More parents in the UAE are seeking professional help for their troubled teenagers, according to a leading Dubai clinical psychologist.

 

Dr Thoraiya Kanafani of the Human Relations Institute and Clinics said the increase follows growing parental acceptance of the impact modern day living is having on teenagers.

 

“I believe there is a growing trend of parents seeking help for their teenagers due to their own increase in awareness of the difficulties that teenagers are experiencing. I believe that trend began when parents began to acknowledge and accept that their teenagers are having difficulties, mild or severe, that they have not been able to work through," said Dr Kanafani.

 

"This is a phenomenon that both expatriates and nationals are experiencing. However, the tendency seems to be that more expatriates are seeking help,” she said.

 

Dr Kanafani, who is a licensed clinical psychologist in Canada and the UAE, was speaking ahead of  a one-day, learning resource seminar planned for Dubai which will assist parents, teachers, health professionals and carers in ensuring the mental health and emotional wellbeing of their teenage charges.

 

The seminar – Ensuring Our Youth Live Life Fully – is being organised by Dubai’s specialist training and capacity building consultancy Ebdaah and will take place on April 16 at the Media Rotana Hotel. 

 

It will be addressed by three prominent experts including Dr Kanafani; Dr Jim Boylan, a UK consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist and director of Medical Education at Tess, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, a leading mental health provider; Dr Madeleine Portwood, the British Psychological Society’s spokesperson on child development, neurodevelopment disorders and teenage dilemmas. 

 

It comes in the wake of a 2013 Dubai Health Authority study which revealed that about one in five teenage students in the emirate showed symptoms of depression.

 

“There seems to be a rise in stress, anxiety, and depressive feelings in teenagers. This is exacerbated by the lack of effective coping strategies as well as lack of proper avenues of emotional release,” said Dr Kanafani. 

 

“Parents should consider seeking help when they feel that their adolescent has difficulty opening up to them or when they feel unsure of what to do or how to help their child. It’s important parents recognise their limitations during this developmental stage and seek help when necessary,” she said

 

During the four-module Ebdaah seminar, the delegates will get a better understanding of mental health conditions and which diagnoses are needed; learn which trigger signs to look for and when to seek interventional help and leave with short-term screening tools and training and insights into long term school-based psychiatry.

 

Dr Kanafani said there are some key tell-tale signs parents should watch out for. 

 

They include persistent sadness, empty or irritable moods;  diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities and a loss of energy; appetite and sleeping pattern changes; inability to concentrate, over thinking, feelings of panic, fear and uneasiness.

 

“Teachers should watch for similar symptoms as well as notice changes in behaviour at school or academic performance,” she suggested.

 

Dr Kanafani said there are many realistic strategies that can to help teenagers, depending on what they are experiencing and what is contributing to their difficulty. 

 

Some blanket techniques include managing expectations; physical exercise; developing healthy appetites and sleeping patterns. - TradeArabia News Service