According to the World Health Organization, one in seven 10-19 years olds experience a mental disorder. Millions of teens struggle with mental illness; however, many teens don’t receive professional treatment to help manage their mental illness symptoms. Unfortunately, failure to effectively treat mental illness with time can cause a teen to look for other (unhealthy) ways to cope with their mental disorder symptoms or self-medicate to cope with their mental illness.
How someone self-medicates may vary. In other words, some children may overeat as a means to self-medicate, whereas other people may drink excessively or abuse drugs as a means to self-medicate and try and cope with their mental disorder. It can sometimes be difficult to spot whether your child is struggling with a mental disorder. That’s why in this article, you’ll learn about the common signs a child is self-medicating to look out for.
Embrace U is an intensive outpatient program for teens ages 10-18 struggling with mental illness. Whether your child is in need of IOP therapy or PHP treatment, we offer a range of comprehensive treatment services to help your child on their road to recovery. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your child live a happier, healthier quality of life.
7 Signs a Child is Self-Medicating
- Spending Less Time Than Usual with Friends and Family
If you notice your child is spending less time with family or friends, this is one of the signs a child is self-medicating. This is because a child may secretly be hiding their self-medicating habits from friends and family out of fear of confrontation or judgment. This is also true as a child may not want to feel like a burden or be judged by their family or friends for what they’re going through.
- Sudden Change in Hobbies or Interests
If your child suddenly stops engaging in certain hobbies or interests, these are more signs a child may be self-medicating. This is because this may point to your child experiencing symptoms of a mental disorder that may make it difficult to engage in hobbies they once enjoyed. And thus, turn to unhealthy self-medicating coping habits to try and ease their mental disorder.
- Neglecting their Health and Personal Hygiene
Another common sign a child may be self-medicating is if they are not taking care of their physical health and appearance. For instance, if you notice your child is showering infrequently, or overeating, these are some common potential signs a child is self-medicating.
- Being Secretive of How They Spend Their Time
If all of a sudden your child is being more secretive in terms of how they spend their time, this is another potential sign your child is self-medicating. This may be because your child may feel ashamed or afraid to ask for help to manage their mental illness symptoms. Therefore, they may isolate themselves and become more secretive about how they spend their time as a means to hide their self-medicating habits.
- Sudden Changes in Performance at School
If suddenly your child’s grades and overall school performance drops significantly, these may be more signs your child is suffering from a mental illness in silence and is potentially self-medicating.
- Observing Your Child Abuse Substances
Another obvious sign your child is self-medicating is if you suspect your child is abusing substances. For example, if your child appears to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Or, your child may not be less secretive and abuse substances or other things (i.e. overeating) in front of you.
- Showing Sudden Anger or Irritability
Last but not least, if you notice a sudden change in your child’s behavior, such as becoming angrier or more irritable than usual, these may be signs your child is self-medicating. This is because your child may grow angry or short-tempered when they are not self-medicating. For example, if your child frequently self-medicates by drinking alcohol, they may be short-tempered, angry, and potentially violent toward you or others.
Leading Teen Mental Health Treatment in Tennessee
It can be difficult watching your teen struggle with mental illness and self-medicate. Although it can sometimes be difficult to notice if your child is self-medicating, the above signs a child is self-medicating are some of the more common signs to be aware of to determine if your child may be struggling with mental illness and needs to seek professional treatment.
At Embrace U, we are a teen mental health clinic committed to helping adolescents struggling with mental illness. We offer a range of treatment services to best fit the teen and their family’s needs. If you suspect your teen may be struggling with a mental disorder, help is available.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your child along their recovery journey.