Adolescence: Time For an Integrated Mental Health Care Initiative
Whether it is the time of “storm and stress”, or it is called the “lizard brain” at work, the population ages 13-19, is in the headlines. And ample studies and research on this population in the U.S. reveal that the adolescents are under stress, feeling irritable, angry, nervous, anxious and overwhelmed. What are the causes? Is perfectionism in academic work, family dysfunction such as children’s maltreatment, substance abuse or abandonment that results in mental illness in adolescents? How about the arguments on the internet that cause mental illness, or all the above?
According to an NIMH-funded study, researchers have identified differences in how the brains of irritable youth react to frustration. The findings, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, could provide new ways for developing treatments for children and adolescents with severe irritability.
On October 22, 2018, the National Institute of Mental Health reported on the study done in 2016 that shows 70% of adolescents in the U.S., diagnosed with severe impairment, have major depressive episodes. Among this group, 60% do not receive any mental health treatment. According to the above study an estimated 3.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States had at least one major depressive episode. This number represented 12.8 % of the U.S. population age 12-17. It should be noted that the prevalence of major depressive episodes was higher among adolescent females (19.4%) compared to males (6.4%).
A glance at the treatment modalities that adolescents receive for mental illness sheds light on the health care resources that adolescents have utilized. The highest percentage of treatment modality (21%) used for treatment of adolescents was medication only.
This study shows that in 2016 19% of adolescents were under the treatment of health care professionals, either with or without medications. Considering the race factor, this study presents the percentage of major depressive episodes among African American adolescents was 9.1% compared to 17.1% for white.
Signs of Mental Illness
in Adolescents
A current Harvard Special Health Report recommends to look for these behaviors: Anger, social isolation or loss of interest in activities, poor performance in school, bursts of unexplained irritability, shouting or crying, hypersensitivity to rejection or failure, abuse of alcohol and drugs or other dangerous substances. To help these adolescents, parents should keep the lines of communication open, provide regular quality time, and above all, care for their own mental health.
