Rachael Smith | Reporter
International Mental Health awareness day took place this week, on October 10th, with the purpose to destroy the stigma, raise much needed awareness and help the ever-growing number of people that mental illnesses effect. Mental health problems such as body dysmorphia, anxiety and depression can affect anyone of any gender, age or race, but in recent years there has been a worrying increase on the mental health problems that teens report to experiencing. So why are teenagers mental health states so bad? And what can be done to try and help them? Hopefully this article provides some insight.
First off, mental health problems are disorders of brain function and it is argued that adolescents often face numerous more problems with mental health because their brains are still developing. So, not only does biology affect mental well-being, but peer pressure of society does too. One of the biggest problems faced by the youth of today is body image. Illnesses that are associated with this could be anorexia, bulimia and body dysmorphia and these are all likely to impact teens and adolescents more as studies have shown that a whopping 95% of those to suffer from eating disorders are aged from as young as 12 years old to 25. Another worrying statistic that shows just how vulnerable children are to mental health issues concerning body images, is a survey that concluded up to 60% of girls, only primary school aged, were concerned with their weight. So are these young teenagers getting professional help with their problems? Simply put, they are not. It has been reported that only 6% of teens in America who suffer from bulimia, have received medical treatment and it has also been horrifyingly estimated that 3.9% of mentally ill teens will die from bulimia. Further worrying statistics that link teens to suffering mental health problems to do with body image and eating habits, is the American study that showed 50% of teenage girls and 30% of teenage boys use unhealthy coping mechanisms to handle their weight such as skipping meals, fasting and purposely making themselves sick.
It is well documented that teens often face mental illnesses such as anxiety, too. It has been estimated that a devastatingly large 20% of teens have been diagnosed with and suffer from anxiety and yet only about half of these suffering teens receive help. This could be down to numerous reasons such as them not knowing they have it, the stigma surrounding it or lack of support from family in improving their mental health. Anxiety has been reported by young people to be one of the worst mental health disorders as people suffering from this illness often experience unpleasant panic attacks, which can leave them feeling disorientated or helpless. Social anxiety can also lead to social exclusion, which can indeed have a negative impact on the person experiencing it and actually worsen a teen’s mental health. This is why anxiety needs to be taken seriously, so it can be treated and diagnosed quickly, without the teenage sufferer feeling like they will be judged if they come out and say they need help. Anxiety is a terrible disorder that affects numerous youths in countries all over the world, and is not nearly taken serious enough by medical professionals, the government or even the families of people experiencing it and something drastic needs to be done about it, and how the people suffering from it are treated, now.
Another major mental health problem that many, many young people face is depression, and this is particularly dangerous as it can lead to self-harm and sometimes even suicide. A fifth of teens are diagnosed with depression, 10%-15% report that they suffer the symptoms of it at any one time, 1 in 12 (mostly girls) teens self harm, and an uncomfortable number of 18% of teenagers said in a study conducted in 2015, that they had seriously thought about taking their own lives. Factors that often cause depression are sometimes physical illness, isolation, low self-esteem, family background and even poverty.
All the evidence stated above clearly shows that teens suffer a low blow when it comes to mental health, not just in the illnesses mentioned above, but many more. So how do we, as teens ourselves, prevent this from happening to others and ourselves? We can talk to our friends and let them know were there for them, we can talk to our families if things are getting too much, we can seek guidance from teachers and schools, we can put pressure on the government to try and help solve these issues and we can seek medical help. Mental health is just as important, if not even more so, than physical health. So we must raise awareness, destroy the stigma and essentially help each other and participating in Mental Health Awareness day is a step towards a brighter future. Not just for teens suffering from mental illnesses, but for everyone.
