Mental health

Emotional health difficulties are common with around 30 to 40% of children and young people affected but they are usually temporary and don’t require intervention. Common difficulties are sleeping problems, anger control and emotional crises around relationships. Control of behaviour and emotions are intricately interlinked at this age. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that is involved in decision-making, evaluating risk, emotions and judgement. It is a part of the brain that is still undergoing significant change at this period of development.

Some mental health disorders found more frequently in the teenage years include anxiety, 4 to 6% and depression, 3 to 5%, eating disorders, 1 to 2%, serious antisocial behaviour often known as Conduct Disorder, Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and self-harm.

In childhood depression is considered rare and is more common in boys than girls and may present in a masked form. In childhood boys have an overall higher incidence of mental health issues than girls. In early adolescence symptoms may still be present yet masked especially in boys, presenting as behavioural disorders, substance abuse and fatigue. As adolescence progresses there is a greater incidence or likelihood of presenting with a depressed mood and this has a female predominance.