The Increasing Issue of Poor Mental Health

By Grace M.

 

Suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among teens. Roughly one in every six adolescents have admitted to composing a plan to kill themselves. The number of teens with poor mental health climbs every year.

“Our youths have been particularly impacted as losses from COVID 19 and disruptions in routines and relationships have led to increased social isolation, anxiety, and learning loss. More than half of parents express concern for their child’s mental health well-being,” the White House claims.  They also say, “In 2019, one in three high school students and half of female students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, an overall increase of 40 percent from 2009. Emergency department visits for attempted suicide have risen 51 percent among adolescent girls.

            In seventh grade, young Sierra was happy and doing well in school, with the occasional headache. Eighth grade came and she was constantly exhausted, losing weight, and began having migraines. She started seeing doctors that didn’t know what was amiss. Then, at the end of eighth grade, she was diagnosed with a disorder called mono. She remembers the day she had her first suicidal thought. She was weeping on the bathroom floor and chose to push the thought aside. Ninth grade rolled around, and she was perpetually anxious. She cried every night, dreading the next day. She had to leave every class she had due to panic attacks, which she didn’t recognize at first. Eventually, she convinced her mom to take her to the doctor. She was prescribed medication but soon began self-medicating and felt dependent on the meds to alleviate her anxiety. By the time she reached tenth grade, she was experiencing severe depression. Then one day, it escalated so badly that she cut herself with a razor. Only a day later, she did self-harm again. Eventually, she hit her breaking point and wrote a letter to her parents, who rushed her to the doctor. Throughout eleventh grade, her feelings persisted, and she frequently had thoughts of suicide but decided to keep going because of a couple of friends, her boyfriend, sister, parents, and grandparents. In twelfth grade, Sierra gave up her first choice of college to stay near home because of her poor health. Then, her depression worsened when her grandmother died. She left college to come back home and began taking community college classes and online classes. She felt like a failure. 

Youth experiencing obstacles with their mental health sometimes struggle academically, with decision-making, and other health-related problems. Other outcomes also include adolescents experiencing drug use, violence, and high-risk sexual behavior. Demeanors and habits that children and teens form when they’re young extend into adulthood. For this reason, it is essential for adolescents to have good mental health. At a young age, kids build sleep patterns and exercise habits. They also create coping, problem-solving, and relationship skills, all while learning how to control their emotions. Mental health issues tend to have poor effects on their development.

Mental health disorders come in all different shapes and sizes. The prevailing types of issues among kids are related to anxiety, behavior, conduct, and eating. Nevertheless, there are many alternative types of disorders. Anxiety, which affects 32% of 13-18 year olds, is based upon perpetual feelings of fear and worry. Types of anxiety consist of the common anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), social anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and phobias. Due to the pandemic, anxiety has almost doubled.

Around 13% of 12 to17 year olds have depression, which causes them to have an unremitting sad mood. It disturbs thoughts, feelings, and daily activities. Although it is natural for teens to be sad occasionally, when the feelings persist it becomes alarming.

9% of 13 to 18 year olds have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD. ADHD interferes with daily functioning and development and affects kids with frequent hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. ADHD is a behavioral disorder.

Only around 3.6% of 10 to 14 year olds have conduct disorder. Conduct disorder results in destructive and sometimes criminal behavior.

Almost 3% of 13 to 18 year olds have an eating disorder like anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge eating. Eating disorders are very closely related to poor body image and insecurities. Teens struggling with eating disorders might deem themselves as overweight or underweight, resulting in unhealthy eating habits.

          There are many different causes of mental health issues, and plights are different for each individual. Some of the prevalent causes could be difficulty creating good relationships, identity concerns (sexuality curiosities, gender questions, etc.), social media, quality of home life, toxic or unhealthy relationships with friends and family, violence (sexual violence and/or bullying), severe or unfair parenting and other illnesses or disorders that might affect mental wellbeing.

Over one third of high schoolers have experienced constant feelings of sadness and hopelessness. This is broadly caused by depression. Often times, depression leads to suicide. Due to rising mental health issues, suicide across the world has escalated. Between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people aged 15 to 24 attempt suicide every year. A spectrum of adults, teens, and children have experience with it. Although it may seem like people with mental disorders are alone, that is very misleading. It is estimated that 49.5% of people have had a mental disorder at some point in their life. This shows the notable importance of treating these disorders. Poor mental health across the world will continue to flourish if nothing changes.

There are many ways to help prevent and treat mental health disorders for adolescents. Recognizing symptoms early is eminently important so that kids and teens can get the help they need before their situation worsens. Some of the flags parents and adults around them might take notice of are low energy, losing interest in hobbies they enjoy, sleeping or eating problems, avoidance of social situations, spending time alone, dieting, exercising, or eating unhealthily, harming themselves, using alcohol and other drugs, and frequent risky or destructive behavior. It is very important for kids and teens to know that they are loved. Bonds between teens and important people in their life, like friends, family, teachers, and other important role models, are key. At home, families can help by communicating with adolescents openly and honestly, helping kids with decision-making, spending time together, and engaging in their lives (sports, schools, friendships). School is a very significant part of kids’ childhoods. Therefore, it is important that they feel comfortable and safe. Teachers and staff can help by providing healthy environments and mental health services, such as counselors.

Rewind to Sierra’s life. Sierra is now going to be a junior majoring in psychology away from her home. She has been self-harm-free for over two years. She is living proof that anybody who is struggling with their mental health can get better. Her life shows the importance of helping other children, teens, and adults and providing them with safe and comforting environments.