Half of all mental health issues surface by age 14, but many of those issues go unrecognized and untreated. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of children and adolescents experiencing major depressive episodes and anxiety, mood, attention and behavior disorders. One in five of our youth experience mental illness, while nearly one in three adolescents will meet the criteria for an anxiety disorder by the age of 18. By mid-adolescence, girls are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mood disorder as boys. The effect of this is more than numbers and statistics ̶ it is the impact on children, adolescents and their families. This workshop will:
- Look at the facts about mental health among children and adolescents
- Review the current research addressing depression, anxiety, mood, attention and behavior disorders among children and youth
- Discuss the impact of technology on mental health
- Examine the risks and protective factors impacting youth mental health
- Look at strategies and resources to help improve adolescents’ mental health.
