Teen Mental Health

Studies show that mental health disorders are becoming increasingly common among teenagers and adolescents, and 50 percent of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14.Without the right treatment program, your teen’s mental health issues can encroach on every aspect of their life, from relationships to academics. By creating a strong support system during adolescence, you’ll give your teen a healthy start as they grow into adulthood.

Generally speaking, however, teens who are struggling with their mental health will experience some of the following symptoms:

• • Changes in eating habits
• • Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
• • Avoiding other people or activities that were once enjoyable
• • Fatigue or difficulty sleeping
• • Feeling hopeless or helpless
• • Smoking, drinking, or using drugs more than usual or even ever before
• • Extreme mood swings that interfere with relationships and responsibilities
• • More than one in three high school students reported experiencing persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019—a 40 percent increase from 2009. (Source)
• • Approximately one in six youth reported making a suicide plan in 2019—a 44 percent increase from 2009—and suicide is now the fourth leading cause of death in adolescents ages 15-19 years across the globe. (Source)
• • By 2021, nearly half of all young people in the U.S. have experienced feelings of persistent sadness or hopelessness. (Source)
• • Half of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14 and 75 percent of people are living with symptoms by age 24. (Source)
• • One in five people ages 12 to 25 years reported that the pandemic has affected their mental health. (Source)
• • One in ten people under age 18 experienced a mental health condition following a COVID-19 diagnosis. (Source)

Consequences of untreated mental health conditions

When left untreated, mental health conditions can have a serious effect on a teen’s short-term and long-term wellbeing.

• Poor academic performance. High school students with significant symptoms of depression are more than twice as likely to drop out of school than their peers. (Source)
• Homelessness. Mental illness has been listed as the third leading cause of homelessness for single adults, and some counts show that 20-25% of the U.S. homeless population suffer from some form of severe mental illness. (Source)
• Increased suicide risk. Suicide is the second leading cause of death for U.S. youth age 15-25, and most who attempt suicide suffer from a significant mental health disorder. (Source)
• Higher rates of substance use. Co-occurring mental illness among adolescents with substance use disorders hovers around 60-75 percent. And youth who experience a major depressive episode are twice as likely to begin using alcohol or drugs compared to youth without depression. (Source)