Mental Health and Well-Being in Adolescence

Adolescence is the stage at which many mental health problems begin to develop. This session describes some of the basic concepts of emotional well-being in young people and the epidemiology of some common mental health problems at this age. It also describes the organisation of adolescent mental health services in England and Wales and their relationship to primary care and paediatric services. Some related problems, such as self harm and substance misuse, are dealt with in other modules.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe the concept of emotional well-being in adolescents and the factors that may influence this
• Identify ways in which health professionals can be involved in helping promote positive mental health in young people
• Describe the prevalence of mental health problems and associated epidemiological features
• List the features that may be indicative of a significant mental health problem in a young person
• List the components of child and adolescent mental health services in England and Wales and describe how these relate to primary care and specialist paediatric services

Mental health and emotional well-being are difficult concepts to define. In many ways it is much easier to describe the clinical features of people with mental illness than of those who are well. During adolescence it can be particularly difficult to distinguish those aspects of emotion and behaviour that are due to normal development from those that may indicate a psychological problem.