Mental Disorders in Adolescence

The Adolescence is a period of intense activity and changes in mental life of the individual, which in itself leads to various forms of behavior that can be understood by laymen as disease. Thus, many of these manifestations of normal adolescence can be confused with mental illness or bad behavior. One example is the use of drugs, which can form themselves into a case of addiction, but can also form themselves into a simple behavior of experimentation in life. We must be careful initially to assess well the behavior of a teenager, before ensuring the existence of a mental disorder. For this it is necessary to know a little about what to call the "normal adolescence".

Normal Adolescence

Adolescence is a stage in life where you discover the person as an individual separated from parents. This creates a feeling of euphoria and curiosity, but also generates feelings of fear and inadequacy. A teenager is discovering what it takes to be adults, but is not fully ready to carry out activities and assume the responsibilities of being adult. So he searched for examples of people coming or not - artistic or sports idols, among others - to build their character and behavior. Also visible is the need of adolescents to counter the will or the ideas of parents. This behavior opponent happens to parents as a result of the adolescent need to separate themselves from the parents, be different from them, to build their own identity as a person. At the same time, the teenager might not see yet able to separate those parents, and then it creates a sense of fear. On one side the need to separate themselves from the parents to be a different person and on the other hand the difficulty of assuming the position adult (with their responsibilities and desires) lead the adolescent to a phase of intense feelings of confusion, with a constantly changing of views and goals, and with a very impulsive behavior.

Although there are large amount of existing knowledge on this topic today, it is necessary to warn that many of atypical behavior expressed by adolescents may just be a search for their identity, not a specific mental illness. We should also remember that young people often need professional help in this process of "being adult", which is not being in mental illness, may be regarded suffering for the teenager, he may benefit itself, and much, of psychological interventions. Among the most common disorders seen in adolescence, there are the following:

Mood disorders

It is the group where the diseases include depression, to some extent common in adolescence, accompanied by several events. There may be depressed mood (sad) or marked irritability (which by itself can be normal manifestation of adolescence), loss of interest or pleasure in activities, loss or weight gain, insomnia or excessive sleep and substance abuse (more commonly alcohol, but to other drugs). The treatment of these disorders involves the use of drugs (antidepressants), coupled with psychotherapy.


Eating disorders
These include the Bulimia (attack by "eating" compulsive followed, often, the act of vomit) and anorexia (decrease of intense intake of food). The person demonstrates a "terrified" of weight, exaggerated or not taking actions needed to lose weight, keeping well below the expected weight for her. The treatment of these disorders involves a multidisciplinary team (psychiatrist, nutritionist), antidepressant drugs and psychotherapy, requiring in some cases of interventions in the family.


Disorders of psychoactive substance use

The use of drugs, as is known, is a type of change of behavior rather seen in adolescence. Dependence on drugs, which is the most serious disorder that group, manifests itself through the use of the substance involved in an intense need to take the drugs, lack of pleasure in activities without drugs and the incessant search for drugs, often involving themselves illegal or in situations of risk to achieve it (theft and trafficking). The treatment involves psychotherapy, family education and some drugs, sometimes requiring hospitalization.


Disorders of Conduct

They are characterized by repetitive behaviors of inconvenience to social norms and standards, conduct aggressive and challenging. It is in serious attitudes, with more than adolescent rebellion and treat children's normal. These people involve themselves in situations of illegality and violation of rights of others. Appear theft, destruction of property outside, fights, cruelty and contempt intense as some of the events. The treatment involves psychotherapy basically; they may be using some drugs in controlling the impulsiveness of these patients. They are disorders of difficult, and often need assistance and social allowances.

Of Anxiety Disorders

People living with a very intense level of anxiety, arriving to take losses in its operation, for example social, as a result of anxiety. They are extremely shy, and often do not find pleasure in almost any activity outside the home. Treatment basically involves psychotherapy, and may even rely on some drugs as supporting cast.

Psychotic disorders

At that stage of life many psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, begin their protests. These disorders are severe, often require hospitalization and are characterized by very bizarre behavior and thoughts and distorted face the reality. The treatment is based on psychoanalytic support and antipsychotic drugs. Disorders are, mostly, cronificantes, especially if untreated.

Suicide in Adolescence

Many disorders of adolescence can manifest itself with suicidal behavior. Of suicide attempts or threats may appear. Some of exposure and risk behaviors (driving at high speed and groggy, involvement in fights or at-risk activities, among others) can also be signs of suicidal behavior in adolescence, even without the explicit manifestation of that intention.

To take care in the diagnostic evaluation

There are many possibilities for mental disorders at that stage of life, but all cases must be thoroughly evaluated before they close a diagnosis, especially in adolescence. Besides the personal problems of adolescents and their intense mental and body modification, which in itself can generate behavior and feelings of inadequacy, their attitudes may also reflect family problems. Thus, without a proper assessment of the adolescent is at least reckless, described him as having a specific mental illness.