Common Mental Health Disorders in Young Adults

The National Institute of Mental Health Disorders estimates that 3.7 percent of children ages 8 to 15 have depression in the United States. It is the most prevalent of mental health disorders among those at this age, with at least 25 percent of high school students exhibiting some mild symptoms. The British Medical Journal cited that approximately 8 to 10 percent have severe depressive symptoms.

As with depression in adults, adolescent depression is often marked by the same overwhelming sadness, anger and melancholy. Unlike adults, however, teenage depression may include more irritability than sadness, as well as hostility. Teenagers experiencing depression may also be hypersensitive and complain of headaches or stomachaches, as reported by HelpGuide.org.

In addition to these signs and the above generalized symptoms, you may also want to look for:

• Feelings of worthlessness, loneliness or helplessness
• Problems concentrating
• Extreme fatigue or disinterest
• Frequent crying
• Thoughts of suicide or preoccupation with death

Anxiety disorders, next to depression, are among the most common mental health disorders in young people. This can include phobias, panic disorder, social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). An estimated 10 percent of young people suffer from any of the above. Again, like adult mental health disorders, these earlier versions of anxiety problems can be very similar.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder in adolescents is also marked by continual thoughts of the same image or impulse. Traumatic events in a child’s life can trigger PTSD symptoms, just as extreme fears of people, places, or things can signal phobias. Young adults with anxiety may appear withdrawn, highly uneasy, or fearful. They may also seem overly emotional, unresponsive or unrestrained.

Eating disorders like bulimia nervosa (bulimia), anorexia nervosa (anorexia), or body dysmorphia can affect around 5 percent of young people and can lead to serious physical complications. They are more than dieting or exercising to maintain weight. Bulimia is a purging disorder in which a person may binge eat and purge the food afterward, while anorexia entails eating considerably small amounts of food or no food at all.

This mental health problem is most common in girls and young women, perhaps due to the social pressures seemingly placed upon them by peers, the entertainment industry, and the impossible standards set by models in magazines. Signs of either disorder may include dramatic losses in weight, a thin or frail appearance, going to the bathroom right after eating, being continually unhappy with one’s appearance, or fear of weight gain.

One of the more common mental health conditions, ADHD affects approximately 8.6 percent of adolescents ages 8 to 15 years. The number gets slightly higher at 9 percent among teenagers 12 to 17 years old. Marked by a shortened attention span, impulsiveness, hyperactivity and disorganization, ADHD is becoming more and more prevalent across the US. According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, ADHD can be identified in many cases long before adolescence.

Young people with this disorder frequently become bored easily, fail to concentrate even for short periods of time, and can be disruptive. This problem may be evident in both the home and in school but typically presents itself most often in school. Parents can be the first to identify this as the child may not be fully cognizant of his or her own actions. When treated early, symptoms of ADHD can decrease by 50 percent into adulthood.