Human Development Issue (Mental Illness In Adolesence

What are the Warning Signs of Adolescent Mental Health?
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What are the Warning Signs of Adolescent Mental Health?
As per WHO, mental health is a condition of health when individuals discern their capabilities, work fruitfully and productively, are able to manage normal pressures of life, and contribute to their communities. Relating such adult based delineation to adolescents in an attempt to identify mental health complications in young persons can be challenging given the considerable differences in thinking abilities as well as behavior. In every five adolescents between the ages of 9 and 17, at least one suffers from a treatable mental health disorder that can lead to some partial impairment while about a third exhibit symptoms of depression (Westerhof, & Keyes, 2010). The rise in the cases of mental illness in adolescents has been attributed to social changes which comprise growing youth unemployment, disruption of families and increasing vocational and educational pressures.
Since children exhibit different behaviors while growing, it is hard to determine the condition. This is because some of them have a troubling behavior while growing and this overlap with some of the symptoms of the disorder. Therefore the warning signs of adolescences mental health are not so apparent. However, there are more common symptoms which can tell if one suffers from the condition particularly if they persist for an extended period. Some more common symptoms include irritability, frequent tantrums, frequent headaches as well as stomachaches having no physical explanations.

Similarly, teens who rarely sit quietly for some time have a high likelihood to be suffering from this condition. Some other symptoms include loss of interest, fear of gaining weight, having suicidal thoughts, and taking part in descriptive behaviors. In some instances, teens suffering from this condition think that other things control their minds or hear some voices. This condition is treatable especially when detected early. However, stigma resulting from this disorders turns away adolescents from seeking help.
References
Westerhof, G., & Keyes, C. (2010). Mental Illness and Mental Health: The Two Continua Model Across the Lifespan. NCBI. Retrieved 11 March 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2866965/