Mary Rose O’Leary has shepherded three children into adulthood, and teaches art and music to middle-school students.
Despite her extensive personal and professional experience with teens, the Eagle Rock, Calif., resident admits she’s often perplexed by their behavior.
“Even if you have normal kids, you’re constantly questioning, ‘Is this normal?’” says O’Leary, 61.
Ask Emily
Senior Editor and Columnist Emily Bazar answers consumers’ questions about California’s changing medical landscape.
Send questions for Emily to [email protected]
Teenagers can be volatile and moody. They can test your patience, push your buttons and leave you questioning your sanity — and theirs.
I’m not being flip. Mental health challenges are a serious — and growing — problem for teenagers: Teen and young-adult suicide has nearly tripled since the 1940s. The rate of 12- to 17-year-olds who struggled with clinical depression increased by 37 percent in a decade, according to a recent study.
And schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders often manifest themselves in adolescence.
In fact, half of all mental health conditions emerge by age 14, and three-quarters by 24, says Dr. Steven Adelsheim, director of the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing, part of the university’s psychiatry department.
the Jed Foundation, a New York-based organization that works to prevent suicides in teens and young adults. “We haven’t trained enough professionals. They’re not distributed well enough across the country.”
Another option, he says, is to check with nearby universities to see if they have mental health clinics that train students and see patients.
While you’re seeking medical help, don’t forget to contact your child’s school, which may be able to make accommodations such as offering your child extra time for testing, Niendam says.
She also suggests connecting with your local chapter of NAMI California (namica.org), a grass-roots organization of people whose lives have been affected by serious mental illness.
“If you’re struggling, you can meet other parents and ask their advice,” she says.
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KHN’s coverage of these topics is supported by Heising-Simons Foundation and California Health Care Foundation
This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, a service of the California Health Care Foundation.
[email protected], @emilybazar
