Young and Mental

Have you ever met someone who seems to always be on an emotion roller coaster? You don’t know whether to approach them with caution or brace yourself for the impact of their extreme exuberance. Well, it’s a good chance they’re just over-dramatic, but it’s possible they could be suffering from something more serious—bipolar disorder.

Bipolar Disorder, also known as manic-depressive disorder, is a mood disorder that about 5.7 million adults in America suffer from. That number is important because at least half of those diagnosed believe to have had at least one bipolar episode during childhood or adolescence. Bipolar disorder is often much harder to diagnose in children and teens which is why there are a lot less statistics for those age groups. In spite of that, it has been diagnosed in children as young as 6-years-old and the median onset age is 25-years-old, so it’s likely that many more children and teens are suffering from this disorder and don’t know it.

Bipolar disorder is more than just plain old mood swing. It’s much more severe and involuntary. Those who suffer from this disorder go through period of heightened elation called mania. To clarify mania is not really a positive thing. When individuals are going through a manic episode they can be hyperactive, aggressive, reckless, very sexual, delusional, very chatty, restless and unreasonably optimistic. They also go through periods of depressions. Some people even go through a mixture of these two states. As you can see the symptoms of bipolar disorder can make everyday life very difficult. This is especially true for adolescents with the disorder because they can go through these highs and lows all in one day. Bipolar disorder can lead people to ruin relationships, lose jobs, perform poorly in school, abuse substances, self-harm, and even commit suicide.

There’s not an exact set of causes for bipolar disorder. It’s been linked chemical imbalances in the brain, genetics and environmental factors. Some say it can even be triggered by PMS in girls.  All in all, bipolar disorder can be managed by medications along with some type of counseling or psychotherapy.

Have you ever just felt incredibly low for a few weeks at a time? Have you ever felt completely unmotivated, hopeless or withdrawn from your life? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you may have went through a major depressive episode.

In the U.S., depression vastly affects teens and young adults. It’s been said that about 1 in 8 adolescents suffer from clinical depression. Now it needs to be clarified, almost everyone will be depressed every now and then—that’s normal. Clinically diagnosed major depressive disorder is when an individual is depressed over longer periods of time—at least two consecutive weeks to be exact. It’s shocking to see that individuals are feeling so miserable at such a young age. Many adults would say that teens and young adults now have a lot more offered to them than they did at that age. In spite of that, research has shown that the current generation of teens and young adults are more depressed than other generations.

What is going on to create this drastic decline in happiness? Well one reason could be predispositions like genetics or a family history of depression. Another could be just from the situational stress and anxiety that occurs almost naturally during adolescence. It also could stem from a traumatic event such as death, terminal illness, job loss, divorce, etc. A big reason why it may be so prevalent today could be the opportunities I mentioned earlier. You know the old saying, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Teens and young adults have been told that the world is their oyster, so it’s very likely that their cracking from those expectations. They’re constantly worried about achieving the success that everyone’s been saying they can attain, so they become hopeless and depressed.

Something else that needs to be pointed out is depression is often coupled with other psychological problems. Anxiety and depression almost always go hand-in-hand. Depressed teens and young adults might also suffer from eating disorders, ADHD or bipolar disorder. So it’s important that family, friends and health professionals also look for signs of other disorders besides depression.

As I said earlier, pretty much everyone is depressed sometimes, but major depressive disorder is serious, and can lead to more dangerous behavior. Depression can lead individuals to abuse drugs and alcohol, which ironically can cause depression. Depressed teens and young adults are more likely to begin self-harm practices like cutting or burning. And sadly, some depressed teens and young adults commit suicide to escape their depression.

Depression can be treated and managed. Common treatments are psychotherapy and antidepressant medications. If an individual’s depression is so serious that they might harm themselves or others, they are hospitalized or institutionalized during treatment. All in all, early treatment and prevention is essential.

In the United States, suicides are on the rise amongst teens and young adults. The CDC reports that suicide is one the top five leading causes of death for 15-to-24-year-olds. Another shocking statistic is that there are dozen of suicide attempts for every suicide death. Also males are more likely to commit suicide than females, but more females have attempted suicide.

A person is likely to commit suicide for many reason, from existing psychological disorders to a family history of suicidal behavior, or even abuse. If a person has attempted suicide before they’re also more likely to try it again, which is why they need to be carefully monitored after their first attempt. Teen suicides that were believed to be caused by bullying have also seen more coverage in local and national news.

A person who seems suicidal can be helped if the people around them recognize the signs and act fast. If you notice someone is having a hard time dealing with a traumatic event, seems increasing withdrawn socially, displays or talks about suicidal behavior, get them help immediately. They may say they’re just kidding, but that may not be the case, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

There are several things that can be done as far as suicide prevention. Suicidal people can  receive psychotherapy and counseling. If necessary, they can also be put on medications to decrease depression, psychosis, or anxiety. All in all, treatment should be left to professionals, such as psychologists or psychiatrists.

If you know someone that may be suicidal, do not leave them alone! If the threat isn’t immediate call or have that individual call 1-800-273-TALK (8255), which is the National Suicide Prevention Hotline. If the threat is immediate or you believe someone at the present moment is attempting suicide call 911.

Right now, our society is obsessed with appearances, and many our having a hard time dealing with it. Many young people (especially women) are facing issues with self-esteem because they feel like they don’t measure up to the new standards of beauty. One of the biggest standards in our society as far as beauty is weight. This fixation on being the right size has led quite a bit of adolescents to developing eating disorders.

Eating disorders are on the rise for teens and young adults. This is scary because eating disorders can lead to death. In fact, more people die from eating disorders than any other mental illness. The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

Anorexia nervosa is when people deny themselves food because they have a fear of gaining weight. This fear can carry on with them even if they are severely underweight. People with this disorder can end up becoming malnourished, their bones can become weak and even starve to death.

Bulimia nervosa occurs when people go through a binge and purge process of eating. The gorge on large amounts of food in a short amount of time, and then expel the food right after either by vomiting or taking laxatives. This constant expelling of food can lead to terrible decay of their teeth, damage to the throat, esophagus and other organs.

It’s important that people with these disorders receive holistic treatment because they may have a terrible affect on the body, but they have a mental cause. Those who suffer from these disorders are often anxious and depressed as well, so just making them eat and keep down food won’t cure the problem.

It seems like everyone is so stressed out in today’s society, especially teens and young adults. “Why is that?” you might ask.

Adolescence and young adulthood is where many changes take place in a person’s life, and all of those changes often produce stress. Some attribute their stress to external changes like the economy and midterm exams. For some it’s internal like the new responsibilities that come with growing up.

All of this pressure and stress is not good for teens or young adults.  Too much stress can lead to exhaustion, trouble sleeping, poor decision-making, decreased academic and work performance, and many other negative things.

In a time where everyone seems on the edge, what can be done to calm down?

First off, don’t engage in risk behaviors such as alcohol, drugs, self-harm, etc. These behaviors just cause more stress, and weaken your ability to combat stress.

Second, take better care of your body.
Your body helps you fight off stress, so it’s important to maintain good health.  Make sure you eat right, exercise, and get plenty of rest, and your body will be in tiptop condition when stressors attack.

Third, organize your life.
A lot of stress can come from simple disorganization. You should start using an agenda or to-do list, and declutter your surroundings. When your life is order, things run more smoothly, and stress is reduced.

Fourth, have a support system.
When you feel over-whelmed tell your friends, vent to them, ask for advice, ask for a hug. Just make sure you return the favor when they need it so you don’t stress them out.

Finally, just take time to enjoy life.
This is the “prime of life”, so start living like it. Herodotus says “If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.” Do some wild and spontaneous activities to have fun, laugh often, and occasionally take the time to veg out and do absolutely nothing just because you want to.