Everyone has mental health challenges to face, and those challenges are different depending on where you’re at in your life.

Very young children may have anxiety about going to school or eating certain foods; elderly people are at a higher risk of experiencing loneliness; teenagers face the pressures of fitting in and other such social issues that are difficult to navigate; and young adults face a myriad of challenges as they begin to maneuver the real world and all it has to offer.

This article will focus on that latter group and how to support them as a friend or family member – how mental health affects the youngest adults in our society, and the four main elements to consider when thinking about the well-being of this specific population.

1. Stress Due to Expectation

Young adults face a lot of pressure from a variety of different sources due to the expectations placed on them. The transition from childhood to adulthood isn’t an easy one: young people often end up burned out after exams and tests, only to face the large, looming existential question about what to do with their life now that they’ve got the grades.

While this is an exciting time, it can also be one fraught with a lot of tension and anxiety.

The demands placed on the individual, whether from teachers, parents, or society itself, can become overwhelming; to look out for your loved one, make yourself aware of the general pressures that exist, and do your best to refrain from becoming part of the problem.

2. The Role of Social Media

If you don’t use social media yourself, you may be unaware of the true extent of the pressure it can exert on teenagers and young adults. Social media is a crucial component in most younger people’s lives so far as connecting and staying in touch with their friends, but it can have some more insidious effects.

It’s easy to view the curated, filtered content on these platforms and feel inadequate, distorting the individual’s view not just of themselves, but the world around them. This can easily lead to depressive and anxious symptoms.

Educate yourself on the danger of social media and the negative impact it can have on mental heath, so that you’re in the best place possible to support your loved one in the event they’re affected by these issues (this video is a great place to start).

3. The Value of Therapy

Many young people are reluctant to consider therapy for a number of reasons, and as someone who cares about them, you have the potential to help them make the right decisions about seeing a psychologist or counselor if they’d benefit from it.

Therapy – which is usually in the form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) – can not only help the individual overcome their depression, anxiety, OCD, and other issues, but also teach valuable life skills that they’ll come to rely on in the future. Psychotherapy for young adults is one of the most effective, surefire ways of overcoming poor mental health: do all you can to support the young people in your life to make a start, focusing on building a strong bond with them so that they’ll come to you when they need advice.

4. The Importance of Building a Support System

Finally, there’s the importance of having a great support system in place – and this is perhaps the area where family members and friends have the most crucial role.

Overcoming mental health challenges is extremely hard work, and there will be inevitable relapses. When these relapses happen, your loved one is going to need their friends and family there to support them, and it’s important to note that support alone may not be enough: doing your best to educate yourself on their problem – even if you can’t fully understand it – is required to help them get back on track. Make yourself aware of the therapeutic measures in place and how they work, so that you’re able to advise the sufferer appropriately when they’re struggling.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully, you now have a greater understanding of why mental health problems in young people are prevalent, and how you can best support them going forward.

Overcoming these issues can be a very lonely experience for the individual, and a network of caring, talented healthcare professionals and loving family members is at the forefront of recovery. It won’t be easy, but having you there as a helping hand will make a huge difference to successful treatment.