Teenage Psychiatric Illness

Craig is a fifteen year old boy living in Brooklyn with his family of four, and all he wants is to succeed in life, if he doesn’t kill himself first. He is depressed and pretty much hates his life, he wants to be normal. His best friend, Aaron, stole his crush, Nia, which makes him hate life even more. His stress eventually manifests itself in an eating disorder, use of pot, affected sleep habits, and suicidal thoughts. So, he admits himself to a nearby psychiatric hospital. "I'm fine. Well, I'm not fine -- I'm here." (Vizzini, 11) Many teens deal with stress themselves and cope in many different ways, and don’t pay attention to what is going on within themselves because they are too busy just making sure they are doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Accessing appropriate support and early intervention is widely recognized as a protective factor for youth mental health concerns, improving quality of life and overall success (Rickwood, Deane, & Wilson, 2007). As approximately 70% of adults living with a mental illness experience the onset of symptoms during their teenage years, it is imperative that youth become comfortable accessing help (Kessler, Berglund, Demler et al., 2005).

Low attendance issues can be the results from many underlying reasons. One of the reasons includes stigma associated with mental health treatments, embarrassment, and lack of motivation. The stigma of mental illness, although more often related to context than to a person's appearance, remains a powerful negative attribute in all social relations. Mental illness is still perceived as an indulgence and a sign of weakness amongst high school students (Byrne, 2000). If a student is ashamed about needing mental health treatments, he or she may be discouraged to reach out for help. Some students may also be worried about their information being disclosed to the public.

Many adolescents go undiagnosed or do not receive treatment for their depression for several reasons. Some are fearful of the stigma that comes along with the diagnosis and some do not have access to treatment. “Common structural obstacles to mental health services include inconvenient appointment times, transportation difficulties, long waiting lists and prioritization of crisis work in secondary care settings” (Sclare et al., 2015). Those who do receive treatment often do so in school-based setting instead of in a clinical environment (Ruffolo and Fischer, 2009).

According to Rayan and Jaradat (2016), One in four of the numbers of population around the world have mental illness, particularly in young adults, and only 30% of people who are diagnosed with mental problem seek treatment. Thomas, Caputi, and Wilson proved when the college students have the problem with mental health, their precede choices for consultation are family and friends, alcoholic beverages, drugs, and ignoring themselves (2014). The challenging of growing up is much more when teenagers starting

“Tiger mother,” my husband chides as we drive back home from a scheduled parent-teacher conference. My seventh grade son was doing very well in his math class, garnering an “A”; however, I felt that he wasn’t getting challenged enough, and requested that the teacher provide him with more challenging material. What is a “tiger mother”? According to Wikipedia, the definition of a “tiger mother” is:

People constantly overlook the severity of depression, more importantly, major teen depression, which presents a legitimate obstacle in society. The intensity of teen depression results from society’s general lack of acknowledgement of the rising affair. In 2012, “28.5% of teens were depressed” and 15.8% of teens contemplated the option of suicide (Vidourek 1 par. 1), due to their major depression going unnoticed or untreated for. Even teenagers themselves often ignore their depression or remain in denial because neither them nor anyone else recognizes the signs. “A sudden change in behavior is a main sign of someone being depressed, which could lead to having suicidal thoughts,” stated Pam Farkas, a clinical social worker in California

For years, we have been trying to find a cure for mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. The only legitimate effective medical resources are antidepressants. If we take away these medications, then what will we have left? “Youths” under 14, have mental disorders and make up 22.6 percent of the burden of disease (Mayoh pg 2). To advance and become more knowledgeable about mental illnesses we have to be more open minded. To provide a safe environment for children we have to do all we can, even if it means taking chances such as

Mental health patients are often singled out out due to others’ fear of their mental state, and because of that they’re not given a chance to be understood. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “about 25% of American adults (those ages 18 and older) and about 13% of American children (those ages 8 to 15) are diagnosed with a mental disorder during a given year.” Although anyone can be affected by mental health illness, stereotypes are still prevalent. But just because an individual is diagnosed with a mental disorder does not mean he or she is, “a wack job” or “crazy.” If caught early and treated, an individual may recover quickly. And even if not, the correct treatment can help them to function normally and go about their normal activities. The lack of understanding of mental disorders is often the reason that stigma towards it exist, and ultimately diminishes any possible compassion or empathy from others that’s essential to help those in

Although anyone can suffer from mental health problems, the group that is at an increased risk includes adolescents aged 13 to 18 as “approximately 1 in 5 experiences a severe mental disorder at some point in their life” (NAMI, n.d.). Studies have shown that “50% of all mental illnesses will emerge by the time a person is 14 years old,” and that 75% of people will experience the criteria for developing a psychological disorder by the age of 24 (Hogan, Sederer, Smith, & Nossel, 2010). Adolescents are most at risk because they are at the most influential time in their life. Most of the reasons children go to a doctor’s office are because of mental illness, and they don’t even realize it. Of course, all pediatricians had some sort of psychiatric

20% of adolescents struggle with severe mental illness. 50% of mentally ill teens ages 14 and older will drop out of school. Suicide currently is the 3rd leading cause of death in young people, and 90% of those who commit suicide suffered from mental illness prior to death. Now answer me this: why do we, collectively as a society, continue to sweep mental illness, specifically that of young people, under the rug? I firmly believe that these are issues that need to be addressed and discussed openly, and with the intent of educating anyone who will listen. We all have the power to raise awareness, so I challenge all of us to speak up and encourage the spread of discussion and media surrounding adolescent mental health.

Most people do not understand there is a high number of young adults suffering from a mental illness. In the United States, 1 of 5 young adults will live with a mental illness (“Teens and Young Adults”) and approximately half will develop their mental illness between 14-24 years of age. The amount of young adults with depression, a common health concern, has doubled between the 1980s and 2000s. Another known mental illness includes an anxiety disorder in which 4.4 percent young adults suffer from today (Mental Health Statistics). With the continually increase in figures, hospital stays have risen 80 percent between 1997 and 2010, with mood disorders holding the leading cause for hospital stays in young adults (Peruo et al.).

In 2013, the National Institute of Health reported approximately 18.5 percent of American adults and up to 20 percent of children and the adolescence populations has had or are currently suffering from a Mental Illness. Millions are diagnosed with this kind of condition every day; many do not realize they are suffering with a disorder so they are left untreated. Mental Disorders impacts a person’s way of thinking, feeling, reasoning and mood, it adopts his/ her ability to associate and operate with others on a day to day basis, some may exhibit physical health as well. Not only does this it take a toll on themselves but the people who surrounds them such as family, friends, co-workers

Unfamiliarity causes parents failure to recognize early signs of mental illness. Schools with less money don’t have the proper equipment to handle children with behavioral disorders, eventually the children are suspended or drop out. Those with depression and anxiety disorders keep to themselves, leaving their struggles unoticable.

There is a severe lack of understanding about mental health throughout many communities throughout the country. Because of this, many people do not accept the fact that mental illness is a genuine struggle that many people face on a daily basis and, as a result, most do not understand how widespread it is, particularly for adolescents. According to recent research, 10-15% of teenagers have experienced some symptoms of depression, roughly 20% percent of teens will experience depression before they reach adulthood, and adolescents who suffer from depression are twelve times more likely to attempt suicide. . One health behavior thatis extremely important is receiving medical and psychological treatment for mental illness. However, because mental health is still a taboo issue within many communities, there are many risk and protective factors that need to be taken into consideration. Evaluating these using the five levels of the social-ecological model—individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy--explains how individuals are affected by themselves, their relationships, their community, and their society as a whole.The first level of this model is the individual. One of the largest risk factors of individuals seeking treatment for mental illness is the difficulty of self-identification. Adolescents are surrounded by a variety of pressures, so oftentimes the individual is unable to detect that he/she is struggling from mental illness. If the individual