People may think that adolescents’ mental health is the same as an adult’s mental health. They are greatly wrong. In reality they tend to go through different  life challenges just in different manners. Whilst adolescents may tend to struggle with the change in school adults tend to struggle with their responsibilities of being an adult. 

There are many things that adults go through that can alter their mental health and how they go about the things they do. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness it’s important to measure how common mental illness is so that we can understand its physical, social, and financial impact that it can have on adults. By doing so we should try to also make sure that every adult that struggles with their mental health understands that they are not alone throughout their journey. Most adults tend to feel alone in their journey or recovery that their mental health may start to deplete. 

As stated on the National Institute of Mental Health it is estimated that more than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness. This helps to share the severity of what people are going through because mental health can vary from mild to moderate to severe. A serious mental illness can be called (SMI) is defined as a mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder resulting in serious functional impairment which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. Depression and anxiety can cause adults to lose their jobs from them feeling unwell enough to arrive at work. 

Adolescents have the highest rates of mental health issues among all age groups. As explained by the  World Health Organization  it’s an important period for developing various different things such as developing emotional and social habits important for mental well-being. 

These include the following;

• Healthy sleeping patterns
• Exercising regularly
• Developing coping mechanisms
• Problem-solving skills
• Having supportive environments

With the increase of rise coming towards adolescence the greater the potential impact on their mental health. There are many different disorders that can be seen in adolescents but what’s most common in adolescence and young adulthood are eating disorders. Eating disorders involve abnormal eating behavior and preoccupation with food, accompanied in most instances by concerns about body weight and shape.

According to the U.S. department of Health and Human Services common mental health symptoms are;

• Low energy 
• Having difficulty with sleeping and eating
• Low interest in activities they used to enjoy
• Spend more time alone and avoid social activities
• Excessively exercising 
• Thinking their mind is being controlled or is out of control
• Hearing things that other people can’t hear

There are many things that adolescents will go through that they won’t be able to explain but the best thing to do in this situation is to be patient and to always try to listen to them. It’s also important to exercise great coping skills to better your mental health because if you have a mental disorder it will carry on into your adult years and it may worsen with that grand change.