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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.
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
- 11 Questions to Ask Before Psychiatric Hospitalization of Your Child or Adolescent (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) - PDF Also in Spanish
- Antidepressants for Children and Teens (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
- Going to a Therapist (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- How Can Social Connection Reduce Loneliness? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- I Think I Have a Mental Health Problem. Who Can I Talk To? (Nemours Foundation)
- Mental Health Medications (National Institute of Mental Health)
- Psychotherapies for Children and Adolescents (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry) Also in Spanish
- Residential Treatment Programs (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
Related Issues
- 4 Ways to Make Homework Easier (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- 5 Ways to Know Your Feelings Better (Nemours Foundation)
- Dealing with Difficult Emotions (Nemours Foundation)
- 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 Get Help in a Crisis? (Nemours Foundation)
- How Can I Help a Friend Who Cuts? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- How Can Social Connection Help Kids & Teens Feel Less Lonely? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- I'm So Stressed Out! Facts about Stress and Anxiety (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
- Teens and Stress: Who Has Time for It? (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- The Teen Brain: 7 Things to Know (National Institute of Mental Health) Also in Spanish
- Understanding Cliques (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Your Feelings (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
Specifics
- 3 Ways to Increase Positive Emotions (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- About Teen Suicide (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Abuse: What If I Need Help Right Now (for Teens)? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Abusive Relationships (Nemours Foundation)
- Anxiety (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- 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 Image and Self-Esteem (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Coping with Stress (for Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Depression (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (National Institute of Mental Health)
- Fears and Phobias (Nemours Foundation)
- Guided Visualization: Dealing with Stress (National Institute of Mental Health)
- How Can I Feel Less Lonely? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- How Can I Stop Cutting? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- How Negative Emotions Help (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Media and Body Image (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Social Phobia (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
- Teen Suicide (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Trichotillomania (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)
Statistics and Research
- Combinations of Types of Mental Health Services Received in the Past Year Among Young Adults (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
- Data and Statistics on Children's Mental Health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Teen Mental Health (National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Implementation of Brief Admission by Self-Referral in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry...
- Article: Identity Matters for Well-Being: The Longitudinal Associations Between Identity Processes and...
- Article: Exploring Malaysian parents' and teachers' cultural conceptualization of adolescent social and...
- Teen Mental Health -- see more articles
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)
- KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)
- National Institute of Mental Health Also in Spanish
- Psychologist Locator (American Psychological Association)
Teenagers
- Teen Suicide (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Patient Handouts
- Help your teen cope with stress (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Helping your teen with depression (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Managing your depression - teens (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Recognizing teen depression (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish