Common Mental Health Issues in Adolescents

Adolescence is a developmental phase characterized by physical growth, emotional, and cognitive developmental stages. This period is usually associated with specific demands that present themselves as extraordinary circumstances in people’s lives and may affect their psychological health. A different perspective on mental health issues is a focus on adolescents; again, the turmoil often linked with this period of development embraces the formation of identity, peer pressure, school requirements, and family relationships. It is essential for enhancing mature human functioning to respond appropriately to several concerns through adolescent counseling.

Some of the problems that affect teenage people, with a firm emphasis on the need for teenagers to be referred for counseling.

 Anxiety Disorders

Some of the common ailments that affect the youth include anxiety disorders. These disorders include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), Social anxiety, Panic disorders, and specific phobias. The signs of stress that may reflect adolescent clients include exaggerated worrying, getting easily irritated, becoming more stressed, and struggling with focus. The situation related to academic performance, social relationships, and uncertainty of further life heightens anxiety in this group.

 Depression

Another mental health disorder is depression, which is also common among adolescents. Depression is described by prolonged experience of the emotions of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities that were formerly appreciated. Depression in adolescents also presents the following symptoms such as changes in appetite, sleep disturbances, and impaired concentration. The factors that lead to depression in teenagers are complex and can be influenced by genes, environment, and the thoughts of the people around them.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD stands for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and it is a neurodevelopmental disorder whereby some children exhibit signs of the disorder at an early age and then may continue to experience it as adolescents. ADHD in adolescents is manifested by such issues as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, and these issues may compromise the academic achievements of the students and their social interactions. They may have problems in planning, executing instructions, and remaining on task and may have problems concentrating on school work or any other task.

Counseling adolescents is also a significant way of addressing the issue of ADHD. Specifically, behavioral therapy teaches high school students better organization skills, better time management styles, and decreased impulsivity. Counseling also involves collaboration with parents and teachers in managing the adolescent with a view to offering the comfort of the environment that is most appropriate to the child. As a result, medication might be administered simultaneously with the therapy to achieve a better concentration of improved outcomes.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and other related disorders which manifest during adolescence. These are clinical disorders associated with severe eating patterns, food, body weight, and shape disturbances. Patients suffering from anorexia nervosa and bulimia restrict their diets and feel mortified and guilty about doing so.

Relationshipsandmore.com in Rye, NY, is a vital component of the treatment of eating disorders, most especially for adolescents. The two primary treatment methods that are used to treat eating disorders include cognitive-behavioral therapy and family-based therapy. Counseling is also geared towards enhancing adolescents’ positive perception of their bodies and food intake. Hence, timely treatment of eating disorders is essential as they may cause fatal complications in patients.

 Substance Abuse

Drinking and getting high is also a problem for young people, who take alcohol or drugs to relieve stress, to fit in with peer pressure, and sometimes due to underlying mental disorders. Adolescent substance use is not without effects because it affects the brain development and the legal status of the underage user and sharply increases their risk of becoming dependent on substances later in their lifetime.

One way to tackle this problem is through adolescent counseling services, which aim at helping young people who have substance abuse problems. Counselors also engage the adolescents intending to find out why they use substances and help them to find ways to refuse or avoid the use of substances in situations involving peer pressure and learn how to deal with stress in other constructive ways. Two counseling approaches the use of motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy, are used to assist adolescents in changing their substance use behaviors. Treatments such as family therapy may also be required to identify any family factors that may include adolescent substance use.

 Self-harm and Suicidal Ideation

Taking one’s life and thoughts of taking one’s life are serious mental health problems that warrant serious intervention. Adolescents may use self-destructive behaviors such as cutting, burning, or other types of hurting themselves in order to gain relief, turn over the feelings they experience, or have power in their lives. Thinking about killing oneself or having the impulse to take one’s own life is known as suicidal ideation and is considered to be quite severe mental health symptoms that may correlate with such disorders as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Counseling adolescent clients can provide one-off security for self-mutilation and suicidal thoughts. Counselors attempt to establish why such behaviors are exhibited and assist adolescents in using more appropriate positive handling to issues. Dialectical behavior therapy, or DBT, is a well-researched method of treatment that is mainly applied to counseling to support adolescents in getting better control of their feelings and refraining from self-harm. Other facets of counseling that include adolescents at risk of suicide include crisis intervention and safety planning.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

PTSD as a clinical disorder can be diagnosed in adolescents who have gone through traumatizing experiences, including sexual abuse, physical assault, car accidents, or natural calamities. People with PTSD need to face many difficulties during their adolescence, for example, flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety connected with traumatizing events. They may also shy away from other people or circumstances which has anything to do with the traumatic incident and can exhibit symptoms of detachment or emotional unresponsiveness.

Counseling of adolescents is especially important for the population with PTSD so that they can work through the trauma and have fewer symptoms. Posttraumatic stress disorder can also be treated using counseling. Where a case-renowned practice is the TF-CBT, which is used to help adolescents face and modify their traumatic narrative. Counseling also aims at developing rapport and ensuring clients a secure atmosphere where they are free to share their emotions. It’s better to diagnose it at the earliest and treat the patient so that PTSD does not have a significant toll on the adolescent when they grow up.

 Final Thoughts

During this critical stage, many youngsters experience a wide array of possible mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, eating disorders, substance abuse, self-inflicting behavior, and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. If not treated well and on time, these issues may bring negative and long-term consequences to their well-being. Adolescent counseling from Relationshipsandmore.com is a helpful tool to ease these mental health problems as it involves the provision of therapeutic interventions that bring alteration in the coping strategies of adolescents to improve their well-being. Therefore, early identification and intervention should be given more attention so adolescents go through this stage with all the relevant support systems for a healthy and productive life.