Mental health and wellbeing of youth in our communities

Three young people sitting on a couch in a garage. Source: Health Promotion Agency website. Being a teenager can sometimes feel like a roller coaster. It’s important to know the difference between mental health issues and life’s flat spots – and when to get support or treatment early.

Checking on our mental wellbeing is helpful during times of changes or challenges. Having good mental health allows us to:

Develop a sense of who we are including our identities, values and beliefs;
Cope with strong emotions;
Work out how to get on with the people around us;
Get by at school, work and home;
Have respect for ourselves and others;
Express what we’re thinking and how we’re feeling; and
Accept responsibility for our own thoughts and actions.

Depression, anxiety or suicidal thoughts may be caused by a combination of factors, including:

Stressful events like the break-up of parents, or loss of a loved one;
A family history of depression;
Relationship break-ups or problems with friends;
Learning difficulties; or
Social isolation such as having no friends or whānau that you feel connected to.

What you can do if you are stuck feeling bad

There are heaps of ways you can start tackling feeling bad, overwhelmed or just plain sad. A lot of them are pretty easy too, like getting some fresh air and sleeping better.

Find out more about the Five Ways to Wellbeing (Mental Health Foundation).
Explore ways to help yourself (The LowDown).

It’s OK to ask for help – especially before your stress or anxiety escalates into something more serious.

Talk to someone you trust like a family member, your doctor or school counsellor.

You can also ask questions or chat anonymously about your feelings with one of many support services just for young people.

Most young people feel okay about puberty, but more girls ‘embarrassed’

Growing up in New Zealand media release: 29th August 2023

Research from Growing Up in New Zealand looks at young people’s experiences of puberty such as physical development at aged 12, feelings about puberty and access to free period products in schools. It shows most young people were either ‘not interested’ or felt positively about puberty, although there were differences by gender and by ethnicity.

“It was so good to see that most young people were comfortable about going through puberty. It suggests that puberty has been normalised. And it was wonderful to find some young people – particularly males – felt excited or proud about puberty. However, we found females were much more likely to feel embarrassed about the physical changes. This suggest more needs to be done to help girls feel okay with their bodies as they change and start menstruating. Positive puberty messaging and education helps, but more can be done,” said Dr Emma Marks, a lead author of the paper and a Research Fellow from the University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau.

Growing Up in New Zealand is a longitudinal study by the University of Auckland looking at the health and wellbeing of young people, children, and their families.