Mental health issues are quite common among teens. A study from 2011 found that almost a third of teens suffer from anxiety disorders, one in five suffer from behavioral disorders, one in six suffers from a mood disorder, and just over one in ten suffers from a substance use disorder.
The teen years can be both an exciting and difficult time in someone’s life that is often marked by dramatic changes. These changes can include physical, social, emotional, and financial rearrangements that can lead to increased levels of stress, depression, and anxiety. This is often a time when someone will first be introduced to drugs and alcohol in their social life and the temptations or pressures to use drugs and alcohol may be intense. In addition to substance use, the teen years are when many mental illnesses may first emerge which introduces unique challenges into an already sensitive situation. Here, we will take a look at the risks and struggles that many teens face with regard to drugs, alcohol, and mental illness as well as some helpful ways to find help for these issues.
It is especially concerning that anxiety disorders receive such little attention, as roughly a third of teens in the US suffer from some form of anxiety disorder. There is a strong and well-established connection between anxiety disorders and substance use disorders, and having one condition increases the odds of experiencing the other. In particular, anxiety disorders not only increase the chances for substance use disorder but also greatly increase the chances for substance dependence i.e. a physical addiction.
While the most overt mental health issues among teens such as ADHD receive the most attention in the form of treatment, it is important to be more sensitive and aware of the subtler mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and substance abuse. These conditions, in particular, are much more strongly associated with negative long-term outcomes, and some of them, such as the eating disorder anorexia nervosa, have an estimated mortality rate of 10%. It is crucial for teens to get the help and treatment they need if they are to find relief and lead a happy life.
Substance abuse is another prevalent issue among teens, and while it shares many contributing factors to mental illness, it is a distinct condition. Among people with a substance use disorder during their lifetime, 50% of them exhibited substance abuse issues by the age of 15. Although substance use disorder shares a similar age of onset to many mental health issues, substance use disorder commonly has a later onset and a sharper increase with age as do other mental health issues.
Peer pressure and a teen’s family life are both major contributors to teenage substance abuse. Peer pressure is a major contributor in a direct way, as someone will seek acceptance and fellowship by imitating their friends. As for the impact of the family on a teen’s substance abuse, one study found that teens who have more unsupervised time away from their parents are much more likely to engage in smoking cigarettes (1.35x more likely), drinking (1.85x more likely), and other illicit drug use (1.77x more likely). Additionally, and maybe obviously, a SAMHSA report states that a teen living with a parent who suffers from a substance use disorder is much more likely to have a substance use disorder themselves.
There is also a very strong connection between teen drug or alcohol use, particularly the age at which this begins, and lifelong outcomes for drug and alcohol-related issues. For example, a study from 2019 found that teens who first used marijuana or alcohol before the age of 14 ended up having much higher rates of alcohol or drug addiction later in life. There have been studies that indicate there are different contributing factors at different stages of life. For example, one study showed that early teen substance abuse seems to be influenced more by community and family factors while mid-to-late teen substance use is influenced more by peers. As far as addressing the problem of teen substance abuse, there is no single answer. What is certain, however, is that if a teen is struggling with substance abuse, their chances of recovery are significantly better if they enter a substance abuse treatment center as soon as possible.
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