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Home : Parents & Caregivers : Your emotions

Your emotions : en Español

Helpful tools for your daughter

The teen years can be a tough time for both teens and their families. Your daughter is going through many changes and her emotions may change from one minute to the next. It can be hard to know if what your daughter is going through is normal or if it is a mental health problem. The resources in this section cover many of the mental health issues that teens face, including depression, suicide, cutting, and weight and body image issues. Your daughter can use the tools in this section to learn more about the different mental health issues, or to learn how to better express her feelings or deal with stress.

Featured Articles

  1. Federal resource Suggestions for Adults: Talking and Thinking with Children about the Terrorist Attacks
  2. About Teen Suicide
  3. Binge Eating Disorder
  4. Compulsive Exercise
  5. Developing your child’s self esteem
  6. Does Your Child Have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?
  7. Fears and Phobias
  8. Helping Kids Cope with Stress
  9. Helping Kids Handle Worry
  10. Helping Your Child Deal With Death
  11. My Child is Stealing
  12. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  13. Raising Confident Kids
  14. Taking your Child to a Therapist
  15. Understanding Depression
sad girl looking at a magazine

Web sites

  1. A Family Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy & Drug Free - This web site from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration was developed to support parents and other caring adults who are working to promote mental health and prevent the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs among 7- to 18-year-olds.
  2. girlshealth.gov: Your Emotions- We have created the girlshealth.gov section on the mind to help adolescent girls learn more about some of the unique health issues and social situations they will encounter during the teen years. This section provides information, resources, and links to help your daughter learn more about mental health.
  3. Talk. You've Got to Start Somewhere. - This web site from the Boston Public Health Commission provides information about mental health for parents and teens. The site helps reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues by encouraging teens and parents to talk about the importance of emotional health. It also emphasizes the importance of understanding adolescent development and recognizing the signs of stress.

Publications

  1. Antidepressants for Chilren: Explore the Pros and Cons (Copyright © Mayo Clinic) – Learn why antidepressants have warnings about suicidal thoughts in children, what to do before your child starts taking an antidepressant, and the warning signs of a potential problem.

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/antidepressants/MH00059/METHOD%3Dprint
  2. Body Image and Your Kids – This Web page from womenshealth.gov helps mothers understand how their body image plays a role in how a girl feels about her body, and how they can help build a good body image in their children.

    http://www.womenshealth.gov/body-image/kids/
  3. The Depressed Child (Copyright © American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ) – This online publication contains information on depression in children, such as signs of depression and what to do if you think your child is depressed.

    http://aacap.org/page.ww%3Fname%3DThe%2BDepressed%2BChild%26section%3DFacts%2Bfor%2BFamilies
  4. Helping Teenagers with Stress (Copyright © American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) – It is easy for teens to feel overwhelmed if they are unable to cope with stress. This publication provides guidance on how parents and guardians can help their children effectively manage stress.

    http://aacap.org/page.ww%3Fname%3DHelping%2BTeenagers%2Bwith%2BStress%26section%3DFacts%2Bfor%2BFamilies
  5. Parenting Corner Q&A: Mental Health (Copyright © American Academy of Pediatrics) – This fact sheet gives descriptions of several mental health specialists that are able to help you and your child.

    http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_MentalHealth.htm
  6. Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls (Copyright © American Psychological Association) – This report explores how sexualized images of girls and young women in the media affects girls in real life.

    http://www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report.aspx
  7. Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers (Copyright © American Psychological Association) – It can be difficult for children to deal with problems and stress. This guide can help you build resilience in children to help them deal with adversity.

    http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/resilience.aspx
  8. Supporting Young Women with Eating Disorders: A Guide for Family Members & Close Friends (Copyright © Center for Young Women's Health) – This guide helps family members or close friends of someone struggling with an eating disorder. It gives tips on how to talk to the patient and what to do to encourage recovery.

    http://youngwomenshealth.org/supportteens.html
  9. Adobe PDF  Talking to Children About Death – This publication gives advice to parents on how to talk about death with their children. It suggests conversation starters, how to deal with funerals, and ideas on how to bring up issues of religion and guilt.

    http://www.cc.nih.gov/ccc/patient_education/pepubs/childeath.pdf
  10. Teaching Your Daughters Self-Esteem (Copyright © Love Our Children USA) – Teach your daughters how to love their bodies and have high self-esteem. Tips are provided to parents on how to build their children’s confidence.

    http://www.loveourchildrenusa.org/parent_teachgirlselfesteem.php
  11. Teen Suicide (Copyright © American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) – This publication discusses issues about teen suicide and helps parents be aware of suicide warning signs. Parents are encouraged to talk to their child about concerns and seek professional help if necessary.

    http://aacap.org/page.ww%3Fname%3DTeen%2BSuicide%26section%3DFacts%2Bfor%2BFamilies
  12. Understanding Child Traumatic Stress (Copyright © National Child Traumatic Stress Network) – Traumatic experiences can affect children in different ways than they affect adults. This fact sheet explains what traumatic experiences are like for children and how they can recover.

    http://www.nctsn.org/resources/audiences/parents-caregivers/understanding-child-traumatic-stress
  13. What Every Child Needs for Good Mental Health (Copyright © Mental Health America) – This fact sheet covers the basics of providing for your child’s emotional and mental health needs.

    http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/children-s-mental-health/what-every-child-needs-for-good-mental-health

Organizations

  1. American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

    http://www.aacap.org/
  2. American Psychological Association

    http://apa.org/
  3. Confidence Coalition

    http://www.confidencecoalition.org/
  4. Division of Adolescent and School Health, CDC

    http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/about/index.htm
  5. Mental Health America

    http://www.nmha.org/
  6. National Alliance on Mental Illness

    http://www.nami.org/
  7. National Eating Disorders Association

    http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/
  8. National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, HHS

    http://www.nimh.nih.gov
  9. National Runaway Switchboard Hotline

    http://www.1800runaway.org/

 

Federal resource = This article, publication, website, or organization is from the U.S. government.

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Content last updated November 11, 2007

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health.

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