The teen and young adult years can be tough, especially during times of societal change. Poor mental health in youth is more than just feeling down—it can impact their school performance, relationships and decisions.
Watch for changes in your teens’ daily habits, such as sleeping, eating and spending time with friends. Seek help if you notice dangerous behaviors like drug use or self-harm.
Depression
Depression is a mood disorder that can make you feel sad or down for more than two weeks. It can affect your sleep, appetite and energy. It can also make it hard to think clearly. You may withdraw from friends and family or struggle to do things you used to enjoy. Depression can cause problems at school or work. You might be more likely to be bullied or have problems with your relationships.
In some cases, teens with mental health disorders have trouble getting the help they need. This is especially true in rural and inner city areas. Schools have stepped up their range of mental health services in recent years, but there are still shortages of professionals and inconsistent funding.
Most teens experiencing mental health distress do well with treatment, peer and professional supports and services, and a strong family and social support network. However, some teens need more intensive treatment. They might stay in a psychiatric hospital or go to a day program that offers counseling and other activities with other teens and mental health professionals.
Anxiety
Anxiety is a normal response to stress, but when it becomes an overwhelming problem, it can interfere with a youngster’s life. It may be in the form of a general feeling of uneasiness, persistent fears or worries, or panic attacks and phobias. These conditions can have a serious impact on a child’s mental and physical well-being, particularly during adolescence.
The symptoms of anxiety disorders can include a constant feeling of fear or dread, excessive worry without apparent cause, withdrawal from social activity, avoiding difficult situations and a persistent need for reassurance, low self-esteem and body-image, drug experimentation, impulsive sexual behavior and a heightened vulnerability to illness. Symptoms can be treated with psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and exposure therapies, where the youngster is slowly exposed to the situations that trigger anxiety. These techniques help the teenager learn to recognize the irrationality of their fears and to change their thinking patterns. Medications such as antidepressants, antianxiety medications and benzodiazepines can also be used.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Many children and teens have short attention spans or are restless all the time. But kids who have symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity that cause significant problems with school work or social relationships have a mental health condition called ADHD.
This brain development disorder can be hard for children to manage during adolescence, when it can have a strong impact on their self-esteem and mood. Teenagers with ADHD often struggle to fit in with their peer groups, leading to loneliness and low self-esteem. They may also have a harder time managing their emotions, making decisions or coping with frustration and impatience.
Kids with inattentive ADHD are easily distracted, forgetful and have trouble following instructions. They may also have trouble organizing their work or household tasks and frequently lose things like keys, books or wallets. Kids with the hyperactive/impulsive type of ADHD are restless, fidgety and have trouble sitting still or playing quietly. They talk a lot, interrupt others and have trouble waiting their turn.
Suicide
Every October as school starts and each May as it ends, the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital emergency department sees a spike in the number of teenagers who come in to be seen for suicidal thoughts. They may be suffering from bullying or the stress of a parent’s death or divorce, gender identity issues, or academic pressure. Kids who live in dysfunctional families or are separated from their parents by military deployment, incarceration, deportation or immigration are also at greater risk.
Although adolescent depression is the most common cause of suicide, not all teens who attempt suicide are depressed. In fact, most are impulsive and the transition from thoughts of death to actual suicide is often triggered by a single event or complication. Health care providers can help by asking questions, monitoring access to lethal means and limiting youths’ exposure to media coverage of suicide. And they can encourage parents to talk openly with their teens about their mental health problems.