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Mental Health Disorders Afflicting Teens and Children
from:Mental health disorders do not solely afflict adults but can affect the younger generation as well. There are quite a few mental health disorders that affect children and adolescents and these young people require a certain amount of care and attention to help them lead normal lives.
The mental health disorders that youngsters experience may range from mild to severe cases and can run for a short period of time or for a lifetime. It has been noted by the NIMH or the National Institute for Mental Health that around 5% of children in the country suffer from one of the most common of mental health disorders, which is depression. The percentage is a bit higher for teenagers, with the number of adolescents known to suffer from this most common of mental health disorders being pegged at 8%. The most common mental health problem that these youngsters suffer from is depression and anxiety, with eating disorders and learning disabilities coming in close behind the two leaders.
These mental health disorders that children and teenagers suffer are often experienced for a short period of time when they go through certain life experiences that bring about these problems. These mental health disorders are often taken care of with the help of mental health professionals who help ease the child through such a dilemma and with the help of the people close to the patient who is suffering from any of these mental health disorders.
One of the most troublesome mental health disorders that require the utmost attention of the children's parents as well as the help of a licensed mental health professional is ADHD or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. This is characterized by a child's inattention and hyperactivity, often seen when he or she is of school age. This problem is categorized in three sub-categories, defined by the symptoms the affected child displays. There is the combined type, the hyperactive type and the inattentive type. It has been ascertained that boys are more likely to suffer from ADHD than girls. The usual solution for this mental health problem in children is often a combination of medication and therapy or just one of the two.
Another one of the mental health disorders that seems to be getting a lot of attention lately are the different eating disorders that afflict teens. Often, you will see this kind of a problem in teenage girls but this can also be seen in pre-teens who believe that they have weight problems. The two most well known of these eating disorders are bulimia and anorexia nervosa.
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