Mental Health Concerns in Adolescent Research Assignment

Mental Health Concerns in Adolescent
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Introduction
Mental health is necessary for the entire well being of an individual. People need their minds to function properly in order to carry out their daily activities. Their lives are also affected by the status of their mental health. The aspects of their lives that are mostly affected are socially, economically and psychologically. One who does not have a proper state of mind is considered insane and is not fit for interaction with other people (Suh, 2014). This usually results into stigmatization by other members of a society hence the mentally ill individuals are separated from the sane members of the society. This raises the concern of development of the society as a whole thus; several methods of treatment have been developed over the years to help cure this form of ailment. The treatment methods implemented currently involve the use of medication and psychotherapy. Successful treatment has been done for several people who have undergone the treatment programs and they have been fully cured. However, not everyone affected by mental illness can access the kind of treatment that they need. Less than half the adolescents affected by these forms of illness were able to get the treatment they need in 2016 (Shin, 2016).
Autism Spectrum Disorder
The most common form of mental illness in Hayward Unified School District is Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (Shin, 2016). It includes a wide range of symptoms which result into different levels of disability. It has been a growing concern for adolescents in the district and measures have been taken to help solve the issue. The wide array of symptoms of the disorder has been categorized into different forms depending on how they affect the individual.
Symptoms
The first category is poor communication and interaction skills with others (Volkmar, 2014). The affected individuals eventually find it difficult to speak and mingle with other people. This hinders their social development thus restricting their ability to cooperate with others. Another symptom is the visibility of repetitive behaviors within the individual. This tendency results from lack of development of the mind because of mental hindrances (Suh, 2014). The systematic nature of the symptoms causes one to gradually lose interest in some of the things that matter in their lives. Therefore, they repeat what they have acquired before in their daily routines. The last symptom is the existence of a limited number of interests within the individual. Once there is repetitiveness in one’s behavior, he/she develops a limited number of interests because of the lack of development of the mind (Suh, 2014). This eventually affects ...