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MentalHealthandAdolescentsProject.pptxMental Health in Adolescents
Hello Everyone, our topic we will be presenting on is Mental Health in Adolescents.
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OBJECTIVES
How are adolescents affected by mental health disparities
Identify evidence-based approaches to optimize mental health in adolescents
Discuss an outline for health education to promote mental health in adolescents
Provide a profile of a health-related organization that focuses on mental health in adolescents
Identify interdisciplinary professionals included in mental health promotion
The objectives of this presentation will be to
Describe how adolescents are affected by mental health disparities
Identify evidence-based approaches to optimize mental health in adolescents
Discuss an outline for health education to promote mental health in adolescents
Provide a profile of a health-related organization that focuses on mental health in adolescents
Identify interdisciplinary professionals included in mental health promotion
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What is Mental Health?
Emotional, psychological and social wellbeing
Effects our thoughts, feelings, and actions
Affected by biological factors, life experiences, and family history
American Psychology Association, 2015
MentalHealth.gov, 2020
Mental Health is defined as the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of a person (Mentalhealth.gov, 2020). Whether or not we have good or bad mental health will effect the way we think, feel, and act on a daily basis. It will effect anything from our relationships with others, to our performance at school or work, to our ability to cope with stress.
Our mental health is affected by many factors. These can include biological factors, previous life experiences, and family history of mental health.
Signs and Symptoms can include dietary changes, reduction in typical activities, decrease in energy, feelings of worthlessness or helplessness, unexplained pain, increase use in drugs and/or alcohol, unusual outbursts, severe mood swings, thoughts of harming self or others, and inability to perform daily tasks.
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Mental Health and Adolescents
1 in 3 high school students report persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2019
1 in 6 youth report making a suicide plan
3 out of 4 persons showed signs before age 24
Risk factors depend on the individual, family life, and school
Healthy People 2030 Goals
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020
MentalHealth.gov, 2020
Youth.gov, 2009
Healthy People 2030, 2020
Mental Health concerns in adolescents have been on the rise in the recent decades. The CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Report states that 1 in 3 high school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness in 2019. This was an increase of 40% compared to 2009. It was also found that 1 in 6 youth reported making a suicide plan within the last year, which was a 44% increase since 2009.
Moreover, 3 out of 4 of those who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition reported having symptoms before the age of 24. This poses a large question, why were these issues identified in their adolescent years before the diagnosis progressed to something more severe? In order to understand how to help, we must know the risk factors that effect our youth.
Risk Factors include female gender, early puberty, low self-esteem, poor social skills, drug use, parental history of mental health issues, negative family environment, child abuse, marital conflict or divorce, parental unemployment, peer rejection or bullying, poor academic grades, urban settings, poverty, and loss of friendships.
We can combat these risk factors by providing positive physical development, building self-esteem, providing positive engaging connections through sports, arts, or religion/culture, providing structure within the family, creating supportive family relationships, setting clear expectations and boundaries, providing mentoring in schools, and promoting opportunities for educational success.
Healthy People 2030 have laid out the following goals for adolescents in mental health:
Reduce suicide attempts in adolescents (currently at 8.9% with a goal of 1.8%)
Increase the proportion of adolescents with depression who get treatment (currently at 41.4% with a goal of 46.4%)
Increase the proportion of primary care visits where adolescents and adults are screened for depression (currently at 8.5% with a goal of 13.5%)
Increase the proportion of children and adolescents with symptoms of trauma who get treatment (unknown data)
Increase the number of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbance who get treatment (unknown data)
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Evidence Based Approaches
Screening Tools to identify mental health concerns
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Functional Family Therapy
Exposure Therapy
National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments, 2021
MoyoClinic.org, 2022
Screening Tools:
Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders – explores externalizing and internalizing behavior in ages 3-15.
BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) – Explores behavioral and emotional strengths and weaknesses in ages 3-18.
Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS) – Explores social, academic, and emotional behavior of students, including protective and risk factors for ages 5-18.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that allows a patient to talk through their feelings with a psychologist to understand their negative thoughts and how to react in a more effective way. This type of therapy has proven to work well in patients with PTSD, depression, and even eating disorders. If used in the adolescent population this therapy could help teens recognize the situations that are leading to their poor mental health conditions and develop strategies to combat this in the future. This will decrease their negative reactions and in turn improve their mental health.
Functional Family Therapy is another type of psychotherapy that helps the family improve communication and resolution tactics when it comes to conflict. Family therapy helps improve relationships within the family creating increase in family support, which we know increases a patient’s ability to achieve their goals and boosts mental health. Since family has a major impact on adolescent lives, ensuring that good family support, communication, and conflict resolution is key to improving an adolescent’s outcome for diseases such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders.
Exposure therapy is treatment that encourages confrontation of feared stimuli and is commonly used in patients with PTSD or OCD. This treatment aims to allow the patient to recognize the situations that are causing their negative thoughts, either feel as though it is currently happening to them or actually be exposed to the situation and use technics learned to address these situations appropriately. When used in adolescents this type of therapy can give them the tools needed to address concerning situations that are affecting their mental health and learn how to effectively work through them. This will decrease the negative thoughts or feelings and increase their mental health.
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ANY QUESTIONS?
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REVIEW
Rising concern for Adolescents in Mental Health
Evidence Based Approaches
Mental Health has become an increasing issue for adolescents today. There has been a 40% increase in high school students reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness, and a 44% increase in those reporting having made a suicide plan in the last year.
Evidence Based Approaches include multiple screening options to identify early on in adolescents' potential mental health concerns so that they may be addressed professionally before progression is too advanced. These tools include the Systemic Screening for Behavior Disorders, BASC-3 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS), and the Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener (SAEBRS). Then followed by the types of therapy that can assist adolescents after identification of a mental health concern. Although all different, these therapies all aim to achieve the common goal of improved ability to recognize a problem and providing tools to overcome these concerns on a daily basis. These therapies include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Functional Family Therapy, and Exposure Therapy.
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REFERENCES
Adolescents. Adolescents - Healthy People 2030. (2020, August 18).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2020). (publication). Youth Risk Behavior Survey - Data Summary and Trends Report 2009-2019.
Know the Five Signs. (2015). American Psychological Association.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2022). Mayo Clinic.
National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments. (2021, April). Mental Health Screening Tools for Grades K–12.
Risk and protective factors for Youth. Risk and Protective Factors for Youth | Youth.gov. (2009).
What is mental health? What Is Mental Health? | MentalHealth.gov. (2020, May 28).
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