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4200 Montrose Boulevard, Suite 550
Houston, TX, 77006
United States

(713) 376-9822

Child, teen and family therapy in Houston, TX. Joan's specializations include: ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, LGBT Issues, Abuse Issues, Adjustment Issues, Depression, Eating Disorders, School Trouble, Learning Disabilities, Trauma, Behavioral Problems, and Self-Mutilation. 

Mental Disorders in U.S. Teens

My Blog

This is a collection of psychiatry and psychology news and studies related to child, teen and family therapy.  These resources may be useful to parents interested in learning more about current topics influencing child, teen and family therapy.

Mental Disorders in U.S. Teens

Joan Lipuscek

It is often difficult for families to understand the prevalence of teens suffering with a mental disorder. To help alleviate this, we created the following data visualization for the summary results of the study, "Lifetime Prevalence of Mental Disorders in US Adolescents: Results from the National Comorbidity Study-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A)" published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

For ease of use, we have included only figures on lifetime prevalence. This is the proportion of a given population that has ever had a mental disorder as classified by the DSM-IV at some point in their lives at the time of the study.

The visualization is structured with the highest level summary data available on the first tab, data by disorder type on the second tab and specific disorder data on the final tab. (Please set your browser to allow third party cookies if you receive an error while trying to explore the data.)

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

Tab 1: All Disorders - The study concluded that while 49.5% of teens between the ages of 13-18 had suffered from a mental disorder at some point in their lives, only 22.2% of teens had suffered from a disorder that could be characterized as severe. For disorders to be classified as "severe impairments," the study required the respondents to report "a lot" or “extreme” impairment in daily activities, or “severe or very severe” distress. According to the study, "Severe emotional disorders required both distress and impairment to be present, and severe behavior disorders required endorsement of symptom criteria by both the parent and the adolescent."

Tab 2: Disorders by Type - Among disorder types, anxiety disorders are the most common with 31.9% of U.S. teens experiencing an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives. However, anxiety disorders were also found least likely to be severe with only 8.3% of teens reporting a severe impairment. Along gender lines, teen girls were more likely to suffer from anxiety and mood disorders, while boys were more likely to suffer from behavior and substance use disorders.

Tab 3: Specific Disorders - Specific phobias were by far the most popular mental disorders with 19.3% of teens reporting that they had suffered from this disorder at some point in their lives. However, specific phobias were also the least likely disorder to cause "severe impairment" with a prevalence rate of just 0.6% among teens. Along gender lines, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are noteworthy for the large dispersion between the number of male and female sufferers. ADHD is reported for 13.0% of males, but only 4.2% of females. PTSD is reported for 8.0% of females, but only 2.3% of males. 

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