MHM Magazine

age groups and the impact this is having on their lives. Research has shown that whether a direct experience with, or just the unknown future effects of climate change, is exacerbating fears of losing control over an unknown future, developing into a variety of mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety, phobic behaviours and symptoms of PTSD. We’re seeing rates of depression and anxiety in teenagers increasing globally, and within the South African context, around 9% of all teenage deaths are due to suicide, which is continuing to rise. This should come as no surprise, however, as in their short life spans, they’ve already endured the trauma and disruption of COVID-19, and are more in-tune with and exposed to what’s happening to others around the world. They’re far more informed about environmental disasters and the risks of climate change on the world and their future than any previous generation ever has been. For many teenagers, this has left them with apocalyptic fears feeling powerless, hopeless and in a state of despair impacting their parents, who are experiencing a lot of helplessness, spilling over onto us, the healthcare professionals they’re turning to for help. For many adults, the initial reaction is to downplay these experiences as ‘normal teenage angst’, due to hormones, being too dramatic and emotionally immature. In all fairness, it’s very difficult to distinguish between the expected ups and downs of adolescence and something more serious. However, if a teenager who is experiencing an existential dread receives such a response, this will likely exacerbate the crisis. To differentiate between the two, it helps to understand what exactly an existential crisis is and what some of the signs are. Wikipedia’s definition describes an existential crisis as “a moment at which an individual questions the very foundations of their life: whether this life has any meaning, purpose, or value.” An existential crisis occurs when an individual’s previously held beliefs in values, faith and purpose seemed to have become pointless, leaving the person feeling ungrounded and adrift in the world. While beginning to individuate from your family in the process of figuring out who you are and who you want to be is a very normal developmental process to undergo in adolescence, it generally doesn’t devolve into such an intense level of despair to the point of contemplating suicide, which you see in existential crises. Here are some other signs that could indicate an existential crisis: • A fixation on life’s deeper meaning, yet the inability to find answers to these existential questions, results in a sense of hopelessness or meaninglessness. • Realising the world isn’t fair or just. • Attempting to discover your sense of purpose, yet because of the hopeless outlook on the fate of society and the world in general, you’re left with a sense of futility or helplessness at trying to create meaning or change in your life. • A sense of guilt at confronting your inability to make a difference in the lives of others. • Desiring more from life’s everyday routine, which is perceived as unimportant and mundane, with perspectives that nothing you do will make any difference, so why bother? • Losing interest and motivation to do things you previously enjoyed because they now seem pointless. • Difficulties relating to people who don’t share similar concerns about these existential concerns, increasing isolation and resulting in a sense of disconnection from your personal relationships. All of which exacerbates the general sense of emptiness. • Fearing death, yet frequently thinking about death, dying and/or suicide. These experiences compound the standard overwhelm that comes with being a teenager, converging into a painful state of being. While the obvious solution may be to diagnose depression and/or anxiety and initiate the appropriate treatment, we must ask ourselves if just treating the symptoms is comprehensive enough in dealing with an existential crisis? The irony is that what’s often very helpful, is to create space for these struggles to be acknowledged, heard, felt, and validated. Trying to get teens to just think positively and not take life too seriously, telling them to just enjoy their childhood and leave the worrying to the adults, is in fact the last thing they’re needing to hear and will likely come across as condescending and invalidating. For us as healthcare professionals, it’s in our very nature to strive to cure or treat our patients’ ailments, so it can feel very counterintuitive and difficult to try not to solve these issues. It’s important to not underestimate just how helpful it is however, to accept their existential crisis, encouraging them and their parents to engage with the questions and uncertainties they’re faced with. Openly engaging with this existential dread can help teens learn to tolerate a lack of resolution and live with uncertainties. I’m in no way suggesting that medication wouldn’t be necessary, as it could, of course be essential in stabilising the patient enough so they have the capacity to engage in the process of coming to terms with their existential crisis. The recommendation is to consider the role that therapy can play when it comes to addressing these experiences comprehensively. Having a space to communicate difficult thoughts and feelings without judgment, can be vital in grappling with existential dread – for both the teenager and their parents. It’s often easier for a therapist, than it is for parents, to tolerate the helplessness, whilst listening empathetically to the teenager as they process these complex experiences. Instead of trying to control for what they’re thinking and feeling, it’s helpful to facilitate a process for them to create their own meaning and establish for themselves how to access a sense of purpose and fulfilment in life. This can take a huge toll on parents however, so parents having their own mental health support can also make a significant difference in their ability to then tolerate what their child is going through. References available on request. MHM | 2024 | Volume 11 | Issue 2 | Existential Dread in Teens MHM 18 | MENTAL HEALTH MATTERS | 2024 | Issue 2 H