Standing Above the Crowd
James Donaldson on Mental Health - Teens and Loneliness
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James Donaldson on Mental Health - Teens and Loneliness

4 min readBy James Donaldson

How to help teens cope with loneliness While chronic loneliness can be serious, it’s important not to pathologize a teen’s behavior even if they are lonely, says Dr.

How to help teens cope with loneliness While chronic loneliness can be serious, it’s important not to pathologize a teen’s behavior even if they are lonely, says Dr.

Allerhand — in other words, feeling lonely doesn’t necessarily mean you have a larger mental health issue or that something is terribly wrong.

Still, our experts have some tips for parents on what to do when you see behavior that gives you pause or when a teen directly expresses that they feel lonely.

My teen seems lonely, but I don’t know how to bring it up Reflect on the moments that gave you that impression.

Was it when they shut themselves in their room all weekend?

Or when they stayed home instead of hanging out with their friends?

There could be other reasons for their behavior, so Dr.

Allerhand advises asking open-ended questions.

Try something like, ‘I noticed after school all your friends went shopping, and you asked me to pick you up.

What was going on there?’” she says.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

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James Donaldson

James Donaldson

Author, Speaker & Mental Health Advocate · Standing Above the Crowd

James Donaldson is a former NBA All-Star (1988, Dallas Mavericks) who played 20 years of professional basketball with the Seattle SuperSonics, L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Utah Jazz, and teams across Europe, before touring with the Harlem Globetrotters. A Washington State University graduate inducted into both the Pac-10 and WSU Athletic Halls of Fame, James went on to found The Donaldson Clinic, an outpatient physical therapy practice he operated for nearly three decades. Today he devotes his time to mental health awareness and suicide prevention — speaking to organizations, schools, and youth groups — and is the author of Standing Above the Crowd and Celebrating Your Gift of Life (2021). James recently relocated to the Dallas, TX area and believes deeply in being a role model of success and professionalism for the young people he serves.

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