Young People & Mental Health Issues

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It is common for young people today to experience a range of physical, social and psychological events that are new and unexpected that impact upon their mental health and wellbeing. Some may find these events distressing and struggle to cope with the impact, seeking treatment and help from professionals or simply not knowing where to get help. The duration and severity of events and the distress caused can mildly, moderately, significantly or acutely affect their mental health and in turn trigger a mental health illness or disorder.

The stigma of mental health problems is often exacerbated by media reporting that focusses on the negative impacts of mental illness and the affects it can have on an individual such as attempting suicide in more extreme cases.

Mental health illnesses and disorders can often have a debilitating impact on those who struggle to cope with them making it extremely difficult to function on a daily basis in a way tht many people consider 'normal'. Mental illness often causes a person a great deal of stress, anguish and fear.

Although it is common for young people to experience mental health problems that require professional help, it is not as common for adolescents to be affected by a serious mental disorder. However the stigma of having a mental health difficulty, and the impacts it can have on family, friends, work and social structures, can leave a sufferer frightened to talk about their problem and reluctant to seek support.

The following are examples of mental health difficulties, illnesses and disorders young people can experience, for which both the symptoms and impact can vary in severity and duration:

Anxiety and Stress
Depression
Deliberate Self-Harm
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Psychosis

The mental health of young people is a fundamental part of shaping later life as adults. Encouraging young people to talk about their issus and problems, showing them that there is someone there who cares about them and wants to support them, can make a world of difference and potentially save them from major and prolonged episodes of care. It is important that young people know that experiencing and coping with difficult feelings and experiences is common, and that they do not necessarily have to manage these issues alone.

Understanding how to access the mental health system, the function of counsellors, therapists, psychotherapists, psychologists and psychiatrists, and the different treatment approaches, is therefore important if people are to look after their mental health. It is particularly important also given that the cost of care can be quite expensive.

Substance misuse and disruptive behaviour disorders are the next most prevalent mental illnesses among young people, while eating disorders are the most common chronic health condition in young people after obesity and asthma, affecting 1% of young women and girls.

Research tells us that young people are at greater risk of developing mental health problems if they are socially alienated or disadvantaged, unemployed, early school leavers, of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent, or residents in rural and remote Australia. Below are some of the risk factors associated with mental illnesses in young people.

Click here for resources for Mental Health Professionals

If you are concerned about your child, a friend of someone you know seek help and assistance from a trained mental health specialist or service provider in your state or territory.