Everyone has a bad day every once in awhile. Imagine a life full of bad days with no good ones in sight, and having to go to school and acting like nothing is wrong. This is the case for many teens suffering from mental illness. A mental illness is a condition of the brain that impacts people’s behavior, thoughts, and feelings. There are many different types of mental illnesses but the most common types include major depression, anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). There are many things that could result in a mental illness not just one event such as genetics, environmental, traumatic events, lifestyle influences, and biochemical processes circuits, and basic brain structure.Although there are many different
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The rate of serious mental illness was higher for 18 to 25 year olds (7.4 percent) in 2008 than for any other age group over 18.3 In addition, the onset for 50 percent of adult mental health disorders occurs by age 14, and for 75 percent of adults by age 24. ("Prevalence," n.d.). This number is steadily increasing and it is impacting our youth immensely. Over one-third (37%) of students with a mental health condition age 14–21 and older who are served by special education dropout—the highest dropout rate of any disability group. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., the 3rd leading cause of death for people aged 10–24 and the 2nd leading cause of death for people aged 15–24. More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition. ("Mental Health," n.d.). Those suffering from mental illnesses are more likely to die 25 years earlier than those without these conditions due to a lack of sufficient treatment. Many of these are treatable conditions and death could be prevented. Why do so many suffer from these conditions? Currently, mental illness is thought to be caused by a complex interaction of hereditary and environmental factors. Research has shown that for many mental health disorders, hereditary plays a part. Often, a mental health disorder occurs when people whose genetic make-up makes them vulnerable to such disorders experience extra stress in their family or social life or at work. Also, many experts think that malfunction of chemical messengers in the brain (neurotransmitters) may contribute to mental health disorders. Brain imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), show changes in the brain in people with a mental health disorder. Thus, many mental health disorders appear to have a biologic component, much like disorders that are considered neurologic (such as
The rate of serious mental illness was higher for 18 to 25 year olds (7.4 percent) in 2008 than for any other age group over 18.3 In addition, the onset for 50 percent of adult mental health disorders occurs by age 14, and for 75 percent of adults by age 24. ("Prevalence," n.d.). This number is steadily increasing and it is impacting our youth immensely. Over one-third (37%) of students with a mental health condition age 14–21 and older who are served by special education dropout—the highest dropout rate of any disability group. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., the 3rd leading cause of death for people aged 10–24 and the 2nd leading cause of death for people aged 15–24. More than 90% of children who die by suicide have a mental health condition. ("Mental Health," n.d.). Those suffering from mental illnesses are more likely to die 25 years earlier than those without these conditions due to a lack of sufficient treatment. Many of these are treatable conditions and death could be prevented. Why do so many suffer from these conditions? Currently, mental illness is thought to be caused by a complex interaction of hereditary and environmental factors. Research has shown that for many mental health disorders, hereditary plays a part. Often, a mental health disorder occurs when people whose genetic make-up makes them vulnerable to such disorders experience extra stress in their family or social life or at work. Also, many experts think that malfunction of chemical messengers in the brain (neurotransmitters) may contribute to mental health disorders. Brain imaging techniques, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), show changes in the brain in people with a mental health disorder. Thus, many mental health disorders appear to have a biologic component, much like disorders that are considered neurologic (such as