260. Teen Mental Health: What Parents Need to Know
Teen mental health struggles are rising fast — and many parents are seeing more anxiety, emotional shutdown, irritability, hopelessness, and overwhelm in their teens than ever before.
According to the CDC’s 2024 Youth Risk Behavior Survey using 2023 teen data:
Nearly 40% of teens reported persistent sadness or hopelessness
20% seriously considered suicide
Nearly 1 in 10 reported attempting suicide
Parents are scared, exhausted, and often unsure how to help without making things worse.
In this episode, Tess Connolly, LCSW, breaks down:
- What is really happening with teen mental health right now
- Why emotional overwhelm often looks like attitude or withdrawal
- The parenting mistake that unintentionally increases shutdown
- Why emotional safety matters more than constant fixing
- How to support anxious and emotionally overwhelmed teens
- What single parents especially need to understand right now
Tess shares nervous-system-aware parenting strategies, emotional regulation tools, and practical ways to connect with teens without power struggles.
If you have a teenager who seems:
- emotionally overwhelmed
- anxious
- irritable
- withdrawn
- unmotivated
- glued to screens
- emotionally reactive
- or difficult to reach lately…
this episode will help you better understand what may actually be happening underneath the behavior.
You’ll walk away with concrete tools to:
- reduce emotional shutdown
- strengthen connection
- support your teen’s nervous system
- and become a calmer emotional anchor at home
Listen to Episode 260 of The Single Parenting Reset Show:
Teen Mental Health: What Parents Need to Know Right Now (2026)
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