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Mental Health & Teens
Mental health struggles impact teens as well as adults. However, when teens experience anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, or other mental health condition, the symptoms look different. The difference in presentation often leads to delayed diagnosis or even misdiagnosis for teens and their families struggling to understand what their symptoms mean.
Statistics indicate mental health issues and mental health diagnoses are becoming increasingly common among adolescents and teens. Recent studies show that approximately 20% of young people between ages twelve and eighteen meet the diagnostic criteria for at least one mental health condition. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology suggests that the rate at which youth struggle with mental health symptoms and mental health disorders is continuing to rise. The same study provided data on the declining nature of teen mental health between 2009 and 2017. Based on reported data, major depression diagnoses in sixteen and seventeen-year-olds increased by almost 70%.
Additionally, symptoms related to depression and anxiety rose by more than 70%, and one in five teen girls experienced major depression during the last year. Perhaps most disheartening are the statistics surrounding teen self-harm and suicide-related mental health struggles over the last decade. Between 2008 and 2017, the rate of suicide increased by 56% in teens ages eighteen to nineteen.
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Interested in entering the after-school outpatient program at Relevance Behavioral Health? Leave us a message below and one of our specialists will get back to you.
Our After-School Teen Program
The Relevance Intensive Outpatient Program(IOP) is an after-school treatment program offering structured therapeutic activities for youth. Our program offers a comprehensive range of services to address youth’s individual needs. Our programs aim to help youth/children struggling with various issues such as anxiety, depression, defiance, anger, bipolar, and more. Additionally, there is a separate and distinct treatment tract specifically for those youth struggling with substance use disorders.
Our multidisciplinary approach allows us to reach these adolescents more thoroughly, leading to widespread change in areas such as self-esteem, behavioral issues, and family dynamics. Utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, including Trauma Focused CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy), DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), and other theoretical approaches, we are able to provide evidence-based treatment for youth/children who struggle with many symptoms of mental illness, particularly self-harm, and suicide as well as emotional dysregulation and difficulty tolerating crisis.
Common Teen Mental Health Conditions
Depression, anxiety, and eating disorders are the most common mental health struggles faced by teens today. In addition, teens often struggle with substance use disorders, frequently directly related to mental health symptoms and challenges. Depression or major depressive disorder impacts everyone who struggles with symptoms in different ways. However, it is often characterized by overwhelming, intense, inescapable feelings of sadness for teens and adults. These feelings can impair your teen’s ability to concentrate or affectively participate in everyday activities, including school or extracurricular activities. Recent studies suggest that more than 11% of adolescents report experiencing one or more major depressive episodes within the last year. Additionally, since 2012, the rate of teens diagnosed with depression has increased year after year. According to data from The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA), more than 14% of teens have depression or bipolar disorders.
Anxiety and anxiety-related disorders are also common among adolescents and tees. As many as 35% or approximately one out of every three teens meet the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) criteria for anxiety disorders. In many cases, these diagnostic criteria are present before the age of thirteen. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders lists several types of anxiety-related disorders, many of which are common among teens. Separation disorders and phobias are among the most frequently diagnosed. Similar to depression, anxiety-related diagnoses are more common among females than males in the same age group.
Disordered eating or “eating disorders” are also prevalent in adolescents and teens. Although teen girls are at a higher risk, teenage boys are diagnosed with and struggle with disordered eating. Binge-eating disorder, anorexia, and bulimia are among the most frequently diagnosed forms of disordered eating in teens ages thirteen to eighteen. If your teen is exhibiting symptoms of an eating disorder, it is vital to seek help immediately. When left untreated, disordered eating and its associated symptoms are dangerous and life-threatening.
What Is Teen Mental Health Treatment?
Our Compassionate Team Can Help You And Your Teen Recover
Interested in entering the after-school outpatient program at Relevance Behavioral Health? Your health insurance plan may cover all, or at least some, of your teen’s treatment at our facility!