Resources for Teen Mental Health

Finding the best mental health Internet resources for teens is not easy. Teenagers looking for information about general mental health issues on the Internet may be disappointed in what they find. There are a limited number of useful and up-to-date websites devoted to the most common mental health concerns of teenagers such as attention difficulties, depression, stress and anxiety, relationships, and academic struggles. There are also limited resources directed toward teens and tweens about building self-esteem, resilience, grit, and determination. Self-improvement and positive psychology games, apps, and websites designed specifically for teens are virtually non-existent.

In addition, there are very few tools to help teens identify games, apps, and technologies that might help them with school, social concerns, stress, and anxiety. While many apps are available, they are not all aimed directly at teens. Our teams at LearningWorks for Kids and South County Child and Family have compiled a list of the best online resources to help teens and tweens address mental health issues and improve coping and adjustment strategies. We are also compiling a listing of the apps and games that can be most helpful to school and psychological adjustment for teens and tweens. We welcome additional comments and recommendations, as this is a “live” post, to be updated regularly.

Below is a simple rating system to evaluate Internet Resources for Teens’ Mental Health.

3*** Quick and helpful not extremely detailed.

4**** Presentable, clean, up-to-date; or some graphics, color.

5***** Speaks directly to teens, they will want to use it.

ADHD

The Child Study Center -A good essay by a teen about her experiences with ADHD. ***

How Can I Control My Hyperactivity -A short essay that links to a book for teens by the author Lara Honos-Webb, Ph.D. The ADHD Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Gain Motivation and Confidence (Instant Help Book for Teens). ***

Symptoms and Signs of ADHD -Great informational site but a bit outdated in design for today’s teens. ***

Video about ADHD -Fun, engaging video on ADHD for teens. ****

For and about Teens with ADHD -Pinterest listing for teens. Fun and interactive way to find articles. *****

What is ADHD -For teens, lots of text but readable and useful. ***

Learning to Study with ADHD -Graphic on studying with ADHD, decent information, limited to study skills. ****

Recognizing and Understanding ADHD -Explaining symptoms of ADHD and what it means for those who are diagnosed or have friends that are diagnosed with ADHD. Quizzes to see how much you know and what you have learned. *****

Anxiety

Curbing Teen Anxiety -Good article for teens on cognitive approaches to reducing stress, positive psychology. ****

How to Eliminate Negative Thoughts -Describes resilience, part of a series of posts written so teens can make sense of them, with practical strategies to help. ****

All about Coping with Youth Anxiety -A very interactive website that’s highly engaging. *****

Anxiety BC Youth– Very well-done site describing anxiety and strategies for teens. Bright, visual, and reliable. *****

Autism Spectrum Disorders

Recognizing and understanding ASD -How teens can cope with having ASD or learn about how to cope with their friends’ diagnosis of ASD. Fun facts about what autism is like and how it affects everyone. ****

General Mental Health Sites

Videos on Mental Health for Teens -Collection of videos on YouTube from teenmentalhealth.org and others. We did not review all of these, so there may be some that are inappropriate. However, this is a good source of videos made for teens on a variety of topics about mental health. ****

What is Mental Health All About -Good site for kids’ information with videos to go with the text, looks new and fresh ****

Head Meds -A UK-based website for kids about common medications for ADHD, depression, anxiety, and Bipolar Disorder. Might be too much information for younger kids. Videos of kids describing meds are well-done, but not from a physician’s standpoint.***

Emotional Health -Informative site with information on a variety of emotional disorders in teenage girls. A bit text-heavy. ***

Being Resilient -Strategies to improve Resilience in Teens, part of a larger, very informative help site for teenagers about a variety of social and emotional issues. ****

The difference between an Illness and a Disability -Teaches about what it means to have an illness or a disability and how these affect your life. ***

Dealing with Up and Down Feelings as a Teenager -What it means to have depression and low self-esteem for girls in their teens. Also has information about suicide and dealing with stress.***

Sutter Health Palo Alto Medical Foundation -Good, up-to-date information about a variety of mental health issues. Some positive psychology on developing life skills. A bit heavy on text****

YoungMinds -A UK-based organization that provides information on mental and physical health directly to teens. A bit text-heavy, sometimes not written at a “teen” level, but informative. ***