Adolescent Mental Health

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Handouts/Teaching Sheets

Many adolescents have mental health problems that interfere with their normal development and daily life activities. Some mental health problems are mild, while others are more severe. Some mental health problems last for only short periods of time, while others, potentially, last a lifetime. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reports the following:

• One in 10 children and adolescents suffer from mental illness severe enough to cause problems in their development and daily life.
• Research studies have reported that up to 3 percent of children and up to 8 percent of adolescents in the US suffer from depression.
• Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems that occur in children and adolescents.
• Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, are common among adolescent and young women in the US.

Overview of Mood Disorders

Major Depression
Dysthymia
Manic Depression / Bipolar Disorder

Teen Suicide

Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Phobias
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
Conduct Disorder
Oppositional Defiant Disorder

Anorexia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa
Obesity

Determining Your Body Mass Index