Teens and Mental HealthYour teen’s mental health is a very important part of their overall health. Teens facing mental heath problems are more likely to get into trouble in school, engage in risky behavior, and have more physical health problems. Many children and youth experience mental health problems. At any given time, five to nine percent of children and youth between the age of 9 and 17 have serious emotional disturbances that cause real problems in their family, school and community life.i Even more children and teens will face less severe emotional or mental health problems that can also cause problems in how they feel and get along. An individual’s mental health changes over time. People experience better or worse mental health at different points in their lives. Some mental health problems are easier to cope with, and some cause more disruption in the lives of those who experience them and those around them.
If a child or youth is experiencing mental health problems, getting them support early can help address problems before they get worse, and help youth back on the road towards better functioning and emotional wellbeing. In 2005 and 2006 an annual average of 3.3 million young people aged 12 to 17 (13.3% of all youth) received services for emotional or behavioral problems in a specialty mental health setting.ii For most mental health problems, there are effective ways to treat these problems. Talking to a mental heath professional can help you find the right approach, and help you address the problems that your child is facing. This section of the Web site includes: Last revised: August 13, 2009 | 
