Volume-1 Issue-5 NOvember, 2011
The transitional stage of physical and mental human development occurring between puberty and legal adulthood is ‘adolescence’. It is derived from a Latin word ‘adolescere’, meaning ‘to grow up’. It is characterized by a number of cognitive, emotional, physical and attitudinal changes. These changes promote personality development on the one hand, and conflict with the surrounding adults, on the other. It is at this phase of life that they begin to view friends and peers as being more influential than their parents. In search of a social identity, they tend to drift away from parents and home in many ways. The stress imposed on them at this stage is immense, making them more susceptible to imbalances in mental health. Sometimes, it becomes difficult to differentiate between normal reaction to their stress, and the onset of mental illness. It thus becomes important for the parent to be vigilant when any altered behaviour emerges.
A healthy adolescent usually copes with most issues that he is challenged with, functioning adequately academically, as well as being socially comfortable with peers and family alike. Some adolescents exhibit irritability, resistance to parental desires, or disregard towards family decisions. Such changes in behaviour, in excess, could well indicate a need for early evaluation.
A withdrawn adolescent, who appears sad and may be found crying at times, with a declining academic performance, could be suffering from a depressive illness. At times, they could be abusive, irritable, quarrelsome and refuse to fall in with family regulations. As opposed to this, if the student were to be making plans well beyond his reach is seen to be excessively happy and cheerful, or overactive, irritable, spending much more money than usual, it is possible that a mood disorder, mania, might be causal.
Despite an average or even good academic performance, some adolescents begin to decline in performance in their late teens. This could be due a variety of causes. However, if this feature is compounded with the person becoming progressively withdrawn, remaining secluded or exhibiting any altered behaviour, it could be a matter of concern. It is possible that they would develop suspiciousness and experience others being against him in some way; abnormal belief’s about others controlling him, or hearing voices when no one is around. They would then need a detailed evaluation as they are likely to have a psychotic illness, possibly schizophrenia.
Anxiety is a normal phenomena experienced by most students during their examinations. When it is so severe as to affect their daily routine or their academics, they would need to be brought for help. Excessive cleanliness, much more than the adolescent is used to, repeated washing, checking, or orderliness that hinders his daily routine or affects the family members needs a detailed evaluation for obsessive compulsive disorder or personality disorder.
Missing classes in college regularly, lying about their whereabouts, requiring more money than usual, should raise a suspicion of whether the adolescent has turned to the use of substances (drugs). The current trend through all classes alike is the use of solvent substances, due the easy availability and the affordability.
The fact that adolescents perceive themselves as adults and as ‘I do not need guidance of any sort’, and the fact that they seek independence at this phase of life, makes any intervention by the family very difficult. Parents should however stay tuned to their adolescent and pick up any issues early in order to deal with them effectively.
She has keen interest in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & can be contacted by lvp4562@gmail.com
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