Effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on teenagers

The pandemic is affecting all of us, but certain groups are being affected more. Young teenagers fall into this area with so much of their lives turned upside down.  The uncertainty that young people face with their social life, school and future is a breeding ground for anxiety and depression. 

In recent months, as a practice, we have been experiencing this more in young girls. This doesn’t mean it is not having similar effects in males, rather young males are less likely to reach out to seek talking therapy.

Of those displaying depression and anxiety-like symptoms, we noticed that not only our clients, but a high proportion of their friends are also experiencing similar feelings. Of course, you cannot catch depression from others but being around people with low mood is seemingly adding to and impacting the individual’s mood. This is not an unreasonable hypothesis as many are experiencing a similar environment and tend to stick within their bubble.

As you can see from this article, anti-depressant prescriptions are surging and whilst these certainly do have their place in responding to mental health challenges, are we trying to artificially fix something that is quite natural in the environment young people find themselves in? Are their reactions just part of a natural human response to the severe changes in our environment?

At Hertford Counselling Services we have four experienced therapists who work with teenagers and young adults – please feel free to contact us if you have concerns or are having experiences with your teenage children similar to those raised in this blog.