Mental health problems in teens can be all over the map, from depression and excessive anxiety to eating disorders and psychoses. If you notice disturbing symptoms, make an appointment with your child's doctor to explore possible physical causes. Helpguide.org says a physician may ask about current medications, diet, sleep patterns, and drug and alcohol use. If no health problems exist, the doctor can direct you to a psychologist or psychiatrist who may provide counseling or refer you to a mental health program in your community.
Outpatient Services
Outpatient counseling, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, can help teenagers to develop skills to reduce mental health symptoms. For example, CBT may teach adolescents how to pinpoint anxious thoughts and replace them with positive ones. CBT sessions may be short-term, but the benefits can last much longer, according to Effective Child Therapy. Counseling may be combined with medication if the mental health condition warrants it.
Home and Family Services
Family- and home-based services help teenagers, as well as parents and siblings, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Family services offer parents training and support groups to teach them how to understand and care for their teenage child. With home treatment services, mental-health professionals go into the home and work with the whole family to develop and implement a treatment regimen.
Day Programs
Intensive all-day programs are available for teenagers with more serious mental health conditions. The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry says some facilities combine counseling and special education. Others are psychiatric hospitals that offer treatment during the day but have the adolescent patients return home at night.
Crisis Residences
Crisis residences provide short-term residential care for teens and children whose mental health situations need to be stabilized. These centers are often connected with psychiatric emergency rooms, according to the New York State Office of Mental Health. Many patients receive crisis treatment for up to three weeks, get linked to local mental health resources, and return home.
Community Residence
Community residences offer a therapeutic living environment for teens and children with serious mental health conditions. In states such as New York, these facilities provide structured activities, teach problem-solving and develop a behavior management plan for each youngster. Community residences allow more independence than hospital and residential treatment facilities.
Residential and Hospital Treatment
Teenagers with severe mental health conditions may enter comprehensive treatment programs, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Some intensive programs take place in psychiatric hospitals; others, often longer term, are in campus settings. The length of time spent in these programs varies according to a teen's condition and response to treatment.
