Mental Health Challenges

Mental health challenges

The term “mental illness” or “mental health disorder” covers a broad spectrum of conditions that affect people’s mood, thinking, and/or behavior. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, approximately 1 in 5 teenagers experience some kind of mental health disorder. Living with a mental health disorder can be difficult, not just because of the symptoms, but also because of other people’s perceptions. Sometimes people with mental illness are ignorantly referred to as “crazy,” “weak,” “unbalanced,” “oversensitive” or “bad,” when in reality, they’re doing the best they can to deal with thoughts and feelings most people can’t even imagine.

Keep an eye out for these changes in yourself and those around you. They may be the sign of a mental illness such as depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder.

not feeling like yourself, losing interest in activities you once enjoyed
feeling agitated, irrtitated, on edge, or constantly bothered
Withdrawing from family and friends
not caring for yourself (a decline in personal hygeine, eating habits, and/or appearance)
feeling hopeless, thinking things will never get better
using alcohol, marijuana, nicotine, or other substances as a way of feeling better or getting through the day

If you or someone you know starts exhibiting any of these symptoms, talk to a parent, teacher, guidance counselor, or other trusted adult. Also, check out my tips at the bottom of this page!

Remember that having a mental illness does not mean that you are crazy or that there is something wrong with you. The best way to think of it is the same way you'd think of a chronic physical illness such as diabetes, asthma, or a heart murmur -- something you'll probably have to deal with for the rest of your life, but that IS treatable. Treatment for mental illness varies from person to person, but generally involves some kind of counseling or therapy, sometimes combined with medication.

Below, you’ll find a brief overview of some mental health challenges that are commonly experienced by teenagers. If you are interested in learning more about any of these disorders, or about mental health challenges not listed here, I encourage you to check out the TeensHealth website.

anxiety disorders

Everybody experiences feelings of worry, nervousness, and fear when certain situations arise. But for some people, these feelings happen too often or come on too strong. Sometimes they are accompanied by physical symptoms, such as headaches, stomachaches, or vomiting. Sometimes anxiety attacks are triggered by certain people or events; other times they seem to come out of nowhere. People who experience anxiety disorders often avoid talking about their worries for fear that people will think they are weak or crazy. But talking about your worries with someone you trust—particularly an adult who may know how to help—is actually one of the best things you can do.

bipolar disorder

People with bipolar disorder experience extreme mood swings, generally over a period of weeks or months, although sometimes more frequently. These mood swings cause the person to experience episodes of depression and mania.

During a depressed episode, a person may lose interest in activities they normally enjoy, feel, irritable, tired, and/or anxious, sleep too much or be unable to sleep, and think bad thoughts about him- or herself. During a manic episode, a person may experience increased energy and sense of self-importance, a decreased need for sleep, lots of thoughts and ideas, and reckless behavior. Most people with bipolar disorder experience a period of feeling “normal” in between depressed and manic episodes, but this is not always the case.

depression

Everyone feels sad or upset at times, but depression is when the feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and despair last for longer than a couple weeks. People with depression often think negative thoughts about themselves, such as that they are worthless or that nothing they do matters. They often feel unmotivated and get tired easily. Oftentimes, people don’t realize that they are depressed—they just think that they’re a failure or a mess of a person. If you think that you or someone you know may be experiencing symptoms of depression, it’s very important to talk to a parent, guidance counselor, or other trusted adult. When treated properly, a person with depression can start feeling better again.

eating disorders

There are two common eating disorders associated with body image: anorexia and bulimia. Both disorders are characterized by a preoccupation with one’s weight, but that is where the similarities end.

People with anorexia eat very little for fear of becoming fat. Oftentimes, they get to the point of being unhealthily thin, but still perceive themselves as fat. This can lead to a multitude of health problems, including low blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, weak bones, and feeling tired and dizzy.

People with bulimia eat a lot of food in a short period of time, then do things to “make up for” their overeating, such as throwing up or taking laxatives or diuretics. These can also lead to an assortment of health problems.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

As described by rapper NF in his song “Leave Me Alone”: Diagnosed with OCD, what does that mean? Well, gather 'round. That means I obsessively obsess on things I think about, that means I might take a normal thought and think it's so profound, ruminating, fill balloons up full of doubt, do the same things, if I don't, I'm overwhelmed. Thoughts are pacing, they go 'round and 'round and 'round. It's so draining…

People with OCD have a hard time shutting their thoughts off. These thoughts may include worries that something bad is about to happen, concerns about something not looking exactly right, and/or the feeling that you have to do a certain thing in order to ease your worry. People with OCD often develop rituals such as washing, tapping, organizing, repeating words, re-doing tasks, or repeatedly checking to make sure they’ve done something. Although following through on these compulsions can temporarily help ease obsessive thoughts, the more a person gives in to his or her compulsions, the harder it becomes to break the cycle. People with OCD often recognize that their worries and rituals are illogical, but don’t know how to stop thinking and doing those things.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

PTSD is a set of anxiety-related symptoms that begin occurring after someone goes through a traumatic event, such as abuse, rape, assault, a life-threatening experience, or the sudden death of a loved one. People with PTSD may have nightmares or flashbacks about the event. They may avoid people, places, and things that remind them of the event. They may become jumpy or easily startled in everyday life. In some cases, their emotions may shut off as a result of the brain trying to deal with all the stress and anxiety.

Even over time, PTSD doesn’t usually go away on its own. However, it is treatable through therapy.

tourette syndrome and rage attacks

Tourette syndrome is first and foremost characterized by motor and vocal tics. You can think of a tic like a really bad itch. Your brain tells you to do something—perhaps blink really hard, jerk your head to the side, tap your fingers, or make a squeaking noise. You don’t necessarily want to do it, but just like how an itch keeps bothering you until you scratch it, your brain keeps bothering you until you give in to the tic. After you do the tic, you feel much better and are able to move on with your day… until the next one.

Tourette’s isn’t normally classified as a mental health disorder, but it has a mental health component. Some people with Tourette’s experience something called rage attacks. Rage attacks are uncontrollable bursts of anger that are inconsistent with the person’s usual personality and disproportionate to the problem at hand. For example, a normally kind, sweet, loving teenager may start screaming, swearing, and throwing things at his or her parents when asked to clean his or her room. Reasoning with a person during a rage attack only makes the rage worse. If the person is left alone, a rage attack will usually only last around 15 or 20 minutes. When it’s over, the person goes right back to normal, often showing remorse for what they’ve done.

Rage attacks do not mean that someone is a bad person. Everyone has moments when they get angry and say or do things that they shouldn’t. People with Tourette’s tend to have a harder time controlling their anger than people without, so the normal fight-or-flight reaction is magnified.

Something that many people have found helpful for alleviating both tics and rage attacks is the Feingold Diet. If you or someone you know has Tourette syndrome, I highly recommend you look into it.

If you want more comprehensive information on Tourette syndrome and rage attacks, go to the CDC's Tourette syndrome page.

It's almost 100% guaranteed that your life will be touched by mental illness at some point in time. Whether the person actually experiencing the illness is you, a family member, a friend, or someone else you know, it's important to know how to handle it. Below are some tips about what you can do to help.

tips for yourself

If you think that you have any kind of mental health disorder, it's very important to make sure that a trusted adult (parent, teacher, counselor, religious leader, etc) is aware of what you are experiencing. Talk to them about seeing a mental health professional. Mental illnesses are much easier to manage when you have a support system.

That being said, here are some steps you can take on your own to help yourself feel better:

Find an activity that you enjoy and that helps take your mind off how you’re feeling
Find a cause you’re passionate about and volunteer for that cause
Hang around with people who build you up, not people who break you down/ stress you out/ make you feel bad about yourself.
Do something kind for someone else
Listen to music
Exercise
Create something (build, draw, write, play music, invent, design, cook, craft, decorate, etc.)
Develop a relationship with God, and talk to Him about everything you’re going through.
Write about your feelings
Eat healthy meals. Consider the Feingold Diet.
Focus on the positive. Recognize that your setbacks are temporary and your problems are solvable.
Remember that you are valuable. You were created by a God who loves you. You’re the only you who will ever walk this earth. Things will get better. Take hold of hope and don’t let go.

tips for someone else

It can be challenging when someone you love has a mental health disorder. Here are some tips for how you can support your loved one.

Let them know that you care about them no matter what
Learn about their disorder so you can have some insight into why they do what they do, but remember that the disorder doesn’t define them. Each person is an individual. Learning about a person’s disorder doesn’t equate to learning about the person.
Don’t get mad at them for exhibiting behaviors associated with their disorder. These behaviors are probably something they have very little control over.
You wouldn't tell someone with asthma to stop having breathing problems. You wouldn't say to someone who's paralyzed, "What's wrong with you?!? Get up and use your legs!!!!" So don't tell someone with a mental illness to "just get over it" or "snap out of it."
Be respectful of their privacy. It is up to them to decide who to tell about their condition.
Be sensitive to how they feel about discussing their condition. Some people are very comfortable fielding questions, others don’t even want it mentioned.
Be compassionate, not pitying. Understand that the person has to deal with some difficult things, but don't treat them like some poor, pitiful person you feel sorry for.
Remember that first and foremost, they’re a PERSON. They have wants and needs and likes and dislikes just like everybody else. Treat them as such.
Just be there for them.

Mental illnesses are actual disorders that have their basis in the brain. If you look at a scan of a brain with a mental health disorder, it will look different from the brain of someone without that disorder. Unfortunately, many people still don't understand this. Although people are more open to talking about mental illness now than they were 50 years ago, our society still has a long way to go. If you're interested in learning more about how to change the culture surrounding mental health disorders, check out changedirection.org.

"The mind is a powerful place, and what you feed it can affect you in a powerful way." -Nathan Feuerstein