Mental Health Disorders and Teen Substance Abuse

 The human brain is still developing well into a person’s early 20s. Most mental illnesses develop during this period of growth. This period is also when the brain is most vulnerable to damage from drug abuse.

Alcohol affects teenagers differently. Instead of slowing them down, alcohol can make teens feel more energetic, do riskier things and get more aggressive. Drinking is even more dangerous for kids with ADHD because they’re already impulsive. Substance use can also make depressed teenagers more prone to impulsive suicidal behavior.

Teen Depression And Addiction

the co-occurring disorders of drug addiction and depression are a common and dangerous combination. Depression can arise from a blend of biological, genetic, psychological, and environmental factors. Addiction has similar roots, so it’s unsurprising that the two frequently co-occur.

 Adolescence is a time of change for teens. As their bodies, home lives, and even brain chemistries change, teens may have a hard time coping. Parental guidance is crucial during this period. Without it, a common case of the adolescent blues can develop into teen depression and possible drug abuse. Many teens turn to alcohol or drugs to self-medicate their depression.

"it is not the heroin or cocaine that makes them addict , it is the escape from harsh reality "

Substance use can help alleviate unwanted mental health symptoms like   irritability and negative thought . But in the longer term it exacerbates them, and often ends in abuse or dependence. Substance use escalates from experimentation to a serious disorder much faster in adolescents than it does in adults, and that progression is more likely to happen in kids with mental health disorder than in other kids.

Common symptoms of teen depression include:

• Continuous anxious or “empty” mood
• Irritability
• Feelings of helplessness
• Fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping
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 kids with mental health disorders are more prone to substance use

kids who are anxious or depressed may feel more emotionally “even” if they drink or smoke marijuana. For socially anxious kids, it can quiet the anxiety enough to allow them to function in peer groups. And since their friends do it, it’s not stigmatized the way taking medication is.

To all those teenage readers who are stuck in this vicious cycle of mental health illness and drug abuse i would like to quote here “One thing you must realize is that: you either kill your addiction or your addiction will eventually kill you.” – Oche Otorkpa