Cited by 106Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentMental Health Treatment and AccessPsychology and Mental Health

Common mental health problems

Open access
Michaud, Pierre-André, Fombonne, Eric·2005·BMJ

Abstract

The World Health Organization defines mental health as a “state of well-being whereby individuals recognize their abilities, are able to cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and make a contribution to their communities.” Applying such adult based definitions to adolescents and identifying mental health problems in young people can be difficult, given the substantial changes in behaviour, thinking capacities, and identity that occur during the teenage years. The impact of changing youth subcultures on behaviour and priorities can also make it difficult to define mental health and mental health problems in adolescents. Although mental disorders reflect psychiatric disturbance, adolescents may be affected more broadly by mental health problems. These include various difficulties and burdens that interfere with adolescent development and adversely affect quality of life emotionally, socially, and vocationally. View this table: Table 1 Symptoms needing assessment Mental disorders and mental health problems seem to have increased considerably among adolescents in the past 20-30 years. The rise has been driven by social change, including disruption of family structure, growing youth unemployment, and increasing educational and vocational pressures. The prevalence of mental health disorders among 11 to 15 year olds in Great Britain is estimated to be 11%, with conduct problems more common among boys and depression and anxiety more common among girls. View this table: Table 2 Definition of a mental disorder* The identification, treatment, and follow up of mental health problems in young people can be complicated. Parents and teachers may dismiss problems as merely reflecting adolescent turmoil. Young people are often very reluctant to seek help, owing to developmental needs about being “normal” at the time when they are exploring identity issues and trying to engage with a peer group. View this table: Table 3 Mental health problems and disorders in adolescents* Variations of mood and temporary deviant behaviours …

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  1. Rutter M, Smith D. Psychosocial disorders in young people. Time trends and their causes. New York: Wiley, 1995.

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Authors
Michaud, P.-A., & Fombonne, E.
Affiliations
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois (CH)
Venue
BMJ
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2005-04-07
Volume
330
Issue
7495
Pages
835-838
ISSN
  • 0007-1447 (ISSN-L)
  • 0959-8138
  • 1468-5833
OpenAlex
W2337751634
Cited by
106
References
7
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 3
FWCI
0.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • BMJ (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • IRIS (submittedVersion)
  • SERVAL (Université de Lausanne) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychology and Mental Health
Keywords
adolescent mental health, depression, anxiety, conduct problems, adolescent identity development, help-seeking reluctance, prevalence of mental disorders, definition of mental disorder
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Behavior Therapy, Mental Disorders, Humans, Risk Factors

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