Child and Adolescent Mental Health

Mental health refers to how people think, feel and act in the face of life's challenges. Mental health can affect how people deal with stress, communicate with one another, and make choices. Mental health can influence how people view themselves and their lives. Mental health is as important as physical health at any stage of life.
Mental health can have a profound impact on every aspect of our lives. Protecting and caring for our children is a duty that is essential to their independence and daily lives.
Adolescents and children can have serious mental health problems
As with adults, children and teens can suffer from mental health disorders. These disorders can affect their thinking, feelings, and actions. Untreated mental disorders can cause school failure, family conflict, drug abuse, violence, or even suicide. The health care system, families, and communities can suffer from untreated mental health disorders.
This fact sheet focuses on the wide range of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders that can be diagnosed in children and teens. They include depression, attention- deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and anxiety, conduct, and eating disorders. One in five teenagers is affected by mental health issues at any one time.
Children and adolescents are known as "Serious emotional disturbances" when the disorders severely interfere with their daily lives at home, school, or in their community. One in 10 teenagers is affected by serious emotional disturbances at any one time.
Mental health disorders are more common in young people than many realize.
Research shows that at least one fifth of children and teens have a mental disorder. A serious emotional disorder affects at least one-tenth of the population, or 6 million people.
The Causes are Complex
Most mental health disorders that affect children and teens are due to biology and the environment. Genetics, chemical imbalances or damage to the central nerve system (e.g. a head injury) are all examples of biological causes. Young people are also at high risk of developing mental disorders due to environmental factors. Examples include:
Exposition to toxic environmental chemicals, such as lead at high levels;
Exposition to violence such as witnessing, or being the victim, of physical or sexual abuses, drive-by shootings or muggings or other disasters; Stress due to chronic poverty, discrimination or other severe hardships;
Death, divorce, and broken relationships can cause the loss of important people.

inspireservicesllc