Teenage Mental Health

Across the United Kingdom, mental health disorders among teenagers are on the rise. Each year, it is believed that approximately 20% of teenagers are subject to mental health disorders.

However, with several mental health disorders left untreated, it could be argued that the number of teenagers struggling with mental health disorders is much greater. In fact, The Children’s Society has determined that approximately 75% of teenagers struggling with disorders such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders and post-traumatic disorder are yet to obtain sufficient support.

Although teenagers are becoming more vocal about mental health disorders, the various stigmas surrounding disorders paired with limited information about the help available to them has seen many continue to suffer in silence.

Regardless of whether you are a parent searching for answers, a teacher seeking guidance or a teenager hoping to find out more about mental health, we have delved into the causes of teenage mental health, the signs and symptoms of teenage mental health and the support we can provide teenagers with here.

Mental Health Disorders Among Teenagers

In the last decade, several mental health disorders have become widely recognised by organisations and health care providers such as the World Health Organisation, NHS and charities such as Mind.

When considering teenage mental health, the most prevalent mental health disorders include emotional disorders such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, and behavioural disorders, including eating disorders and ADHD.

Emotional disorders currently impair the lives of 8.1% of teenagers, while behavioural disorders cripple approximately one in 100 teenagers each year.

How Does Mental Health Affect Teenagers?

Just as mental health disorders impair adults’ lives, mental health disorders drastically reduce the quality of a teenager’s life.

Sadly, when mental health disorders arise in teenagers, those struggling are likely to isolate themselves from others, become increasingly unhappy in their day-to-day life and struggle at school, college and university. Many teenagers struggling with mental health disorders will also experience a lack of self-confidence and self-esteem.

Even though there is a wealth of support available to teenagers struggling with mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression, as touched on above, many will attempt to keep their issues to themselves. Regrettably, deferring treatment for mental health disorders can have various physical and psychological ramifications.

It should also be noted that when left untreated, teenage mental health disorders can extend into adulthood.

What Are The Signs and Symptoms of Teenage Mental Health?

Determining whether a teenager is suffering from a mental health disorder can be somewhat tricky, especially if they have attempted to keep their problems to themselves.

However, as the severity of their problems escalates, various signs and symptoms will arise and indicate that either an emotional or behavioural disorder is harming their health and well-being.

The signs and symptoms typically associated with teenage mental health are as followed;

– Fluctuating moods
– Appearing to be upset on a frequent basis
– Isolating themselves from friends and family members
– Avoiding responsibilities such as going to school or college
– Appearing to be extremely tired and struggling with insomnia
– Trouble concentrating on simple tasks
– Excessively worrying
– Finding it difficult to cope with stress
– Suffering from panic attacks
– Eating very little
– Restricting themselves of certain food groups
– Struggling with body dysmorphia

It should be noted that the signs and symptoms observed will differ depending on the disorder that is experienced. However, if any of the above symptoms are present in a teenager, guidance and support should be sought as soon as possible.

What Causes Teenage Mental Health?

In this day and age, various sources contribute to the likeliness that a teenager will develop mental health disorders. However, some of the most prevalent sources include the following;

– Society’s expectations
– Social media
– Peer pressure
– Emotional changes
– Social changes
– Physical, mental and sexual trauma
– Problems at home

Although the above sources will not necessarily see all teenagers exposed to mental health disorders, they do play a somewhat significant role in the majority of disorders that have been evaluated among a wealth of teenagers.

For example, society’s expectations and the rise of social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook have seen teenagers exposed to what is deemed as the ideal physique. Sadly, studies conducted by medical professionals have determined that 40% of teenagers struggling with eating disorders state that social media played a large role in the development of disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and body dysmorphia.

The Support Available For Teenage Mental Health

When left untreated, the physical and psychological ramifications of mental health disorders in teenagers can impair their lives well into adulthood. With this in mind, teenage mental health must be addressed.

At present, there is an abundance of support available for teenagers to take advantage of. For example, mental health charity Mind has developed an Infoline that is on hand to help those struggling with mental health disorders. There are also various rehabs, such as our own, that can provide mental health rehabilitation to those in need.

In addition, various resources can help parents, adults and caregivers support teenagers as they come face-to-face with their mental health disorders.

For example, our admissions team is on hand to listen to the signs and symptoms that you may have observed in a teenager and provide guidance on addressing mental health disorders and offer support as and when it is needed.

Support Available Via Step One Recovery

If you are hoping to obtain guidance on how best to approach and support a teenager struggling with a mental health disorder, we welcome you to contact us. By listening to your concerns and asking you a couple of questions, we can assist you as best as we can.

If we believe that rehabilitation may be required, we can talk you through our available options and ensure that the individual in question can overcome their problems and live a bright and happy future.

 
Sources:
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/statistics/mental-health-statistics-children-and-young-people
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/well-being/mental-health-statistics
https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/blog/what-new-statistics-show-about-childrens-mental-health#:~:text=This%20change%20was%20largely%20driven,%25)%20reported%20an%20emotional%20disorder.
https://youngminds.org.uk/find-help/conditions/anorexia/
https://seedeatingdisorders.org.uk/pdfs/user/A3A24408-C236-A710-93F6-2B64023A6B82.pdf