Being a teenager has always been considered a difficult thing to do and it’s easy to feel misunderstood and unimportant. Your mental health can be very difficult to manage with everything there is to balance in your life. There’s the school that always puts on pressure to get good grades, helping out at home, extracurricular activities such as clubs or sports. It can all get to be so stressful and overwhelming.

Mental illnesses that are most commonly found in teens are anxiety, depression, and eating disorders as well as addiction. There are many symptoms that you can be aware of provided by the Mayo Clinic that includes:

• Feeling sad or down
• Confused thinking or reduced ability to concentrate
• Excessive fears or worries, or extreme feelings of guilt
• Extreme mood changes of highs and lows
• Withdrawal from friends and activities
• Significant tiredness, low energy, or problems sleeping
• Detachment from reality (delusions), paranoia, or hallucinations
• Inability to cope with daily problems or stress
• Trouble understanding and relating to situations and to people
• Problems with alcohol or drug use
• Major changes in eating habits
• Sex drive changes
• Excessive anger, hostility, or violence
• Suicidal thinking

If you have any of these symptoms, although it will be very difficult, the best thing to do is reach out. If you’re not ready to reach out to your family just yet, try a counselor or a trusted friend that you can lean on. However, if it starts to get too severe you need to consider going to your doctor for prescribed medication and or therapy.

The most important thing to know is that if you are suffering from a mental illness, it is not your fault and you don’t deserve this. Some causes could be from simply inheriting it from your parents. The environment that you grew up in can be a cause if it was a toxic, unloving place. The other cause is a chemical imbalance in your brain, “When the neural networks involving these chemicals are impaired, the function of nerve receptors and nerve systems change, leading to depression and other emotional disorders.” The way to deal with developing a mental illness is by paying attention to the signs, if you notice any of the previously listed symptoms then try consulting with your doctor and determine what’s going on and find a plan of action. Do your best to be open to suggestions and follow what your doctor says. Some may not want to take medication and that’s okay. Then maybe consider going to therapy and speaking with a professional who can help you cope.

If you know a friend that is struggling with their mental health try not to be too judgmental. Put yourself in their shoes and try to picture how they might feel right now. You can express your concern but don’t come off aggressively which could drive them away. If they are not open to professional help then do your best to be there for them in any way you can. If you begin to fear for their lives and are concerned they may be suicidal, is when you need to reach out to someone else such as a teacher, counselor, your parents, or their parents. You may feel as though you’re betraying them but their life is so valuable and you would hate to lose them if you could have prevented it.

Remember that you are so important, loved, valuable, unique, and that whether you know it or not you make a difference in the world.

If you are having suicidal thoughts then please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1(800)-273-8255.