Improving Your Mental Health

If you have a teen that has admitted to doing drugs or abusing alcohol because they are dealing with depressed thoughts and low self-esteem from high school, and you worry they have both an addiction and depression problem, get help right away. You can urge your teen to get help, while letting them know that you are there to stand by their side and support them whenever needed.

There are a lot of things that need to be addressed by medical professionals, and you want to get them help in a safe environment. Here are a few things you'll want to consider.

Addiction Rehab

Treating the addiction is one of the first steps that they'll need to take, because it can help them clear their mind while they make their body healthy. An inpatient rehabilitation center where they can stay without worrying about outside influences, and under medical care is best. Once their body is clean and their body is healing, it's time to start working on their mind.

Depression Treatment and Counseling

The teen may get some mental health treatment while in inpatient rehabilitation, but you want to find them a depression counselor that they can get familiar with and develop a relationship with outside of treatment. They will need someone that they can rely on and feel stable with, to help them battle their depression and any other mental health concerns. Find a mental health counselor that has a lot of experience with teens.

Online High School

If the anxiety of going to high school is going to cause your teen anxiety and make them depressed, or put them near the influence of drugs, you may want to consider an online high school. There are public online high school options, and also other homeschooling options to look into so your teen doesn't fall behind while they treat their addiction and deal with their mental health problems. The option to return to public high school can always be open.

You will want to consult with their pediatrician after they get out of inpatient treatment to make sure you monitor their health, and to ensure there are no long term negative effects of the drug use. The pediatrician can work with the mental health professional to determine if the teen needs to go on any prescription medications to deal with their depression and to see what other type of treatments may be the best for their current situation. 

To learn more, contact a company like Dr Kuris Counseling Centers.