To give parents a hand to make these difficult years easier, beyondblue and The University of Melbourne, have produced a new free e-booklet. 

It aims to provide parents with practical advice on how to help their adolescent children avoid depression and anxiety.

Parenting during the teenage years can be tough anyway, despite it being when the incidence of depression and anxiety starts to increase. 

And, it’s hard to distinguish normal teenage behaviour from the signs of more serious mental health problems. 

Therefore, parents need to know the difference and understand how they can help their kids.

Because some of the common risk factors for depression and anxiety in young people involve their families (e.g. conflict and relationship breakdown), it’s hoped parents can use the advice in the booklet to modify their own behaviour and support their children in order to reduce the risk of mental health problems developing.

There are pro-active things parents can do to support their teens as they develop into independent young adults: maintain close relationships, stay involved in their lives, but encourage them to develop independence, support any challenges they face, and most importantly, try to minimise conflict at home.

How to prevent depression and clinical anxiety in your teenager: Strategies for parents can be downloaded at www.beyondblue.org.au

If parents are finding their relationship with their teenager is distressing and hard to manage, they may need to take action to get professional assistance.

Kate Carnell AO

beyondblue CEO