Teen Mental Health

Mental health reflects the thought, feeling, action and decision making of a person. It affects how people handle their emotions and relate to one another. Mental health influences the physical health and reproductive health also. All aspects of our lives are influenced by our mental health.

Mental health disorders can affect anybody of any age be it adults, children or adolescents. These mental health disorders cause ill effects on the way they think, feel, and act. Mental health disorders can lead to school failure, family conflicts, drug abuse, violence and even suicide if not treated and diagnosed at the right time.

Mental Health Problems of adolescents refers to the

• emotional
• behavioral
• mental disorders

These include

depression

• attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder
• anxiety
• eating disorders

The causes for teen mental health problems may be of various types:

• genetics
• chemical imbalances in the body
• damage to the central nervous system or head injury
• environmental factors
• exposure to environmental toxins like high levels of lead
• exposure to violence, such as witnessing or being the victim of physical or sexual abuse
• stress related to chronic poverty or discrimination
• loss of important people through death, divorce, or broken relationships

Warning signs of mental health problem:

• sad and hopeless for no reason
• very angry most of the time
• crying a lot or overreacting to things
• worthless or guilty often
• Anxious or worried often
• unable to get over a loss or death of someone important
• extremely fearful or having unexplained fears
• constantly concerned about physical problems or physical appearance

The teenager suffering from such kind of problems shows certain changes like:

• declining performance in studies
• losing interest in things once enjoyed
• changes in sleeping or eating patterns
• avoiding friends or family and wanting to be alone all the time
• daydreaming too much
• feeling life is too hard to handle
• experiencing suicidal thoughts

An adolescent with mental health problem often starts:

• using alcohol or other drugs
• eating large amounts of food and then purging, or abusing laxatives, to avoid weight gain.
• dieting and/or exercising extensively
• constantly breaking the law without regard for other people
• doing things that can be life threatening