Um I I quite enjoyed thatactually, which is which is good
because usually I don't enjoythis sort of therapy stuff.
Um, Headspace, uh I'm inNewcastle now, but I did live in
Tamworth for a couple of years,and I used to use the headspace

(46:24):
up there quite frequently, andit was very good.
Um, and Beyond Blue, Beyond Blueis 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 ananxiety program, they've got
separate uh separate kind ofprograms for children, and
they've got an adolescent agegroup of programs, and the Brave
program is for anxiety and it'sfor a parent to help their child

(46:53):
with their anxiety, and then theteenage program is for uh the
the uh the teenager to helpthemselves as well as some
parent information and supportas well.
So they're designed slightlydifferently.
So if you've done the Braveprogram uh when they're a child,
they might need to revisit it atsome stage in their adolescent,
knowing that the uh theadolescent Brave program is
going to be useful for them aswell.
Um, and I think uh Lochland'salready mentioned the Sleep

(47:17):
Ninja app in the chat box.
That's another app that could behelpful for uh sleep
difficulties for young people.
Now we've also got someinformation about parents and
carers, some resources uh aboutdigital services that you can go
to as parents and carers to getinformation to help you out as
well.
There's a lot there.
Uh, it's hard to navigate, youknow, finding right, safe

(47:38):
information.
So we want to make it easier foryou.
This is all in the resource hubfor 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 childwas little.
Uh, because we think of that as,you know, like how do I navigate
toddlers and babies and thatsort of thing.
But actually, there is anadolescent module for that as

(48:00):
well.
And at the moment, the onlineprogram of Triple P is free.
It's been funded by thegovernment.
So it's absolutely free for youto join a triple parenting
program.
And if you're at the beginningstage of adolescence, uh, it
might be a useful one to gothrough and have a look at.
Uh, and my compass is alsoanother version of an online
treatment program that you cango to help you with some

(48:22):
resources.
And if you're not sure what'shappening and you're an adult uh
for yourself, if you're not surewhat's happening for yourself,
then you can go to onlineclinic, that's the last one on
the list there, and fill in aquestionnaire.
All the words are on the screen.
You don't even need to knowreally how to explain it.
You just need to answer thequestions.
How often do I feel this?
How often do I feel that?

(48:43):
And then it will give you someuh a report with some guidance
on on what might be helpful foryou to investigate further and
how to communicate about it.
Uh, so that could be reallyuseful.

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 reallylocked in this idea that you
know there might be somethinggoing on.
So very much recommended, verymuch so.

SPEAKER_00 (49:14):
Awesome.
Okay, so the future proofingstudy has allowed us to track
young people's mental healthacross high school, and it has
highlighted what lifestylefactors are most important for
young people's mental health.
So we're gonna do this quickquiz.
Now, unfortunately, I'm gonnareveal all the answers all at
once.

(49:34):
So I want you to have a lookthrough and note down what you
think the answers might be, trueor false.
Uh, technology use is a keydriver in youth mental health
crisis.
True or false, just note yourown answers, private, private
reflection.
Social media interferes withconnecting with friends in real
life, true or false.
Improving teen sleep can reducethe chance of developing
depression and anxiety, true orfalse.

(49:57):
Your sleep patterns,friendships, and screen time use
or influence your child'sbehavior, true or false?
And Elliot's going to talk usthrough some of these.

SPEAKER_01 (50:10):
So the first one is um funnily enough, is actually
false.
So there is little consensus orevidence in the literature that
screen time negatively impactson mental health.
Can you believe that?
Uh, we do know there is a linkbetween increased screen time
and the high likelihood of teensmeeting clinical levels of

(50:32):
depression, um, especially foryoung girls as well, which is
interesting.
But the direction of thisrelationship is unclear.
So we don't know if increasedscreen time causes depression or
depression leads to increasedscreen time or a mix of both.
So there you go.
Um, question two is false.

(50:55):
We found that most people, uh,most young people, 79% primarily
use social media to communicatewith real life peers.
It doesn't stop them from seeingtheir friends in real life, and
they tell us it strengthensfriendships.
Interesting.
Uh question three is true.
Addressing sleep can helpprevent depression and anxiety.

(51:19):
Uh, big time.
I did my thesis on sleep, um, alot of it in the wee hours of
the morning.
Uh, in the future proofingstudy, poor sleep was one factor
that predicted which year eightstudents develop depression or
anxiety in year nine.

SPEAKER_00 (51:36):
So that's just amazing.
Isn't it that we can the peoplewith poor sleep was a one factor
that predicted which year eightstudents developed depression or
anxiety in year nine?
If you can make that effort totry to help your young person
improve their sleep, that islikely 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 mysleep hasn't improved much over
the years, which is a problem.
Anyway, question five is true.
What young people see us doingis the most powerful influencer,
modeling behavior.
So think about what you modelabout sleep, social connection,

(52:17):
screen use, and mental health ingeneral.
So let's touch on these factors,sleep connections and screens in
a bit more detail.
They are all factors we can helpour 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 topay attention because this is
what you need as well.
We need you to sleep well, weneed you to be well.
And sleep plays a vital role inour overall well-being.
It actually allows our body torepair and restore itself.
It consolidates memory, itsupports cognitive function, and

(52:56):
it regulates various differentphysiological processes that
promote physical and mentalhealth.
So we're actually doing a lotwhen we're sleeping.
And we need enough time of sleepfor all of that very important
work to happen.
So for teenagers, their brainsare still developing.
Consistent and sufficient sleepis essential for them to have

(53:19):
optimal functioning.
And we now know that improvingsleep can prevent mental health
problems from developing.
And we it can help people ifsomeone is struggling with their
mental health, if we can gettheir sleep back on track a bit,
that's going to help them withthat time of struggle.
Now it's interesting becauseteenagers actually have a change
in their sleeping preferences,their sleeping pattern

(53:39):
biologically.
Uh, and uh gosh, understandingsleep from babies to toddlers to
children.
Uh, there's a lot of changesthat happen in our sleep over
our development.
And teenagers, there's anotherchange.
Teenagers actually need eight toten hours of sleep per night.
Um, but their patterns dochange, they get sleepy later.

(54:02):
And so around say 11 p.m., theymight be getting sleepier rather
than what we would like them tobe sleepier a bit earlier.
And they have a preference towake up later.
That's biological, that theyhave this later time of wanting
to go to or feeling sleepy and alater time of waking up.
So up to 40% of young peopleexperience some form of sleep

(54:22):
disturbance.
A lot of factors get in the wayof these healthy sleeping
routines, right?
Teenagers have a lot more goingon in their lives, well, their
phones, but also TV, uh, or whatthey're watching, and now it's
on demand.
They can just keep watching showafter show after show.
They don't have to wait a wholeweek for another episode, like I
had to back in my day.
Uh, and they've got after-schooljobs, uh, social activities,

(54:45):
sports, homework, as well asworries and keeping up to date
with what's going on around themin their lives and with their
with their connections and theirpeople.
So sleep might be low on thatpriority list.
All these other things mightseem much more important.
In Australia, 83% of17-year-olds report using their
mobile phones between 10 p.m.

(55:06):
and 6 a.m.
This means they go to bed laterand they have interrupted sleep
patterns because they might bereplying to their friends' texts
during the night.
It might not just be them, butit might be their peer network
that is uh kind of keeping thema bit more awake as well.
So helping support young peopleto set boundaries around screen
time is going to be an importantpart.

(55:27):
And we are going to cover that alittle bit later, but let's just
stick with 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 8a.m., school hours and then
catching the school bus to getto school on time don't really
fit with that.
So we do need to help supportreally healthy sleeping patterns
to help people get the eight to10 hours of sleep that they

(55:50):
really need.
And you, as parents and carers,can play a crucial role in
helping young people establishthese good sleep patterns.
Uh, setting and modeling familyvalues around sleep, making it a
family priority for sleep to beimportant.
If they see mum and dad up allnight, uh, but we're telling
them to go to bed, uh, thatmight not be as useful or as

(56:11):
skillful as if we all go throughthe motions of getting ready for
bed and we're all leading byexample.
We need to upskill.
And young people are more likelyto uh to sleep well when they're
informed about why and how tomake that happen.
So we can use evidence-basedresources to help improve their
sleep routines.
And when they're doing itthemselves because they choose

(56:32):
to, that's going to be mucheasier than us trying to get
them to do it, right?
So we do recommend the Black DogInstitute Sleep Ninja.
It's designed specifically forteens and will help them with
this information and uh andsetting it up.
You can do it with them, yeah?
You can uh download the SleepNinja app and you can do it with
them together and show supportthat way.

(56:53):
We want to negotiate consistentsleep routines, regular bed
times and wake-up times that cansignificantly improve sleep
quality.
There needs to be someflexibility around times when
life gets busy, absolutely, butwe do need uh when someone's
struggling with their mentalhealth to prioritize sleep as
one of those most important lifechoices to help them in the long

(57:16):
run, right?
And to help at that vulnerabletime.
And we want to promote a healthylifestyle.
So that means encouraging abalanced diet, regular eating,
including breakfast.
That's my big thing to make sureyoung people are eating
breakfast, they often skip it.
Something to fuel your brain forthe morning.
Uh, and regular exercise, it'sreally important.

(57:37):
Exercise helps our body so much,and it can actually help with
sleep as well.
So let's look at some socialconnections now.

SPEAKER_01 (57:47):
Um, so it can be so challenging.
It's it's hard to see our youngpeople 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 thatteenagers who have at least one

(58:08):
close friendship are better ableto bounce back from stress and
have high resilience scores.
Um, we also know that allpositive connections benefit
well-being, whether it is thesame-age peers, older or
younger, uh, family, teachers,coach, elder, neighbor,

(58:29):
community groups, and pets.
So, generally speaking, itdoesn't matter who it is, but if
there's a positive connectionthere, that's that's a very good
sign.
Um, for First Nations people,this may extend to include
spiritual connections andconnections to land and
community.
So we can help by educating ourteams.

(58:49):
That keeps coming up, education,education, um, about the quality
of connections and encouragingthem to invest in positive
connections, the ones that makeyou feel good about yourself
afterwards.
Uh, this is for in-person andonline interactions.
Um, of course, onlineinteractions are not necessarily

(59:12):
a bad thing.
Um, as the data showed before,sometimes young people can find
themselves investing in aneutral connection that has
neither a positive nor negativeimpact, but it takes away from
investing in a connection thatcould create positive benefits.
So we've got to pick and choose,you know, who we hang out with

(59:34):
and invest our energies in.
Um, it's normal for youngpeople's connections to change
across adolescence.
Mine certainly did.
Um, they find that they don'tconnect as well with friends
that they may have known for along time.
Unfortunately, the guys I wentto primary school with, you
know, I sort of drifted awayfrom them and made some new

(59:56):
connections.
That's that's that that happenedduring uh high school.
And it's very tricky for peopleto navigate too, that's for
sure.
We can help them identify thequality of their connections and
encourage them to put theirenergy into building positive
connections by recognising thevalue and opportunities in all

(01:00:19):
sources, connections, not justgirlfriends.
Remember, it doesn't necessarilymatter who it is as long as it's
positive.
Supporting interests andencourage extracurricular
activities.
So promote the participation inclubs and activities to
facilitate connections withothers to share similar

(01:00:40):
passions.
Go along with them getting toknow their friends too.
Modelling positive socialinteractions.
So demonstrating healthyrelationships within the family
and with friends.
There's a lot of that modellinggoing on.
You know, we've got to reallyset the tone.
Providing opportunities forsocializing, so host gatherings

(01:01:03):
at home to create a comfortablespace for socializing and
arrange social outings or groupactivities.
Providing emotional support.
Be a supportive listener.
This just goes across the board.
Offering comfort duringfriendship challenges.
Talk to them regularly abouttheir friendships so that you

(01:01:24):
know what is happening and youcan offer support along the way.

SPEAKER_00 (01:01:30):
And let's have a look at screens.
Just like Elliot was talkingthere, uh, how important it is
that we are we haverelationships and connections
with people that help us to feelgood.
We need to think about screensand how does interacting with
screens or using that app orbeing on that social media
platform, how do I feel aboutmyself when I engage in that

(01:01:53):
screen time?
And that's actually most helpfulfor us to stay focused on.
So approximately 95% of teens inAustralia now have access to a
smartphone, and social media isfirmly established as their
preferred platform forcommunicating with others.
And screens are a big part ofall of our lives now, really.
And screens are here to stay.
So we have to learn how we'regoing to work well with screens

(01:02:16):
to support mental health.
Now, young people in years 10 to12 in our future proofing study
told us that outside ofschoolwork, that they use their
device for three to four hours aday.
Uh, to with two to three hoursof that time on social media,
they were using their devicesfor screaming, screaming,
streaming video content uh likeNetflix and YouTube, as well as

(01:02:40):
searching the internet andgaming.
Now we often are asked, we're weare 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 adviseyou.
There are some nationalguidelines, but they're out of
sync with how devices are beingused by young people.

(01:03:01):
So they may the guidelines thatare out there might not be that
useful for us at the momentuntil they're better looked at.
So while research is happeningaround this, the best way to
access healthy screen habits isto understand why the young
person is using their screen.
What are you using it for?
How does it make you feel whenyou have time on that?

(01:03:23):
And is the content appropriate?
And is the device use getting inthe way of other important
things like sleep, time withfamily and friends, physical
activity, hobbies?
We need to have a balance ofdifferent things, including
screens.
Now we have an important role toplay in helping our young people
develop healthy digital habitsand it's interlinked to key

(01:03:45):
health behaviours like sleep,socializing, and physical
activity.
They also need our help to limitexposure to interactive content
and to help them understand thedesign features in the app or
the program that might make itdifficult to disengage.
They might not be aware of that.
We might need to help them tounderstand why they have this

(01:04:08):
desire to keep going with thisgame because of the design
features of the game.
Remember, their brain is stilldeveloping and uh and
understanding some of thesecomplex uh kind of thinking
things is what they need ourhelp with.
So banning them or being overlyrigid and controlling doesn't
usually work for teenagers.
I have tried that.
Uh, and it might just reduce thecommunication, but we can't just

(01:04:32):
give in and do nothing at all.
What we want you to do is notdemonize the screens.
Uh, recognize there's positiveaspects of gaming, there's
positive aspects of socialmedia, uh, and find out what is
it that they enjoy doing withthat particular thing.
Then have an open dialogue, agood conversation, an open

(01:04:53):
conversation where you'reshowing 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 involvedin in um some in a way that they
use their screen.
Model balance tech use.
So we need to help them work outwhat's enough time on something.
And then how do I disengage tobe able to do other things as

(01:05:15):
well, right?
And if I haven't done theseother things in life yet today,
how can I incorporate that in sothat there's balanced use of all
things?
And that's just teachinglifestyle 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 mightbe part of these things so that
you can help your young personto understand the impact of that

(01:05:38):
and have uh and remember thathealthy lifestyle promote
overall well-being by engaginghealthy relationships and
physical activity and balancednutrition and good sleep.
And that will be very helpfuloverall.
So that is bringing us to uh anend of the information that we
have prepared for you.
We've got some time now.

(01:06:00):
Um, we've touched on theseissues like sleep and uh and
social connections and screens.
We've talked a bit aboutnoticing what signs might be
when someone's struggling withtheir mental health, as well as
normal signs of changes inadolescence.
So let's have a look at some ofyour questions and we'll see
that.
Now I did see a very specificquestion in the chat box, but I

(01:06:21):
do want to answer it, and it wasabout TMS, which is transmagic
stimulation, a type of therapy.
The person asked about that.
What is uh what is my opinionabout 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 ayoung person that even heard of

(01:06:44):
it or had I had gone through it.
I now have had several youngpeople, uh, probably later
adolescents, 16 and older, uh,have had some TMS because they
were treatment resistant.
Their mental illness wasn'tbeing treated with CBT, with
psychology, or with medicationsvery well.
After a number of medicationswere tried, psychiatrists

(01:07:06):
assisted with an assessment andthey did go through TMS and it
was very effective and helpfulfor them.
So I think TMS is a safe andeffective treatment with proper
consideration by a psychiatristand making sure we've already
given some of these otherinterventions a go.
So that's my answer to that one.
Let's have a look at these otherquestions too.

SPEAKER_01 (01:07:27):
Can I just jump in as well?
I've got to do a bit ofself-promotion, everybody.
So if you want to hear, I alwaysfeel funny when I do this.
If you want to hear more aboutmy story, I have a podcast.
It's arguably probably the mostfed income podcast on the
internet.
It's called the DisregulatedPodcast.
And it's all about my story uhgrowing up and living with

(01:07:51):
mental illness.
Um, you'll learn things about methat you didn't even want to
know.
So the dysregulated podcast,every time someone listens, my
little graph goes up and thedopamine levels in my head go up
as well.
So uh if if you want to listento me talk more about mental
health, that is a greatresource, in my opinion.

(01:08:13):
Um, and uh yeah, that's that'smy potty.
Love it.

SPEAKER_00 (01:08:19):
Great.
And I I encourage you to have ago and look at that and support
Elliot.
We want to support Elliot in anyway that we can, absolutely.
Uh, screen time, how do wehandle that with PCs and phones?
It is tricky.
Uh, you need to discuss thatwith your depending on how old
your teenager is, uh, it's hardto go backwards.

(01:08:40):
Uh, it's easier to kind of uhdevelop some family guidelines
and discuss why that might berecommended and then negotiate a
little bit more with them sothat it's a true negotiation,
not just I tell you this andthat's what goes, uh, and then
stick to it.
Uh, and that would be reallyuseful.
But remember, you do need toadjust those as the young person
gets older.

(01:09:00):
So, what what kind of uhdecisions the family might make
around screen time for a12-year-old will be different to
a 14-year-old, different againto a 16-year-old, and different
to an 18-year-old.
So just think about making sureyou you offer this chance to
review.
And how great is that whenyou're the one that brings it
up?
Hey, uh it's uh, you know,you're in year nine now, let's

(01:09:22):
talk about screen time.
What are we gonna, what are wegonna arrange for this year?
What do you think is fair andreasonable?
What do you think my concernsare gonna be and how can we
manage that?
Um, and then try to stick withit.

SPEAKER_01 (01:09:33):
Yeah, that's a question here.
Um, and I'd like to think I'm anexpert on this topic.
So sleeping well is stronglyindicative of how well, if a
person is coping, definitely.
Certainly, sleep is a is a bigdeterminant.
There's a bi-directionalrelationship, um, which means
that bad sleep equals well, notalways, but can equal bad mental

(01:09:58):
health outcomes.
Bad mental health outcomes canequal poor sleep.
So sleep is huge, as not onlysleep's important not only to to
um get the hours we need, so itit it looks after our mental
health.
Um it's also important becauseit is sort of a litmus test, if

(01:10:20):
you like, um, to see if peopleare coping.
Um quite often people think aswell, I've found that um poor
sleep or you know could equalsleeping in as well.
Um, as we said earlier on, youngkids need eight to ten hours
sleep.
Um, they do need a little bitmore than the rest of us.

(01:10:41):
So that needs to be kept inmind.
Um but I found when I wasactually quite depressed and
anxious that I would wake upreally early.
So it wasn't that I was sleepingin 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 theindividual.

(01:11:02):
It's very individual.
Um, and it depends on how uhthese mental health concerns are
manifesting themselves.

SPEAKER_00 (01:11:11):
Yeah, and but to and with sleep, there's another
question about melatonin.
Uh, is that a useful tool tohelp young people with sleep
problems or will it create adependency?
I'm not aware of melatonincreating a dependency in young
people.
I have had some young peoplefind it quite helpful.
And remember, if they're havingdifficulties, uh, they're not
feeling sleepy and they need togo to sleep, what are they then

(01:11:33):
going to do for the hours whilethey're waiting for sleep to
start?
So melatonin could be a greatway of assisting, you know, the
uh them to get ready for sleep,and it does help with sleep.
Uh now you can't get melatoninwithout a prescription for young
people.
Older people can accessmelatonin through the pharmacist
without a GP prescription, butyoung people cannot.
You will need to see a doctorand have a conversation about

(01:11:57):
that.
And I would say, and I've heardGPs 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 littlebit of time to get a nice
routine in place, and then wewould stop using melatonin.
And I've certainly had peopletake melatonin for uh two to
four months and find uh withconsistent uh other support and

(01:12:18):
a good routine that might beenough to get things back on
track a little bit more.

SPEAKER_01 (01:12:21):
Yeah, let's put it this way.
I I've uh I don't know, I'vetried everything.
Um, melatonin um was was one ofthem.
I found uh not looking at myphone late at night to be much
more important than poppingmelatonin.
So, but again, it's veryindividual, very individual.

SPEAKER_00 (01:12:39):
And I agree, and I would I'd I'd put the two
together.
I'd say if you are gonna, if thedoctor thinks melatonin could be
helpful, then take melatonin,but also uh no screens in your
room at night time.
So charging devices outside theroom when sleep when people are
sleeping.
Uh and uh that's what I've donein my household.

(01:13:00):
Uh you know, you if you'reyoung, you your phones get
charged outside your room, butyou can access it in the morning
and have a look at what's beengoing on if you want.
Uh, but no phones in roomsovernight.
Yeah.
Um, you go, you go, all good.
There's a question here aboutdivorced and separated
households.
Look, that one's this is this isreally tricky when you're

(01:13:22):
wanting certain routines tohappen in one house.
Obviously, that's going to bebetter if it can happen across
both households.
But we have to also respect atan at a separate household, uh,
there might be differentroutines and different ideas and
opinions in place there.
What's going to be most helpfulis if you are consistent in the
way that the information you'resharing with your young person,

(01:13:44):
rather than being overly focusedon what's happening at the other
house.
If your young person knows thatthis is what happens when I'm in
this household and I'm okay totalk about things in this
household, that's going to bemore helpful in the long run,
right?
Because you're then modellingconsistency and accepting of
diversity and of differences andcoping when these differences

(01:14:07):
happen in a life so that youdon't get impacted overall.
Uh, and that can happen infuture workplaces and in life in
general.
So you're just uh giving youryoung person a heads up on
tolerating those differences andstill looking towards what I can
do best for myself in the longrun, right?

SPEAKER_01 (01:14:24):
Um, there's a comment here um uh how hard it
is to get into a psychiatrist uhfor medication for ADHD.
And can I not just say Iunderstand completely because
I'm going through the sameproblem at the moment?
My ADHD is not being medicatedand it is causing big, big

(01:14:45):
problems.
But I cannot see a psychiatrist.
Um I just can't find anybodythat's available.
So I'm in Newcastle, like I saidbefore, God's country.
Um, but I am looking at Sydneyto try and get a psychiatrist.
I'm happy to commute, whatever.
Um, except I still can't findsomeone.

(01:15:07):
So I don't have an answer forthat, but I sympathize, that's
for sure.

SPEAKER_00 (01:15:11):
Yeah, and we just want to encourage you to keep uh
keep up your your hope and yourenergy for finding someone.
Uh, GPs often do have networksand links through to other
services or other people thatmight be able to access
psychiatry.
And their government's alwayslooking at ways that we can uh
increase accessibility uh toservices and to people.

(01:15:32):
So we just want you to keepgoing to try to advocate for a
young person to find something.
Uh definitely it is challengingto find.
And I know I just can't makeenough appointments uh for
people who might need them.
I have to uh just do the bestthat I can for the people that I
get to work with that I'm veryprivileged to work with.
Um, now there's another questionon um uh how do you help an

(01:15:59):
adolescent when they're notready to accept that there's a
problem?
Uh often an adolescent, youmight be concerned and you
broach the topic with someoneand they respond and they get
angry or defensive or uhparanoid even, uh, and then it
just turns into a realchallenging situation.
So, first of all, I would say uhyou might just want to broach

(01:16:22):
the conversation in a fewdifferent ways.
And I think when you're drivingsomewhere with a young person,
we're not looking at each other,but as we're driving somewhere
going on a long drive, uh we canstart talking about life and you
might talk about this, and thatcould be a way in.
And I found a lot of youngpeople prefer that uh they end
up talking when they go on along drive with a parent and
when there's no one else in thecar.
Yeah.
So if there's a somewhere youcan go where you can take them,

(01:16:45):
then that could be one way tohave an opportunity for a
conversation.
And the next thing I'd say is Iwould say to the adolescent, if
I understand if you don't thinkthere's a problem, maybe I'm
concerned for something that notthat isn't a problem.
I am still concerned though.
How can I know that there's nota problem?
What are you showing me thattells me that everything's okay?

(01:17:07):
Um, maybe I'm not looking at thesigns you're giving me that
everything is okay.
And if it's not okay, then wecan work on it together.
So maybe reassure them thatthey're not going to be blamed
or default.
If things are not okay, uh,there can be ways that can be
worked through together.
Yeah.
Um, and sometimes it's notnecessarily you might be

(01:17:27):
concerned, but there might beanother adult in that person's
life that could be helpful andinfluential to just have more
contact with that person for aperiod of time, right?
I know for a little while uh mylovely uh adopted sister.
Well, you know, she's nottechnically adopted, but just uh
a person that I adopted in mylife as a sister figure, uh,

(01:17:47):
really just started talking withmy son more often.
And uh for a while, uh hestarted interacting and talking
with her too more.
Um, they never really talkedabout mental health
difficulties, but gosh, thatsupport was helpful.
So there could be other peoplein that in your network or in
your life that could be lovelyuh to connect and to engage that

(01:18:10):
person to help them at that timeas well.

SPEAKER_01 (01:18:13):
Um there's been a few uh questions around um
teenagers not being motivated toget out of bed and sort of
engage with the social world.
Um, that was me as well.
Uh, and what I found veryhelpful was I um I uh completed

(01:18:33):
a program which was all aboutdreaming, first off, about a
realistic future that I would behappy with, and then writing
down the ways in which to tryand do it, those sort of
concrete goals and and routinesand habits.
Um there's a few of them online.
I know Jordan Peterson's verycontroversial, but his future

(01:18:54):
authoring program is prettygood.
Um, but there's plenty of othersas well.
Um, I would recommend somethinglike that because it all comes
down to this sort of meaning andpurpose.
I didn't have a meaning andpurpose for a long time, so I
was just swishing around,getting dragged in every
direction by influences thatweren't my own.

(01:19:15):
Um, but once I really tightenedup my outlook on life and
galvanized my approach towardsthis meaning and purpose that I
created, all of a sudden theinspiration uh to get out of bed
and get stuck into it, it wasthere because I was actually
working towards something atthat point.
Whereas before I didn't knowwhat was going on.

(01:19:36):
So, yeah, just a bit of that'sjust helped me.
And um, yeah, I think meaningand purpose is unbelievably
important.

SPEAKER_00 (01:19:44):
I agree.
Meaning and purpose isdefinitely an avenue towards
someone feeling able to start todo a bit more and to take that
risk, and especially if they'reanxious, it's actually really
overwhelming to start to dothings that are different.
And it's much easier just to no,say no to that, and just to stay
doing the status quo becausethat's much more comfortable.
So it is understandable thatthey might get into that pattern

(01:20:07):
and then get quite stuck in it.
But we need to hold hope and weneed to help them to uh find
that engagement in things thatare meaningful and purpose and
uh to help direct their life alittle bit more, or connect them
with uh a counselor that theycan talk that through with as
well and develop it forthemselves.

SPEAKER_01 (01:20:25):
Yeah, there's there's just a follow-up.
Um, how old was I when I foundthis meaning of purpose?
I was 27.
Um, 27, which was way too late,should have happened a lot
earlier.
But again, there wasn't muchmental health literacy going on.
There was definitely noconversations.
Um, but 27 years old it took umwhen things were looking very

(01:20:47):
bleak, but turned it around.

SPEAKER_00 (01:20:49):
Good on you.
And it good on you, Elliot, thatyou turned it around and that
you just persisted for that timeto find it.
Now, I know some young peopleachieve the same sort of thing
as you're describing, Elliot,where they can be quite lost for
quite a while and actually verystuck in that situation.
And then something happens wherethey develop this inside and
this hope for how things couldbe different or what they might

(01:21:12):
start to do differently.
And that can actually happen atany age.
And I think that's what is soimportant for us doing this,
having this conversationtonight, to know that all these
effort you might make for aconversation or an opportunity
or an experience, uh, and itmight be knocked back, they're
still really helpful for you tokeep doing that and to stay uh

(01:21:32):
keep your energy up for it.
Uh, and uh knowing that even theidea that someone thought that
might be fun or that might be anopportunity or might be an
experience is still showingregard for someone, showing them
that they're important, thatthey're thought about, that
they're considered uh withouttoo much arguing or pressure if
they say no.
But opportunities that arepresent are the way to go.

(01:21:53):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:21:55):
Uh just I'm gonna jump in again on loving these
questions, loving them.
As there's a question about uhborderline personality.
Um where would you find the bestinformation?
Okay, so on YouTube, therebecause there's a lot of bad
information on the internet whenit comes to BPD, it's highly

(01:22:17):
stigmatized, and there is a lotof negativity from people out
there that are affected in oneway or another.
And we need to get away fromthat because it's it's it's not
helpful at all.
Um, one resource I found whichwas a game changer, is um on
YouTube there's thispsychologist called Dr.

(01:22:38):
Daniel Fox, and he is brilliantwhen it comes to B per D.
Not only does he know everythingabout 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 todescribe it.
It's just full of hope, and it'sjust it's amazing.

(01:22:58):
So, Dr.
Daniel Fox um is is very goodwhen it comes to BPD.
Uh, my podcast is also reallygood when it comes to BPD as
well.
Um but yeah, they're they'resort of well, I guess two
resources that I would look at.
Um and also I just want to, thisis a bit of a side note again,

(01:23:20):
but it's important to say thatBPD, when treated, um, has a
great prognosis, a really,really good prognosis.
Um, so yeah, BPD.

SPEAKER_00 (01:23:33):
I can match for that, Elliot.
I think it can have a greatprognosis.
And some of these people, someof these people with BPD in
their life, they'll struggle fora period of time for sure.
And those struggles are veryreal, but they can turn out to
be the best adults and thesafest adults ever.
So I think it's definitely worthour time to make sure we can get

(01:23:53):
actually uh qualityinterventions and support and
make sure it's ongoing for thetime that it's needed.
So I know, Elliot, you want tostay here all night to answer
questions, but we're gonna dotwo more.
Well, I'm gonna do one and thenyou can pick one.
So while I'm talking, you canpick whichever one you like.
I've noticed a question here,and uh now Lochlan has answered
it, but I want to answer it aswell.

(01:24:14):
How do you phrase asking themabout suicide?
I think that's actually a reallyimportant question.
So thank you for putting that upthere as a question for us to
discuss.
I think you can sometimes we'reconcerned about what words to
use for people of yes, say 12,13, 14.
Uh, and I think some some ofthat is our concern about the
word rather than them.

(01:24:36):
We wouldn't, we won't put ideasin people's minds by asking
about it, okay?
So it's okay for us to ask aboutit.
I think a way to ask about itwas is by asking, have you I'm
really concerned with what'shappening with you right now, or
I'm really concerned with whatyou're describing or what you're
experiencing.
Are you having thoughts ofhurting yourself?

(01:24:56):
Have you ever had thoughts ofhurting yourself?
Are you having thoughts of notwanting to be around or not
wanting to be alive?
Yeah, so we can kind of uh startit off as uh uh uh a little bit
and then add to it a bit more ifwe need to, depending on what
their answer is.
And if we say the words first,then they know that it's okay

(01:25:17):
for them to talk about it withus.
If we're too cautious aboutasking directly, then actually
they kind of when that'ssomething we shouldn't talk
about because it makes peopleuncomfortable.
So uh that's uh something thatyou can do.
Uh, school counsellors, they canbe a good resource for you as a
parent as well uh to have a chatto a school counselor and how to
talk to young people becausethey're very skilled at it.

(01:25:39):
They could even help you to talkabout it with them.
You can call kids helpline andand talk to them yourself first.
Say, I'd like to ask my childabout if they're having suicidal
thoughts, I'm not sure how to doit.
And they could even say, Well,why don't we all talk together?
You, me, and your child uhtogether in a phone call.
Um, so there's ways that you cando it and get support while
you're doing it as well.

(01:25:59):
Uh and those resources thatLachlan shared are likely to be
helpful uh to help guide you inthough that as well.
All right, Locke, uh Elliot,which one are you going to pick?

SPEAKER_01 (01:26:10):
Um, there's a question here about routines and
responsibilities, um, whetherwhether they should uh be
continued when these mentalhealth battles are going on.
And can I just say yes, yes,yes, yes, definitely,
definitely.
Routine and responsibilities areso, so important.

(01:26:32):
Um, now this is this is thething.
Sometimes, and this happens tome still now, some of those days
I'm just in, I'm in the hurtlocker and I just cannot uh
complete the routines orresponsibilities that I would
like to.
It's just sometimes it justleads me.

(01:26:53):
But then we try again the nextday.
And it's it's important becausepeople that are anxious um, you
know, have a fear of the futurereally.
And a way to sort of get rid ofthat fear is to come up with
routines and responsibilitiesthat defines the future moving
forward.
So for anxiety, it's veryimportant.

(01:27:14):
For ADHD, it's huge.
Um, because you know, with ADHD,all of a sudden, you know, what
was a step-by-step process ofthe days out the window and
we're just floating around doingevery little thing.
If if we have consistentroutines with ADHD, um,
eventually it becomes secondnature and it just happens.

(01:27:37):
And that's just two disordersthat um I have an affinity with,
where routine and responsibilityis so important.
And those responsibilities, youknow, it all works towards the
meaning and purpose.
But that's the thing.
The routines andresponsibilities, if they're
sort of feeding the meaning andpurpose, um, and it's all

(01:27:58):
galvanized and it's all sort ofthe same way, heading the same
way, very, very important.
So, yes, and school work,household chores, no household
chores, man, I'm still hopelessat that.
But school and work um huge aswell, because I found if I don't
go to work, if I don't go towork currently, um, you know,

(01:28:21):
that that actually makes me feelworse.
Whereas if you go to work, go toschool, that's a massive
achievement, especially ifthere's some mental distress
going on.
So, yeah, I would I would keepkeep at all of them, but also be
mindful that some days it's justa no-go as well.

SPEAKER_00 (01:28:40):
So now there was one question, I have to do one more
because uh there is a questionthat was asked uh in the chat,
but there's a couple.
So what I might there's a couplein the chat box that Lochland
suggested I'll be able torespond with an answer, and I
will.
Uh I might help, I might get himto do, I might be able to

(01:29:02):
respond to that to youindividually with an email.
But one of them was aboutself-harming.
I've just lost it now.
One was about self-harming.
Uh, and uh if someone wasself-harming, definitely in the
answered section.
Let me find it.
Um is self-harming the same?
Is the treatment or the responsefor self-harming the same if

(01:29:24):
they have a mental healthcondition and they're
self-harming?
What if they don't have a mentalhealth condition and they're
self-harming?
And what if they have OCD andthey're self-harming?
Now it's uh that's a really goodquestion.
I would uh I would treat it thesame.
If someone is self-harming, welook at what the function of
that difficulty is.
Why are they self harming?
What are they trying to gain orhow is that helping them?

(01:29:47):
And then look at helping themlearn other ways that they can
get the support they need orhave the response that they need
that isn't harmful.
Um, so we start to change thatbehaviour, but we also look at
if there's possibly Anunderlying mental health
condition or a vulnerability toat the moment they're feeling uh
low in their mood or they'reanxious, they may never have

(01:30:07):
been diagnosed.
So we would be looking at thebigger picture, not just the
self-harming behaviour.
And when it comes to OCD, thatdoes complicate things a little
bit.
So I would recommend seeing aspecialist, a GP or a
psychologist or a specialistpsychologist who works with OCD
to determine if the OCD could bepart of a compulsive OCD

(01:30:28):
behaviour, or is it aself-harming behavior because of
emotional distress?
So that one is a tricky one.
So you did ask a very goodquestion, a tricky question, and
we'd I'd need to look at that inmuch more specifics of the
individual to determine which itcould be, um, and then what the
most appropriate treatment mightbe for that as well.
Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 (01:30:48):
And OCD isn't just about washing your hands as
well.
I just want to make that pointbecause it's another affliction
that I've got.
Um, and it took so long toidentify because I had this
preconceived idea of what OCDwas about.
It's actually much broader inscope.
And um it's uh yeah, so I justwant to make that point clear.

(01:31:11):
I'm just trying to get that outthere.

SPEAKER_00 (01:31:14):
So and the one last one that uh that Lochlan
suggested we could answer.
And we you have kind of alreadyanswered this, I think, Elliot.
I think, in planning the road torecovery from depression and
when they're having suicidalthoughts with their depression
as well.
How do parents balance the needto encourage the adolescent
getting back to the activitiesthey enjoyed versus the

(01:31:35):
adolescent driving the plan withthe risk of it being overly
drawn out?
And I think that's when we'vegot to negotiate for a little
bit of both.
Uh, I hear you're saying you'dlike this, and can we do a bit
of this as well?
And that way we're both workingtowards it and seeing how it
goes.
So we just have to negotiatethat because sometimes the
adolescent might have plans andthey what they want to have

(01:31:57):
happen might not be possiblefinancially, it might not be
possible practically, uh, or itmight actually just be it won't
give them the benefitimmediately because it's a
longer-term vision.
Uh, so we need a bit of both,but we do need to encourage
people getting back toactivities that they enjoyed, or
having some new immediateactivities that they can enjoy
that's feasible to put intotheir life now.

(01:32:19):
Is that what you would say too,Elliot?

SPEAKER_01 (01:32:22):
100%.
Couldn't have said it bettermyself.

SPEAKER_00 (01:32:25):
Yeah.
Good.
I think you've answered that toowith some of your other
examples.
So that was really good.
I think we just want to saythank you so much for your
attendance and for everyone tostay on asking questions.
I hope we've got to answer someof your questions.
I'm really sorry if we didn'tget to answer your specific
question.
Uh, what Lochlin has beenworking really hard there to try

(01:32:46):
to give you access to resources.
Remember that resource hub isterrific.
Uh, that will certainly help youuh to have access to resources.
Our key message from thetraining today is uh look, the
unique challenges thatadolescents face today.
Uh, that's certainly true.
And parents, you can help.
Parents and carers have reallyplay a crucial role in helping

(01:33:09):
teens to navigate this lifestage.
So we want you to stay connectedand stay involved in their
lives.
That helps you notice changes.
It helps you be more able tohave conversations with them
about their mental health.
We need you to create routinesthat can allow you to have time
to talk and connect.
I hear sometimes parentscomplaining about having to
drive their young person to workafter school jobs and picking

(01:33:31):
them up after the job, right?
But I think what a beautifultime that could be regularly to
be able to just have chats andhave chances to have this time
together to be available.
Uh so I encourage you to changethe way you think about that, is
not as a hassle or aninconvenience, but as a vital
time that you're showing uhgenuine support for a young
person.
Uh, ask directly uh about howthey're going and about their

(01:33:54):
mental health and work togetherto create these healthy routines
and upskill and get support foryour help.
And if you're struggling withyour own mental health, get
support support for you.
If you're struggling withparenting, get support for the
parenting.
Um, and so we want to invite youto think about what your key
takeaways from today are.
Make a note of them somewhere sothey don't get lost.
Sometimes we do some greatinsight in these sorts of uh

(01:34:18):
sessions, and then we our lifejust gets busy, busy, busy, and
all of a sudden uh we we missout on that learning that we've
done.
So find a place where you candocument and be aware of what
you're what you gained fromtoday, what you're hoping to do.
Um and if there's anything elsethat's uh kind of on your mind
from today, think about yournext steps.

(01:34:38):
What might you do next to getmore information?
Who could you talk to that couldguide you in that as well?
Just remember keepingconfidentiality of your young
person's information safe andprotected as well.
And there is a post-workshopevaluation.
Uh, check your emails and youwill get the link to that.
We really would love for you tofill in that survey uh and uh to

(01:35:02):
help us get some ideas.
If you did the pre, we want toknow what you think now and any
other feedback, comments you'vegot, please do share it.
We're taking your informationvery seriously at the moment,
trying to make sure this is thebest program we can have to meet
the needs of parents currently.
And a very big thank you fromme.
Thank you so much for your time,for your interest, and your

(01:35:22):
young people for the support youmight provide to their extended
network.
And Elliot, thank you so muchfor sharing your lived
experience with us for yourinsight and for your survival of
your uh mental healthchallenges.
It's just amazing.

SPEAKER_01 (01:35:36):
No, thank you for having me.
I uh I thoroughly enjoyed that.
So thank you guys, and I hopeyou uh learned something from
today.
And and yeah, moving forward,feel a bit more empowered and
and ready to change the coursepotentially of your team's sort
of you know development.

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