When you think of mental illness what do you think of? Depression? Anxiety? PTSD? So do I. But did you know there are more than just those that teens suffer from everyday?
Depression
Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent and intense negative emotions. These emotions negatively effect teens lives and cause social, educational, personal, and family difficulties. Depression is not just about being sad or down. Depression affects how a teen acts, thinks, and feels, they now look at the world negatively. Depression episodes last for often months at a time and then for some time gets better until another episode occurs. Depression is not caused by normal stresses in life.
http://teenmentalhealth.org/learn/mental-disorders/depression/ |
ADHD
Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD is a common nuerodevelopmental disorder characterized by hyperactivity, inattention and impulsivity. Many people have these symptoms all the time but ADHD kids have them more severe and disruptive. Symptoms usually start at an early age, prior to 12. Someone is not usually diagnosed until in school because the home environment is less restrictive making it hard to see. Having ADHD makes everyday activities, at home or in school hard.
http://teenmentalhealth.org/learn/mental-disorders/adhd/ |
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is another mood disorder. Unlike depression, bipolar effects teens day to day normal ups and downs. The cycle is between periods of Mania (elevated or irritable), periods of normal mood, or Depression.The cycles, or episodes, could be frequent (daily) or infrequent (years apart). Manic episodes seem different between adults and teens. Depressive episodes come before manic episodes, which is why some teens will be diagnosed with depression instead of bipolar.
http://teenmentalhealth.org/learn/mental-disorders/bipolar-disorder/ |
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a psychotic disorder that often begins in late teens or early adulthood. It's an illness of the brain that affects how a person perceives the world, thinks, and behaves. People with these disorders are more to be the victims of a crime than to be the person committing the crime. These people can "escape from reality" meaning they can not distinguish the difference between what is real and what is not. They can have delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking/speech, abnormal motor behavior, and other negative symptoms.
http://teenmentalhealth.org/learn/mental-disorders/schizophrenia/ |
Anxiety
Anxiety is a disruptive signal from your brain about danger. Your brain now sends you the signal of danger even when there is no danger, like during everyday events. Teens are constantly worrying which causes serious emotional distress. Anxiety is not just mental, there are also physical components like headaches, aches and pains, nausea, shaking and sweating. Everyone has a flight or fight response in them for when being faced with new events or places. Those people with anxiety have these feelings much worse than others.
http://teenmentalhealth.org/learn/mental-disorders/generalized-anxiety-disorder/ |