Mental health is about how we think, feel, and cope with our everyday experiences. Just like physical health, all of us have mental health.
During adolescence, many changes take place in our lives. Schoolwork, extra classes, examinations, family expectations, friendships, romantic relationships, changes in our bodies, financial difficulties, bullying and violence, discrimination, and things that happen online can all affect how we feel.
Some days, you may feel happy and confident. On another day, you may feel scared, angry, lonely, confused, or extremely tired. Experiencing difficult emotions does not mean that there is something wrong with you. However, we can seek support to help us manage these feelings.
There are a few simple things you can do to manage difficult emotions and find some relief:
- Talk to someone you trust.
- Eat regularly and drink enough water.
- Get enough sleep.
- Keep your body physically active.
- Take some time away from social media.
- Write, draw, listen to music, or do something creative.
- Spend time with people who make you feel safe.
- When things feel overwhelming, try taking slow, gentle breaths.
Although these things may provide some relief, they cannot replace professional treatment or support. If you are finding it difficult to manage what you are going through, it is completely okay to ask for additional support.
When should you ask for help?
It is important to ask for help if your thoughts or feelings:
- Are becoming difficult to control;
- Continue for a long time or keep coming back;
- Affect your sleep, eating, schoolwork, or relationships;
- Make it difficult to carry out your everyday activities;
- Cause you to withdraw from school, friends, or family;
- Make you think about hurting yourself or someone else;
- Make you feel that there is no point in living.
You do not have to wait until things become unbearable before asking for help. Seeking help early can make it easier to find the right support for you.
How can you start the conversation?
You can talk about your mental health with a parent, caregiver, relative, teacher, school counsellor, coach, doctor, or another trusted adult.
If talking feels difficult, you can send a message or write down what you want to say. You could start the conversation like this:
- “I haven’t been feeling like myself lately.”
- “I have a little problem and I need your help.”
- “I’m finding it difficult to deal with these things.”
- “Could you please just listen to me for a while without getting angry at me?”
- “I feel like I need to talk to someone.”
- “I’m feeling scared.”
- “I’m not sleeping properly.”
If the first person you talk to does not listen to you or you do not receive the support you hoped for, tell another trusted adult.
If you need urgent help…
If you think you might hurt yourself, have already seriously harmed yourself, have taken an overdose of medication, or are in danger:
- Move away from anything you could use to hurt yourself.
- Go to a safe place where other people are present.
- Tell a trusted adult immediately.
- Go to the emergency department or OPD of the nearest hospital.
- If you need urgent medical treatment, call the 1990 Suwa Seriya ambulance service.
- If you are in danger and need police assistance, call 119.
You can also contact these services:
- 1926 – National Mental Health Helpline: For mental health support and guidance.
- 1333 – Crisis Support Service: Free and confidential emotional and crisis support, available 24 hours a day.
- 1929 – Sri Lanka Child Helpline: If you are under 18 and experiencing abuse, neglect, violence, exploitation, or an unsafe situation.
- 0112 682 570 – Sri Lanka Sumithrayo: Free and confidential mental health support.
If one number does not connect, contact another service or go to the nearest hospital. If you are in immediate danger, do not stay alone.
How does my mental health affect my overall health?
Our mind and body are connected. Something that affects one can also affect the other.
If you experience worry, fear, loneliness, or stress for a long period of time, your body may also show signs of it in different ways.
- Difficulty sleeping or feeling like you want to sleep all the time
- Loss of appetite or eating more than usual
- Headaches, stomach aches, or body pain
- Feeling tired even after resting
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering things
- Losing interest in schoolwork, sports, friendships, or activities you usually enjoy
- Feeling restless, becoming easily irritated, or experiencing increased anger
This does not mean that every physical symptom is caused by mental health. Physical symptoms can have many different causes. If they continue, become severe, or cause you concern, it is important
Being ill, living with a disability, experiencing long-term pain, or going through changes in your body can also affect your mental health.
When you ask for support with your mental health, you may receive advice such as “stay strong,” “don’t think about it,” or “be grateful for what you have.” However, such advice often does not make you feel better. In such situations, you can talk to another trusted adult and seek support.
What is the connection between mental health and sexual and reproductive health?
Sexual and reproductive health is not only about pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections. It also includes your body, puberty, menstruation, sexual health, relationships, consent, safety, and your right to access accurate information and respectful healthcare services. Your mental and social well-being are also part of it.
Puberty, menstruation and how you feel about your body
As you go through puberty, your body, emotions, and relationships may change. You may feel confused or worried about menstruation, erections, wet dreams, acne, body hair, breast development, changes in body shape, or not developing at the same pace as your friends.
This mental stress can sometimes affect your sleep, appetite, and menstrual cycle. Menstrual pain, heavy bleeding, irregular periods, and fear of blood stains on your clothes can also affect your mood, self-confidence, and ability to attend school.
Since topics such as menstruation and wet dreams are often not openly discussed either at home or at school, as an adolescent you may find yourself thinking about these things alone. But these are not things that need to be hidden. Don’t hesitate to talk to a trusted adult.
Relationships, consent and mental health
In a healthy relationship, you should feel respected and safe. You should be able to be yourself, express your feelings, make your own decisions, set your own boundaries, and say “no.”
If your friend, an adult, or romantic partner:
- controls who you talk to or where you go,
- checks your phone or asks for your passwords,
- pressures you to send private or nude photos,
- pressures or forces you to engage in a sexual activity,
- threatens to leave you or harm themselves if you do not agree to something,
- insults or humiliates you because of your body, gender, sexuality, or appearance,
- makes you feel afraid, ashamed, or worthless,
then it is not a healthy relationship. Such a relationship can seriously harm your mental health.
These behaviours are not signs of love. If something happened without your free consent, it is not your fault. Tell a trusted adult or reach out to us for support.
Does mental health affect decisions related to sexual and reproductive health?
When someone is experiencing severe anxiety, depression, loneliness, or hopelessness, it can become difficult to think clearly, communicate their boundaries, or ask for help. Some people may make risky decisions, agree to something they do not really want, or turn to sexual activities as a way of coping with difficult emotions.
Having a mental health problem does not make someone irresponsible or a “bad” person. It means that instead of blaming or judging them, they need our empathy, accurate information, support, and access to healthcare services.
Sexual and reproductive health experiences and mental health
Experiences related to sexual and reproductive health can affect our mental health, just as our mental state can affect our sexual and reproductive health decisions.
An unplanned pregnancy, fear of being pregnant, a sexually transmitted infection, violence within a romantic relationship, or discrimination because of gender or sexual orientation can cause fear, shame, sadness, and emotional distress.
A lack of accurate information can make these fears and worries even worse. Adolescents may hesitate to seek information or ask questions because they are afraid that adults or healthcare workers will judge them. Access to accurate, age-appropriate information can help you improve both your sexual and reproductive health and your mental health.
Getting support through AI chatbots
When you are feeling sad, afraid, or lonely, talking to an AI chatbot may feel like an easy option.
AI can help you organise your thoughts in writing, learn some general calming techniques, or prepare questions that you may want to ask a counsellor.
However, an AI chatbot is not a real counsellor, psychologist, or doctor. It does not have feelings, and it does not understand what you say in the same way a human being does.
AI counsellors can present incorrect advice as if it were true
Even if an AI-generated answer sounds trustworthy and is written confidently, it can still be wrong. It may suggest that you have a mental health condition that you do not have or provide unsafe advice.
Do not diagnose yourself or make decisions about medication based only on what an AI tells you.
AI counsellors may not be able to identify serious risks
A trained counsellor can consider your words, tone of voice, and behaviour to understand whether you may need immediate support.
An AI chatbot may not be able to accurately understand the level of risk you are facing. It may also overlook the seriousness of the situation. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, experiencing abuse, or are in immediate danger, an AI cannot come to you or take you to a safe place.
Personal information you enter into an AI chatbot may not remain private
Information you type into an AI chatbot may be shared by the app or company with other companies. Your information may also be used to develop or improve their systems.
Therefore, do not enter your full name, address or school, phone number, passwords, bank account details, medical records, or other sensitive personal information into AI chatbots.
You may become overly dependent on an AI
An AI can sometimes feel like a “best friend” that always agrees with you and patiently listens to you. As a result, you may start talking less with real people or find it difficult to make decisions without the AI.
When you talk to a human counsellor, they have a responsibility to consider your safety. An AI does not have that responsibility. Even if it gives you incorrect information or advice, the company involved may not be responsible for the consequences.
An AI chatbot may agree with harmful thoughts
Some AI chatbots may easily agree with what a user says in an attempt to make the user feel satisfied. As a result, instead of challenging a harmful thought you may have, the AI may reinforce it.
An AI chatbot does not understand your entire life context
An AI may not fully understand family relationships, school environments, language, religious or cultural factors in Sri Lanka. Some responses may also contain biased ideas or unfair labels.
How can you use an AI chatbot safely?
You can use an AI chatbot to:
- write down and organise your thoughts,
- find some general ways to calm yourself,
- prepare words to help you start a conversation with a trusted adult,
- write down questions you want to ask a counsellor or doctor,
- find general mental health information.
However, do not use an AI chatbot as a replacement for a human counsellor or a trusted friend.
If an AI tells you to do something harmful, keep something secret from everyone, isolate yourself from others, or provide personal information, stop the conversation and tell a trusted adult.
If you need urgent support
If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, experiencing abuse, or are in immediate danger, do not rely only on an AI chatbot.
Tell your mother, father, guardian, trusted teacher, or another safe adult immediately. If necessary, go to the emergency department of the nearest hospital or contact an emergency service. Remember that your life is more valuable than anything else.
An AI can provide information. But you need real human support to listen to you, understand you, and help keep you safe.
