Mental Health with Teens

As youth grow up in certain societies and with different expectations, one’s mental health can differ as they grow. Whether it is pressure from friends and family or other unpleasant past experiences, our childhood and the environment we surround ourselves with now will shape how we turn out to be and think. Most teenagers have dealt with or will experience some sort of emotional obstacle, but many experience it so much and so consistently that it is considered for them to have an illness. These illnesses can seem as if they are only in the brain, our head, but those suffering will know that it can be something physical as well. There are different mental illnesses that cause different feelings and symptoms, often at its prime found commonly within young adults. 

The most common illnesses found in youth are anxiety disorders, depression, and ADHD. These disorders may share some symptoms with each other, but each of them has individual characteristics that classify them into different disorders. One thing to note is that one can be feeling a few symptoms corresponding with a disorder, but there is a certain amount one must feel to be diagnosed. The only people capable of officially diagnosing are licensed psychologists and therapists. Keeping that in mind, here are what the 3 disorders actually are and how they affect someone’s life.

1. Anxiety

Anxiety is usually when first heard, associated with stress, nervousness, and fear. As those are all true, an anxiety disorder is an illness that constantly causes those emotions. It is actually an illness that refers to other more specified disorders, such as panic disorder, phobia, and social anxiety. These disorders specify what it is that causes stress, nervousness, and fear. Anxiety causes a fear that is so heightened it can deter you from functioning normally and communicating effectively. It causes the habit of overthinking and feeling restless because of waves of dread. It overall brings your focus to small problems one usually does not pay attention to and engages stress over them, making it difficult to concentrate in workplaces such as school. Physical symptoms of anxiety include: 

• Breath shortage

• Overly sweating 

• Nausea

• Sleep problems

• Tingling in hands/feet

• Exhaustion 

2. Depression

So, anxiety in general is the constant and uncontrollable condition of feeling fear. Depression is the condition of persistently feeling sadness and hopelessness, meaning that everyday activities are difficult to get to and you don’t see the importance in anything anymore. Depression can consume all interest and passion you once had, leaving you to be too tired to operate like you used to. It can if reached to a certain extent or point of issues, cause suicidal thinking. A depressive disorder causes many physical symptoms, such as:

• Slowed body movements

• Weight loss or weight gain 

• Decrease or increase in appetite

• Body aches

• Troubled concentration

• Unexplained exhaustion

• Too much or too little sleep

• Irritability

3. ADHD

ADHD (Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) unlike the others does not have anything directly to with long periods of negative emotions. Those who have ADHD have most commonly short attention spans, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness. Most of the time, one’s life when living with ADHD affects their social life, especially in public places. These three characteristics are classified into 2 types of ADHD, each with its symptoms. There are 3 types in total, the last one being a combination of both.

• The Inattentive Type

-Has difficulty concentrating

-Short attention span

-Is forgetful when it comes to daily activities 

- Has trouble organizing

• The Impulsive/Hyperactive Type

-Has trouble sitting still or staying in place for long periods

-Has little patience

-Excessive talking

-It’s difficult for them to be quiet

• The Combined Type

-Experiences all the symptoms listed above from both categories

Mental illnesses are a very real and tiring struggle. Many think that they won’t be cured. Many are struggling and don’t even know why and what they are struggling with. The most upright and healthy treatment is to talk to psychologists and therapists. Being helped and guided through the path of getting better will eventually reach the goal of feeling like yourself again.

                                        Works Cited

“Anxiety Disorders: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Types.” Cleveland Clinic, https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9536-anxiety-disorders. Accessed 29 January 2025.

“Depression (major depressive disorder) - Symptoms and causes.” Mayo Clinic, 14 October 2022, https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007. Accessed 29 January 2025.

“Psychiatry.org - What is ADHD?” American Psychiatric Association, https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/adhd/what-is-adhd. Accessed 29 January 2025.