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• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

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• Related Issues
• Specifics

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

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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)

• Article: Exploring the experiences of resident doctors in child and adolescent psychiatry...
• Article: Training on Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Units.
• Article: Unique Nature of Inpatient Care on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Units.
• 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) Also in Spanish
• KidsHealth (Nemours Foundation)
• National Institute of Mental Health Also in Spanish
• Psychologist Locator (American Psychological Association)