Exploring adolescence and parenting teenagers: a blog by Maria Papadima, a child and adolescent psychotherapist working in London.
Is pessimism the new normal for teenagers?
The media discussion on the contemporary ‘adolescent mental health crisis’ carries on. The more I read about it (there’s hardly…Read More »The looping effect of toxic masculinity
Around 2015, the (previously obscure) term ‘toxic masculinity’ settled into cultural discourse. At first it described a style of masculinity…Read More »The cultural elephant in the room for this generation’s adolescents: smartphones and social media
Recently, I attended a talk by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, organised by the grassroots parent group that’s sprouting up in…Read More »Good enough parenting in the face of self harm
What’s it like for a parent to discover their adolescent son or daughter self-harms? It can be daunting to keep…Read More »The problem is not the mental health tools
For most people seeking psychotherapy, there are many questions that come up for discussion. But increasingly today, right at the…Read More »Uncovering the layers of the term identity: a psychoanalytic perspective
Ever since identity became established as a key explanatory concept in political discourse, its slow but steady increase of influence…Read More »The riddle of self harm
Why do some adolescents self-harm? …But before trying to answer this, what does the term ‘self-harm’ cover? We assume we…Read More »When and how is a mental health diagnosis useful?
Increasingly, in our culture, we find ourselves framing our experiences through the lens of psychiatric and mental health concepts. This…Read More »Returning to the adolescent doldrums … low motivation during the teenage years
The adolescent years can prompt discussions about extremes: Is the teenager safe? Are they taking things too far? Have they…Read More »What do adolescents need? Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness
In the early childhood years, much focus is on milestones and basic needs: is the toddler taking first steps? Have…Read More »Not sure where to start with family meals? Begin with observation
As I write this, we are just finishing with the holiday season. Holidays typically mean extended time with family and…Read More »Three types of school avoidance
School attendance, and the other side of the same coin, school refusal / school avoidance, are increasingly discussed in the…Read More »Exploring the ‘two different things called therapy’
… (inspired by Kristian Kemtrup’s recent blog post) In the ever-evolving field of mental health and therapy, clarity and precision…Read More »Recent research on the alarming rise in adolescent mental health diagnoses
Some interesting though troubling information comes out of a recent UCL-led study, published in August 2023 in Psychological Medicine. This…Read More »Boredom in adolescence: Never the right balance
I was recently thinking about boredom in adolescence, a phase where a Goldilocks scenario seems the norm: there’s either too…Read More »Adolescents’ wish for a mental health diagnosis: what does it offer
Adolescence, a phase with so many emotional, academic, social, sexual, and cognitive changes, often leaves parents and teenagers feeling unsure:…Read More »The driver and the back seat passenger: giving space to the irrational, dreaming self
I’ve been enjoying the podcast ‘Ordinary unhappiness’ hosted by Abby Kluchin and Patrick Blanchfield, an exploration of psychoanalysis and much…Read More »Seeing the world as more dangerous than it is: anxiety and whispers from the past
I recently listened to a thought provoking podcast featuring Swedish psychiatrist Anders Hansen. He takes a brain-focused approach to exploring…Read More »Is depression the opposite of play?
Have you ever considered what is the opposite of play, or whether it even has an opposite? This question hadn’t…Read More »Is there such a thing as ‘normal’ or ‘pathological’ in adolescence?
Adolescence is often described as a rollercoaster, with emotions running wild, identities evolving, and confusion reigning supreme. Recently I re-read…Read More »