Psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals diagnose psy
Psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals diagnose psychological disorders with a standard system. Internationally, most use the International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD 11; World Health Organization, 2020). In the United States, they often use the closely related Diagnostic and Statistical Manual -Fifth Edition (DSM-5) published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA, 2013). These publications list the criteria for a person to be diagnosed as having a specific disorder.
These diagnostic systems are sometimes criticized because they impose rules and remove clinician’s judgment. Yet, they allow people to speak in a similar language. For example, when a counselor who uses the ICD-11 in Hemu Village in China discusses depression, the goal is that she can talk about the same symptoms as a social worker in Palco, Kansas.
The DSM-5 contains a section for disorders that arise in childhood. However, they do not seem to pay as much attention to adolescent problems (Ng & Weisz, 2018). This chapter will discuss present research regarding the mental health of today’s adolescents. It will focus on the most common problems that many clinicians see, including depression, anxiety, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Anxiety And Fears
Anxiety is perhaps the most rapidly rising of all disorders in today’s teenagers. While the Millennials were the group most likely to be depressed, Gen -X members are more likely to experience anxiety.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5) lists several types of anxiety disorders. These are also discussed at the website of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml. Much of the discussion that follows is from this public domain website.
One type of anxiety that is rapidly increasing is Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD. The National Institute of Mental Health notes that Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms include:
Symptoms of Anxiety
Feeling restless, wound-up, or on-edge.
Being easily fatigued.
Having difficulty concentrating; mind going blank.
Having muscle tension.
Difficulty controlling feelings of worry.
Having sleep problems, such as difficulty falling or staying asleep, restlessness, or unsatisfying sleep.
To obtain this diagnosis, a person must have these symptoms at a level where they interfere with their life. They also must have shown these symptoms for six months.
A phobia is an intense and irrational fear. The anxiety is out of proportion to the danger. The person who has phobias recognizes the fear as abnormal (Adams, Sawchuk, Cisler, Lohr, & Olatunji, 2014). Yet, they cannot control it. The NIMH notes that there are several types of phobias and phobia-related disorders:
Adolescents and others with a specific phobia have an intense fear or anxiety about particular objects, events, or specific situations. Examples include the fear of blood, heights, receiving injections, and animals such