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Mental Illness Research Paper

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Sarah Wynn College Prep Writing Hour 4 Mrs. West 24 February 2016 Screening Adolescent Children for Mental Illnesses “After his father was diagnosed with cancer, a 15-year-old… teen started skipping school, erupting in angry outbursts, yelling at teachers and punching holes in walls or retreating to his room paralyzed by an overwhelming sadness” (Kennedy n.p.g.). This young teenage boy denied help from the school, however, he eventually sought treatment and was diagnosed with major depression disorder. Mental illness in teens is not always noticeable and may have a catastrophic outcome. Schools of adolescent children, such as middle schools and high schools, should screen all students for mental illness every year. Some people believe screening …show more content…

Students and parents alike believe that the questions asked are too personal and fear the social stigma of mental illness. The Citizens of Commission on Human Rights or CCHR, a nonprofit mental health watchdog group that has helped enact more than 150 laws protecting individuals from abuse or coercive practices, says that, “Mental health screening asks young students embarrassing, personal and potentially upsetting questions that psychiatrists have worded in such a way that no student could escape being labeled mentally ill at some point during their education… questionnaires can result in psychological or psychiatric intervention…” (CCHR Editors n.p.g.). Since these questionnaires may be misleading, parents and students fear the validity of these tests. Pharmaceutical drug companies are thought to take advantage of the mentally ill. “We hear so much these days about how psychotherapies can help people with mental health problems. But the most recent figures tend to suggest that as many as 57% of people with mental health problems are being treated solely with medications without any form of psychotherapy. And that figure is not going down—it’s going up!—up from 44% to 57% between 1998 and 2007” (Davey n.p.g.). Drugs are society's answer to problems that require more effort and …show more content…

Some major mental illnesses adolescent teens suffer are, “Anxiety disorders were the most common condition (31.9%), followed by behavior disorders (19.1%), mood disorders (14.3%), and substance use disorders (11.4%), with approximately 40% of participants with one class of disorder also meeting criteria for another class of lifetime disorder.” (Merikangas n.p.g.). These disorders are long lasting and do not just simply go away without some sort of treatment such as therapy, medication, more hands on attention, and so forth. These kids need someone to talk to and confide in that knows what they are going through and/or knows how to help them cope with their disorder. A mental illness is not something that one chooses, it is a disease that can potentially lead to a form of self-bullying either mentally or physically. Keith Hawton, a professor of psychiatry and a consultant psychiatrist to the Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, found that, “398 (6.9%) participants reported an act of deliberate self-harm in the previous year that met study criteria. Only 12.6% of episodes had resulted in presentation to hospital. Deliberate self-harm was more common in females than it was in males (11.2% v 3.2%; odds ratio 3.9, 95% confidence interval 3.1 to 4.9)” (Hawton n.p.g). Mental disorders may affect those closest to us and it may be detrimental, however, there are ways to help relieve the symptoms

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