Teen Mental Health

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Summary

Being a teenager is hard. You're under stress to be liked, do well in school, get along with your family, and make big decisions. You can't avoid most of these pressures, and worrying about them is normal. But feeling very sad, hopeless or worthless could be warning signs of a mental health problem.

Mental health problems are real, painful, and sometimes severe. You might need help if you have the signs mentioned above, or if you:

Often feel very angry or very worried
Feel grief for a long time after a loss or death
Think your mind is controlled or out of control
Use alcohol or drugs
Exercise, diet and/or binge-eat obsessively
Hurt other people or destroy property
Do reckless things that could harm you or others
Feel depressed (sad and hopeless)

Mental health problems can be treated. To find help, talk to your parents, school counselor, or health care provider.

Start Here

About Children's Mental Health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Child and Adolescent Mental Health (National Institute of Mental Health)
How to Live a Happy Life (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Understanding Your Teen's Emotional Health (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also in Spanish
Mental Health Screening (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Teen Mental Health: How to Know When Your Child Needs Help (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

Antidepressants for Children and Teens (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
Going to a Therapist (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Mental Health Medications (National Institute of Mental Health)
Psychotherapies for Children and Adolescents (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also in Spanish
Questions to Ask Before Psychiatric Hospitalization of Your Child or Adolescent (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also in Spanish
Residential Treatment Programs (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)

Related Issues

3 Ways to Increase Positive Emotions (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
5 Ways to Know Your Feelings Better (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Dealing with Difficult Emotions (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Healthy Social Media Habits: How You Use it Matters (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
Helping Children and Adolescents Cope With Traumatic Events (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
How Can I Feel Less Lonely? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
How Can I Get Help in a Crisis? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
How Can I Help a Friend Who Cuts? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
How Can Social Connection Reduce Loneliness? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
How Negative Emotions Help (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Media and Body Image (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
The Teen Brain: 7 Things to Know (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
Understanding Cliques (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Specifics

Abuse: What If I Need Help Right Now? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Abusive Relationships (Nemours Foundation)
Anxiety: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine)
Bipolar Disorder in Children and Teens (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
Bipolar Disorder in Teens and Young Adults: Know the Signs (National Institute of Mental Health) - PDF Also in Spanish
Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Body Image and Self-Esteem (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (National Institute of Mental Health)
Fears and Phobias (Nemours Foundation)
How Can I Stop Cutting? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Mental Health and Social Media Use: What Parents Can Do (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Social Anxiety (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
Stress: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine)
Suicide: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine)
Teen Depression: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine)
Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling) (Nemours Foundation)
When Children and Teens Self-Harm (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Health Check Tools

How's Your Self-Esteem? (Quiz) (Nemours Foundation)

Videos and Tutorials

Guided Visualization: Dealing with Stress (National Institute of Mental Health)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Teen Mental Health (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Also in Spanish
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
FindTreatment.gov (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) Also in Spanish
KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)
National Institute of Mental Health Also in Spanish
Psychologist Locator (American Psychological Association)

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National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Teen Mental Health is the National Institute of Mental Health

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

Teens Are Talking about Mental Health

Disclaimers

MedlinePlus links to health information from the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies. MedlinePlus also links to health information from non-government Web sites. See our disclaimer about external links and our quality guidelines.