The adolescent years are a time of immense growth and change. They offer challenges that can be both exciting and overwhelming. Some of the most common issues that cause adolescents acute distress include:

  • Bullying
  • Death of a peer or a loved one
  • Family problems
  • Many smaller stressors
  • Relationship problems
  • School problems
  • Witnessing or being the victim of violence

Signs Professional Help Is Needed

For both adolescents and their families and friends, it can often be difficult to tell the difference between the normal ups and downs that come with this stage of life and more serious problems. Some signs that an adolescent may need professional help to meet life's challenges include:

  • Difficulties with sleep
  • Difficulty bathing, changing clothes, or leaving the house
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Excessive anxiety or panic attacks
  • Extreme feelings of guilt
  • Extreme irritability or explosive behavior
  • Increased amounts of risky behavior
  • Increased difficulty functioning at school
  • Loss of interest in and/or pleasure from previously appealing activities
  • Loss or gain of a lot of weight
  • Lots of stomach aches, headaches, or other aches and pains
  • More than brief experimentation with unhealthy coping mechanisms such as alcohol, drugs, or cutting
  • Seeming to hallucinate or otherwise be out of touch with reality
  • Social isolation
  • Suicidal thoughts and/or feelings of hopelessness or helplessness

Useful Crisis Lines

These useful crisis lines are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week: