When statistics are done on people aged 10-19 years, out of a group of six people, one has mental health problems. Research shows that those in adolescence are the most affected. Mental health can be affected by the changes adolescents experience either emotionally or socially, for instance, poverty levels, drug and substance abuse, gender-based violence, and many more. It is wise to protect adolescents from such exposure and adversities by promoting mental health campaigns, socio-health learning, doing psychological checks and well-being, and carrying out mental health campaigns and treatments. By so doing, adolescents will have a smooth transition to adulthood. It is estimated that about 14% of young teens experience mental health problems globally, yet a large number stay unrecognized and not treated.
The early stages of adolescence are critical for the development of social and emotional skills that promote mental health. These skills include developing good sleep habits, exercising frequently, learning how to control one’s emotions, and improving one’s ability to cope and solve problems. Parents should create supportive settings at home, in the classroom, and throughout the community.
Numerous factors influence mental health. The more risk factors teenagers are exposed to, the greater the potential influence on their mental health. Teens are affected by peer pressure, identity discovery, and adversity, which may cause stress. Gender representation and media influence have the potential to exacerbate the gap that exists between an adolescent’s lived reality and their conceptualization or aspirations for the future. Other important factors are their peer relationships and the quality of their family life. Risk factors for mental health include severe and persistent financial difficulties, strict parenting, and violent acts, such as bullying and sexual assault.
Sure, youth are more susceptible to mental health problems than others because of poor living conditions, stigma, discrimination, or isolation, or because they don’t have access to resources and high-quality support (Zablotsky & Ng, 2023). Teens with autism spectrum disorder, disability, those living vulnerable lives or humanitarian environments, those with long-term illnesses, those who are pregnant, who are parents in their teens, those in early or forced marriages, orphans, and teenagers from sexually or racially marginalized backgrounds are some examples.
Teenagers frequently have emotional problems. According to Zablotsky & Ng (2023), older teenagers are prone to experience anxiety disorders, which can include panic attacks or excessive worry. It is estimated that 4.6% of youngsters aged 15 to 19 and 3.6% of those aged 10 to 14 will suffer from anxiety disorders. According to estimates, 2.8% of teenagers aged 15 to 19 and 1.1% of adolescents aged 10 to 14 experience depression. Anxiety and depression have several symptoms, such as abrupt and drastic mood swings.
Anxiety and depression also affect school performance and class attendance. Some teens disengage themselves by staying lonely and isolating themselves from people, as this may result in suicide.
In a nutshell, teenagers are affected by mental health problems, and some end up being untreated and unrecognized. Parents take a more significant role in educating youths and taking care of them. By creating campaigns on mental health awareness, we are saving lives. The World Health Organization has also developed a module on mental and behavioral disorders in children and adolescents as part of the mhGAP Intervention Guide 2.0. This guide’s evidence-based clinical protocols can be applied in non-specialized care settings to diagnose and treat a range of mental health conditions. Furthermore, the WHO is developing and assessing recommendations for adolescent mental health care in addition to scalable psychological engagement to treat emotional disorders in teenagers.
Zablotsky, B., & Ng, A. E. (2023). Mental Health Treatment among Children Aged 5-17 Years: United States, 2021. NCHS Data Brief. No. 472. National Center for Health Statistics. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED631630
World Health Organization. (2020). World Health Statistics 2020. https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/srhreports/health/health/28/