Columbia Asia Hospital to Organize a Health Talk on Adolescent Psychology
Pune, 27th September, 2017: With an alarming increase in psychological pressures and stress in our society, Columbia Asia Hospital is organizing an event about adolescent psychology on 16th September at its premises in Pune.
There will be a health talk on psychology of children, mainly teenagers, and it will focus on ways a parent should respond to children facing stress and other psychological challenges. The key speakers at the event would beDr. Manish Bajpayee, Consultant Psychiatry, Columbia Asia and Miss. Feeba John, Medical social worker, Columbia Asia. Through various activities and exercises, topics like psychological distress among teenagers, peer pressure, puberty, risk factors such as stress, anxiety and depression, along with protective strategies regarding these issues would be covered.
The team of medical experts would also be visiting few schools in Pune to directly address the children and educate them about choosing between right and wrong, maintaining better communication with parents and teachers and managing the pressures of adolescence, academics and peer pressure. Strategies such as SALT approach: S- Support &Simulate, A-Ask and appreciate, L-Listen & Learn, T- Transfer, Mirroring approach and Active Listening would be taught to both kids and parents so as to facilitate the better flow of information.
Dealing with adolescents has always been a challenge for parents. Today, adolescence is a prolonged developmental stage that starts at the age of 10 and lasts up to 22 years. During adolescence, children advance through the stages of puberty which brings along with it a host of biological, psychological and social changes. It is in this period that kids become both physically and psychologically mature. They begin to assert independence, develop preferences and start making choices. Adolescence is a highly variable and asynchronous process. Progression through the various stages of adolescence does not follow the same timelines for each child. Studies reveal that for many adolescents and their parents, this transitional phase entails a lot of storm and stress.
The way parents and teachers react during this stage, shapes the children’s behavioral patterns. Many parents witness their children leading a smooth passage through adolescence. However, many parents are faced with defiance, temper tantrums and stubbornness. Adolescents are more active and curious. They need many answers which need to be effectively answered by their parents. It is also a phase of life in which relationships with peers and academic performance become increasingly important. Children begin to display a wider and more complex range of emotions. This is a time when problems or disappointment with self acceptance, sexual attraction or identity crisis may lead to detrimental mental health conditions such as depression or anxiety. Moreover, with the rising pressures of academics and society, conditions such as attention-deficit hyperactivity and oppositional behavior among teenagers have also become common.
Technology has also deeply affected the psychology of adolescents in recent times. For instance, the recent deaths of kids through the Blue Whale game, clearly depicts that how much influence can mobiles and apps have over children’s minds. Today, social media allows adolescents to have discussions with unknown adults over internet. Due to the availability of unrestricted open space over social media, few anti-social elements may also find their way into children’s lives, and brainwash their minds, leading them onto a wrong path. The health talk at Columbia Asia will present the parents with certain practical strategies which will help the parents to understand the abovementioned issues related to adolescence better, filter the content of online exposure, build an active listening environment, and make their children’s transition to adolescence smoother.
