The teen years-
- Lyn Georgy
- Jan 21, 2015
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 19, 2023
A few days ago, i was asked to contribute a short note on mental health in youngsters, for a high school/college magazine. ( age group 15-22 years) I’m sharing the same here.
The Big Questions:
Who am I? Do people like me? Am I normal? Is my body all right? Am I attractive? Am I smart? What do people say about me? What am I doing in my life? Who can I trust? Who should I love? What lasts? Can I meet my parents’ expectations? Can I be happy? Can I do what I really want to do? Will I like my work? Etc
These are few of the many questions that teenagers have. It is a sensitive period since there are rapid physical and psychological changes.
What are the common psychological problems that we see in youngsters today?
Very often parents bring in their teens, with complaints of poor academic performance, lack of concentration, anger or mood problems, increased use of internet and mobile phones, addictions, disobedience, bad company etc. I feel sad to say this, but these behaviors are only the outer cover to a much deeper problem. Over sessions, the youngsters would tell them, these often being self esteem issues (For eg. I’m good for nothing etc), body image issues (I don’t look good enough), crushes and relationship issues (That girl/boy doesn’t even look at me, despite my many efforts), doubts about sex, drug use etc.
In more severe cases, young people may have a mental illness like Depressive disorders, Anxiety disorders, Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) etc. Studies show that 1 in 5 young people suffer from a mental illness, that’s 20 percent of our population.
There are always 2 sides to a coin. When it comes to the young it is simply that one side contains stress, conflict, poor self and body image, an increased risk for developing mental illnesses etc; whereas the other side has a wide range of possibilities for happiness, growth, good self image, learning skills that aid in preventing any such issues.
What are the 2 sides of one’s mind? – Mental health and Mental illness
Mental health/Wellness is a way of describing psychological, social and emotional wellbeing. Good mental health is central to you or your child’s healthy development.
High-level wellness involves giving good care to your physical self, expressing your emotions effectively, being creatively involved with those around you and achieving your potential.
Mental illness on the other hand is at the opposite end. It is a medically diagnosable illness when a person’s thoughts, feelings and behavior are severely affected. Mental disorders are just like physical illness and result from multiple factors and can be managed by therapy (for mild to moderate cases) and medication (for severe cases). Having a mental illness is not because you are weak. Mental illnesses occur at similar rates around the world, in every culture and in all social and economic groups.
So my question to all of you is where do you stand in the above image? Are you a little towards the left or a little to the right?
In case you are towards the left, early identification and effective treatment is available. Are you for e.g. feeling hopeless, helpless, and worthless, having relationships problems, feeling suicidal, have difficulty controlling anger, or can’t quit smoking, alcohol or worse still the internet, Do you hate the way you look, or speak etc?
A health care professional (doctor, psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, mental health specialist, etc) will connect the symptoms and experiences you have and will offer the help you need.
But the next question is more important.
Are you really happy in your life? Does your life have a sense of purpose and meaning? Do you have good social relationships or just 800 friends on facebook, you never met, or maybe meet very few times? Do you enjoy the course you chose, the career you chose? Are family times a time you enjoy or something you avoid?
Even in such cases, mental health professionals, like psychologists and counselors can help you reach your potentials, and help you learn techniques that aid in a better quality of life.
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