Mental Health of Adolescence

Mental health problems can grow at any phase in life and may be influenced by a array of
factors, including genetics or family history of a disorder, chemical imbalances in the
brain, or stressors in the environment. Adolescence is a time of great change and transition,
when youth are starting to make decisions about career paths, further
schooling, & living on their own. In many societies, adolescence was
not recognized as a phase of life. Most societies simply distinguished
between childhood and adulthood. Stanley Hall is generally credited
with "discovering" adolescence with his 1904 study "Adolescence" in

G. Stanley Hall (1844 1924)

which he describes the developmental phase now recognized as adolescence. Mental

Health is how we think, feel and act as we cope with life. It also helps to determine how
we handle stress, relate to others and make choices. Like physical health, mental health is
important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. 10 th
October is the World Health Day which aims to raise public awareness about mental
health issues. Staying mentally healthy is not always easy. The followings are helpful for
being mentally healthy

Practice self-discipline
Get support from family, friends & spend time with people you like
Find time to take self care and relax
Learn or discover new things & engage in meaningful, creative work
Have a healthy life style

Perception of Mental happiness:

A historic model of mental health includes concepts based on anthropological, educational,
psychological, and sociological perspectives, as well as theoretical perspective from
personality to social, clinical, health and developmental psychology. An example of
wellness includes five tasks- essence or spirituality, work and leisure, friendship, love and
self direction and twelve sub tasks- sense of worth, sense of control, realistic beliefs,
emotional awareness and coping, problem solving and creativity, sense of humor, nutrition,
exercise, self-care, stress management, gender identity and cultural identity- which are
identified characteristics of healthy functioning and major components of wellness. Mental
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Health can also be defined as mere absence of illness. Therefore, the impact of social,
cultural, physical and education can all affect ones mental health. Parents should
involve their children in making family rules - like all of us, they are more likely to stick to
rules if they can see some logic to them and have helped to make them. If a teenager is
reluctant to discuss rules for him or herself, they may still do this if they can see that it
might be helpful for younger brothers or sisters. If they don't want to get involved, they
will just have to put up with the rules you decide on. Parents should pick their battles. A lot
of things adolescents do are irritating (as you probably irritate them), but not all are worth
an argument. It's usually better to spend time on praising good decisions or behavior. Most
annoying habits will burn themselves out once parents stop reacting to them.
Cultural and Religion considerations:
Mental Health can be society constructed and defined. Different professions, communities,
societies and cultures have very different ways of conceptualizing its nature and causes,
determining what is healthy and deciding what is mentally healthy and deciding what
interventions are appropriate. There can be many factors which may affect the mental
health, such as- age, gender, socio-economic condition, profession, family, friends and so
many.
Mental Health of Adolescence:
Adolescence is a very important stage of life as it is the transitional stage of development
between childhood and adulthood. It represents the period when a person experiences a
variety of biological changes and encounters a number of emotional issues. Teenagers and
their parents complain about each other's behavior. Parents often feel they have lost any
sort of control or influence over their child. Adolescents want their parents to be clear and
consistent about rules and boundaries, but at the same time may dislike any restrictions on
their growing freedom and ability to decide for themselves. Early adolescence is a stage at
which the peer group becomes increasingly important. Peers can encourage both pro-social
behavior which peaks at 11-12 years and anti social behavior which peaks at 14-15 years.
Adolescents are less likely to feel depressed or nervous, if the peer group provides
emotional support. One of the main problem adolescents face is confused identity at this
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stage. Role models such as sport players or movie artists are very popular and adolescents
very often express a desire to be like them. Other issues like aggression, independence,
sexuality and so on also surface and rage during this period. Although most of the
adolescents are mentally healthy they can exhibits signs of mental or emotional problems.
Common mental health disorders and difficulties encountered during childhood and the
adolescence include- ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), anxiety. And some
of anxiety related disorders ranging from simple phobias to social anxiety disorder and
PSTD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), behavioral problems, bullying, depression, eating
disorder including anorexia nervosa and bulimia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD),
psychotic disorder, etc. Adolescent mental health disorder affect about 10-20% of children
and young people. Mental health disorder accounts for a large proportion of diseases
burden in adolescents in all societies. Most mental disorder begins during youth, although
they are often detected late in life. Poor mental health is strongly related to other health and
developmental concern in adolescents, notably lower educational achievements, substance
abuse, violence etc. For an example, weight can be a real problem. If an adolescent is
overweight and is criticized or made fun of, they are more likely to dislike themselves and
to become depressed. This can lead to inactivity and comfort eating, which worsens the
weight problem - dieting can actually aggravate the situation. It is more important to
ensure that they feel happy with themselves, fat or thin.
As well as growing taller, starting to shave or having periods, people of this age start to
think and feel differently. They make close relationships outside the family, with friends of
their own age. Relationships within the family also change. Parents become less important
in their children's eyes as their life outside the family develops. Real disagreements emerge
for the first time as young people develop views of their own that are often not shared by
their parents. As everybody knows, adolescents spend a lot of time in each other's
company, or on the telephone to each other. Although this can be irritating to parents, it is
an important way of becoming more independent. These friendships are part of learning
how to get on with other people and gaining a sense of identity that is distinct from that of
the family. Clothes and appearance are a way of expressing solidarity with friends,
although teenage children are still more likely to get their values from the family.
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Programs and Projects:

A coordinated child and adolescent mental health programs are supported by WHO and in
WHO regions child and adolescent mental health is a necessary priority for the healthy
development of the society. WHOs development of mental health and substance abuse has
initiated three program which together form a coordinated effort to address global child
and adolescent mental health problem A campaign on the stigma associated with mental illness of young people
Global policy plan that will equip ministers of heath coordinated responsive program
where child & adolescent mental health will be integrated into overall health care
A program to assess the global treatment gap associated with mental illness

Conclusion & Recommendation:

The process of rapid physical changes in adolescence is called puberty. It starts gradually,
from around eleven years for girls and thirteen for boys. Adolescents who experience
turmoil or distress for more than a few months - persistent depression, anxiety, serious
eating disorders or difficult behavior - generally require outside help. Counseling agencies
may be suitable if things have not gone too far. They exist for young people and for parents
and some contact addresses are listed below. When problems arise at school, obviously
teachers may be a useful source of information. The teacher may suggest that an
educational psychologist becomes involved. Psychologists can find out if there are any
particular problems with learning, but can also offer counseling if relationships are the
issue.
Reference:
Feldman, R.S. 2002 Understanding Psychology 7th ed. McGraw Hill
www.Wikipedia.org
http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/mentalhealthinfoforall/youngpeople/adolescence.aspx