Read 6 facts about teen mental illness that parents should be aware of
It’s common for teenagers to have mood swings. However, when do adolescent mood fluctuations indicate something more serious, such as mental illness?
Teens are more likely than you might assume to experience mental illness. However, many forms of mental disease can be treated; it simply requires a precise diagnosis.
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6 facts about teen mental illness that parents should be aware of
Unlike most of us, doctors define “mental illness” differently.
To evaluate whether a patient is suffering from a mental disorder, doctors look at a number of particular factors.
Doctors typically look for gloomy mood or a lack of interest in hobbies or recreational activities when diagnosing someone with severe depressive disorder. Teenagers, however, may exhibit these symptoms as shifts in their academic performance, a lack of interest in their companions, or an out-of-character irritation. The presence of at least one of the symptoms triggers the evaluation of additional criteria.
In addition, five of the following seven symptoms must be present in order to make a diagnosis:
- Changes in sleep
- Newly developed guilt
- Changes in energy level
- Changes in concentration or task completion
- Changes in appetite
- Variations in motivation
- Suicidal Thoughts
A person may be diagnosed with severe depressive disorder if they have displayed five of these symptoms almost daily for at least two weeks.
The takeaway: If your teen occasionally loses it or stays up late, it’s generally nothing to worry about.
On the other hand, it’s usually a good idea to go to your doctor if such feelings linger and there are additional uncommon symptoms.
Teenage mental disorders types
Teenage mental disorders types
Teens most frequently experience the following types of mental illnesses:
- Generalized anxiety—Excessive worry about everyday matters
- Social phobias—Severe feelings of self-consciousness and insecurity in social settings
- Depression—Persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, and/or emptiness
Teenage mental illness warning symptoms can vary based on the ailment.
Although a drop in grades would typically be one of the warning signals for most children, there are other symptoms as well.
Another red flag may be a change in your child’s social routines, such as a withdrawal from friends, school, or former hobbies that they used to like.
Additionally, sadness, social phobias, and generalised anxiety all have particular symptoms.
Generalized anxiety disorder signs and symptoms include:
- Feeling restless, wound up, or on edge
- Becoming fatigued easily
- Struggling with concentration
- Experiencing irritability
- Feeling muscle tension
- Having difficulty keeping worry levels under control
- Struggling with sleep, such as difficulties falling asleep or staying asleep, or not feeling well-rested
Social anxiety disorder symptoms include:
- Feeling very anxious at the thought of being around others, and struggling to talk to other people
- Experiencing extreme self-consciousness and fear of humiliation, embarrassment, rejection, or offending people
- Worrying about being judged
- Feeling anxious days or even weeks ahead of a social event
- Avoiding places where other people will be, and Socializing
- Struggling to make and keep friends
- Blushing, sweating, or trembling around others
- Experiencing nausea around other people
And signs of depression include:
- Feeling persistently sad, anxious, or empty
- Experiencing hopelessness or pessimism
- Struggling with irritability
- Feeling guilty, worthless, or helpless
- Losing interest in hobbies or activities that used to be enjoyable
- Struggling with fatigue or lack of energy
- Moving and/or talking more slowly than usual Feeling restless
- Struggling with concentration, memory, and/or decision-making
- Experiencing unexplained changes in appetite or weight
- Having thoughts of death or suicide
- Unexplained aches or pains that don’t go away when treated
Sometimes, even only two weeks’ worth of symptoms are sufficient to consider a diagnosis, even though at least some of these symptoms must typically be present for several weeks or months before an accurate diagnosis can be made.
You ought to first visit the family doctor or paediatrician for your child. Due to their experience with your child’s medical history, a diagnosis may be made more quickly and simply.
The doctor could ask certain questions during the initial consultation to check for mental disorder.
What are the symptoms the teen is displaying?
What are the parents worried about?
Does the teen have any concerns?
Managing Mental Illness in Teens
There are a range of options for treating mental illness in teens, including:
Identifying stressors, such as not getting enough sleep, skipping meals, or generally lacking a day-to-day routine—and remedying them
Counseling, which is often paired with medications.
Teenage mental illness is more prevalent than most people realise, but it is also quite treatable.
Mental disease can be avoided. However, because they are in denial, parents frequently wait until problems have been ongoing for several months before bringing the child in. The majority of parents think, “It can’t be what’s happening to my child.”
If you have concerns, you should speak with your children.
It’s advisable to start a talk with your kid about the issue if they look stressed or if there has been a dramatic shift in their conduct. It might not necessarily indicate a psychiatric condition like depression or anxiety, but it could still be a symptom that they are experiencing stress from anything in their life.