Teenage Mental Illness

Mental illness disorders and suicide as surveys and statistics would show, affects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at a higher rate than the rest of the Australian population (Elder, Evans, Nizette, 2013). Thirty percent of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population aged 18 years and over experienced some sort psychological distress at a greater than normal level during the year 2012 to 2013 (ABS, 2015). Compared to other Australians, the Indigenous people aged 18 years and over were three times more prone to experiencing psychological distress than the rest of the Australian population (ABS, 2015). Mental health services treat more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in contrast with the Non-Aboriginal population, around

In the United States, suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 10 to 14-year-olds (CDC, 2015) and for 15 to 19-year-olds (Friedman, 2008). In 2013, 17.0% of students grades 9 to 12 in the United States seriously thought about committing suicide; 13.6% made a suicide plan; 8.0% attempted suicide; and 2.7% attempted suicide in which required medical attention (CDC, 2015). These alarming statistics show that there is something wrong with the way suicide is handled in today’s society. In order to alleviate the devastating consequences of teenage suicide, it is important to get at the root of what causes it all: mental illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (2013), mental illness is the imbalance of thinking, state of mind, and mood. Approximately 90% of all suicides are committed by people with mental illnesses (NAMI, n.d.). This shows that there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide. If mental illnesses are not treated, deadly consequences could occur. It would make sense that if there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide across all ages, the same should be thought for adolescents. Approximately 21% of all teenagers have a treatable mental illness (Friedman, 2008), although 60% do not receive the help that they need (Horowitz, Ballard, & Pao, 2009). If mental illnesses are not found and treated in teenagers, some of them may pay the ultimate price.

In Australia suicide is the leading cause of death among young people (Khan & Francis, 2015). According to an Australian national survey conducted, 7.3 million or 43% of Australians between the ages of 16 & 85 will experience some form of mental health related condition during their lifetime. This may include anxiety, depression and drug misuse. Mental health issues are also very costly for the healthcare system. These issues are costing the Australian government alone, more than 6 billion dollars per year (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2013). To help reduce these costs, more education and promotion needs to be provided when caring for an adolescent with mental health issues, and strength-based models of care need

Depression is “a psychoneurotic or psychotic disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendancies”. (Merriam-Webster, unknown). It is important to understand the effects of depression amongst young people, as it is a large problem in Australia. Depression effects on in sixteen Australians aged 16-24 (BeyondBlue, unknown), and the largest killer of the Australian youth is suicide (BeyondBlue, unknown). Depression can be broken down into smaller sections, and they are; the way it effects young people, the prevalence of depression, the consequences it brings upon

In the United States, suicide is the third leading cause of death for 10 to 14-year-olds (CDC, 2015) and for 15 to 19-year-olds (Friedman, 2008). In 2013, 17.0% of students grades 9 to 12 in the United States seriously thought about committing suicide, 13.6% made a suicide plan, 8.0% attempted suicide, and 2.7% attempted suicide in which required medical attention (CDC, 2015). These alarming statistics show that there is something wrong with the way mental illness is handled in today’s society. Also, approximately 21% of all teenagers have a treatable mental illness (Friedman, 2008), although 60% do not receive the help that they need (Horowitz, Ballard, & Pao, 2009).

Mental illness is increasingly being recognized as a challenge faced by many Canadians. The Mental Health Strategy for Canada estimates that ‘in any given year, one in five people in Canada experiences a mental health problem or illness’. (Bartram et al., 2012) The prevalence of mental illness is not exclusive to the Canadian population and it is estimated that these figures are rising. In 2004, the World Health Organization ranked major depression as third in terms of the overall burden of diseases in the world, (measured by Disability-Adjusted Life Years) and it is predicted to rise to second by 2030. (Langlois et al., 2011) One of the greatest concerns is that many in need of mental health services are not receiving treatment. Adolescence is a vulnerable period for the onset of mental illness and gender differences are evident in terms of prevalence and causation. Gender specific mental health services should be incorporated into the Canadian school system to promote mental health among adolescents, identify those who require individualized services and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

The inability to make and prolong relationships leads to a sense of isolation, and contributes to poor mental health and depression. Hospitalisation rates for self-harm are representative of mental illness, depression and stress – and in 2006, Indigenous Australians were 3 times more likely to be hospitalized for severe self-harm than other Australians. In 2011, 80% of suicides of the ages 19 to 24 were

The role of preventing mental health from a younger age is important because according to Beyond Blue Youth, “Evidence suggests three in four adult mental health conditions emerge by age 24 and half by age 14.” This is terrible, we should focus on decreasing this so it doesn’t lead to a bigger suicide rate. In 2012 Beyond Blue Youth states, “Suicide is the biggest killer of young Australians and accounts for the deaths of more young people than car accidents.” Preventing mental health from a younger age will not only decrease the suicide rate but how many adults have a mental health issues will decrease. As the conditions won’t emerge before the age of 24, giving the younger generations more chance to not have a mental issue in their adult lives.

Half of all Australians will experience a mental health problem in their lifetime, with around 20% affected every year by conditions such as depression and anxiety.

Mental illnesses are very common in the United States, with one in five of adolescents having a diagnosed mental illness and in the last year less than half of these adolescents have received proper treatment. The most common mental disorders, anxiety and depression, can disrupt daily life and result in suicide, which is the third most frequent cause of death in teenagers (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Ten percent of adolescents did not have health insurance in 2013 and those who did, had a very limited amount of mental health care services provided to them (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). It has been proved that it is even less likely that adolescents who are poor, homeless, gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender will receive the care that is necessary for their health and even life (“The Office of Adolescent Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services”). Mental disorders are not only an

These results are similar compared to a 2014 study undertaken by Smith et al., (2014), which found nine in ten younger Australians of a diverse sexual orientation or gender had experienced anxiety with two in five having been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. Moreover, these figures are similar again compared to a 2017 study conducted by Strauss et al., (2017), which has found that seven in ten younger Australians of a diverse sexual orientation or gender had experienced anxiety in the last 12 months. These high rates of anxiety should be considered in relation to suicide rates. Australians living in rural and regional areas are up to 2.2 times more likely to have self-harm behaviours and attempt suicide in contrast to Australians living in metropolitan areas (ABS, 2016). A study by Skerrett, Kolves and De Leo (2017) identified that 9 out of 10 younger adults of a diverse sexual orientation gender that committed suicide had a past health history of anxiety. As previously mentioned, the study by Strauss et al., (2017), showed 70% of participants had experienced anxiety, furthermore, which observed 4 in 5 younger adults of a diverse gender had self-harmed of which 70% also had anxiety and 48% had attempted

A mental illness is an issue that affects one’s behaviour, emotions, thoughts and ability to interact with others (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing 2007). Common mental illnesses in Australia include anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders and personality disorders, with the most prevalent being anxiety disorders and depression. Anyone can develop a mental illness, although suffering from a chronic medical illness, experiencing a highly stressful or traumatic event, having a blood relation with a mental disorder or drug and alcohol use can increase one’s risk (Mayo Clinic 2015).

idea 1-Mental disorders are very prevalent in Australia. (MFNM, xxxx) affecting quality of life. idea 2-There is a perception of alienation and disconnection from the immediate social environment among the Mental Illness. (SANE , xxxx). The mental disorder topic is broadly discussed in the present day, attracting the interest of experts and researchers. According to XXX (YEAR), mental illness is characterised by clinical disturbance in a person's cognition, emotions or behaviour that mostly affect their daily routine, occupation and physical dysfunction.() In addition, socialisation is an important part of a life and sufferers can socialise as well as the general population until their behaviour is considered deviant. “16 million Australians aged 16-85 years, almost half (45 percent or 7.3 million) had a lifetime mental disorder.

Mental health has always been identified as one of the main areas for action in the National Health Priority Areas (National Health and Medical Research Council 2016), and depression is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions amongst the young Australians (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2017). Depression is a debilitating condition that substantially impairs individuals’ ability to function and cope with their daily life due to the experience of negative feelings (NHMRC 2016). Also, depression and suicidality have a close correlation as eighty percent of reported suicide incident was due to the burden of depression (World Health Organization 2017), and suicide is the second leading cause of death in youths in Australia (Reddy 2010). Moreover, depression can be inherited in a family through either biological or psychological way (Rahman et al. 2008); hence, youths who have the family with depression history tend to be more vulnerable and have a higher chance to get depression comparing with children from healthy family (Rice 2010). Therefore, this expo is set up for raising community awareness in the burden of depression and reducing the growth of emotional and developmental dysfunction in youths and their families through providing a comprehensive research study in related the health problem and proven intervention strategies.

Teenage mental-health severely impacts a developing child's success in school and their day-to-day lives. Issues like depression and suicide need to be explored in our education because many are being affected.