THE FRAGILE STAGE: Considering the wide range of mental health issues in teens
Sanford HeraldMar 10, 2018
The licensed clinical social worker helps these teens deal with a host of issues in her role as counselor. In her 15-plus years of experience, she's seen just about every situation.
"Developmentally, they're at a stage where they're trying to figure out who they are," Thomas said. "And on top of all the pressure of school and to fit in, they're trying to figure out what their identity is."
It's at that fragile stage of life that counselors and psychologists try to reach in and help teenagers deal with the mental health problems they might face.
Various studies suggest differing levels of frequency, but the
In
According to the North Carolina School Mental Health Initiative, a group organized in 2015 to study the reach of mental health issues among youth, 19 percent of
The effects of mental health issues are far-reaching. The 2015
Why are mental health ailments so prevalent among teenagers? John Kelly, a school psychologist at
"I think that part of it is clearly some of the challenges that they begin to face as they begin to make that transition into young adulthood and some of the realities that are hitting them," Kelly said. "For some students, they simply don't have the social-emotional skill to cope with issues that they're being confronted with. These are the kids that really begin to struggle. Then there's a biological component to it. There's biological issues simply with the changes that occur during adolescence, a lot of these things can be triggered."
Even though teenagers and high schoolers are having these problems, many are not reaching out for assistance. The N.C. School Mental Heath Initiative study showed that 75 percent of students with a mental health disorder did not seek help for it.
Thomas, who struggled with anxiety in high school herself, said it took her eight years to finally look for aid.
"While this teenage generation now is certainly more open to talking about mental health, there still can be a bit of a stigma," she said. "They don't want to feel different. So I think that can sort of sometimes get in the way. And the fear of they don't want to be judged or not taken seriously."
Thomas added that she's seen the influence of adults on keeping kids from sharing their struggles. She's talked with youth that have been told by other adults that their mental health issues are just part of being a "hormonal teenager." Sometimes it might be that, Thomas said, but that attitude can prevent children from looking for help.
When kids do reach out for assistance, most of the time they will seek either specialty settings like Thomas' practice or school-based counselors and psychologists. The 2015
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