Turbulent teens: One student shares his struggle

By Linda Braden Albert
of The Daily Times Staff

Adolescence brings its own special concerns for the teenagers struggling to balance school, family, friends and a changing appearance. It's a difficult transition from childhood to adulthood.

For some teens, this time of life brings something more: mental illness.

According to studies from Columbia University's TeenScreen Program, one in 10 teens suffers from depression and one in five teens -- 20 percent -- have seriously considered suicide. Information from the Tennessee Suicide Prevent Network shows that in Tennessee, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people.

Also from TeenScreen, half of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by age 14, but in any given year, only 20 percent of youth with mental disorders are identified and receive mental health services. For American high school students within a 12-month period, 28 percent feel sad and hopeless enough over a two-week period to halt usual activity; 16 percent think seriously about suicide; and 8 percent attempt suicide.

Jeremy's story

Jeremy (not his real name) is more than one of these statistics. He's 16, a fine young man dressed in fashionably ratty jeans and sneakers, with a compassionate heart, lots of friends, a great sense of humor, a fine intellect and a talent for writing. He also has bloody knuckles from taking out his anger on his bedroom door and headaches from the insomnia that plagues him in the course of changing his medication for the third time.

"I have Tourette Syndrome, depression, anxiety disorder, stress disorder and OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder)," Jeremy said, holding his head in his hands. Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics.

Jeremy entered a special program in the spring through his school that allows adolescents a safe place where staff and students interact as a "family." The kids can do their school work, talk about their lives and also receive coping skills, helping them to deal with their unique situations. They do volunteer work in the community, as well.

Jeremy has done well in the program, said his mother, Elizabeth (also not her real name). She credits the program leader with making a very real difference in her son's life.

Always angry

Jeremy's symptoms are some of the classic symptoms of depression.

"I'm always tired," he said. "Most of the time I feel worthless, down, sad, like nobody cares. I just kind of go and do my own thing by myself."

Although Jeremy has many friends -- "my front door is like a revolving door, kids are in and out all the time," Elizabeth said -- he tends to be introspective. And, like most other teens, he chooses to isolate himself from his parents, preferring to hang out alone in his room.

Jeremy said he feels set apart from other kids his age. Why?

"The fact that I've never been happy," he said. "The fact that I never smile. Everybody has fun and I really don't. The fact that I'm always pissed off, I'm always angry. Always."

He said his life is like a roller coaster, but with more downs than ups. "Even when there's an up, I'm still pissed off," he said. "I bottle my stress and my anxieties up. ... I just wish people would quit running their mouth and leave me alone."

Jeremy's coping mechanisms are like his life: up and down. Sometimes he is doing well, but at other times, he gets a chink in his armor that might be a mere ding for someone else but throws him for a loop. Fortunately, Jeremy said suicide is not an option. Instead, he takes his anger out on his bedroom door. He would never take his own life, and he would never hurt other people.

Jeremy and Elizabeth agreed to share his story to bring awareness to the problem of mental illness in teens. His situation is more extreme than that of his peers, but it highlights just how important mental health screenings are for teens. Columbia University has developed a program called TeenScreen that can be used in schools, providing communities with tools and training necessary to identify youth at risk for suicide and/or suffering from unidentified and untreated mental illness. For information on the program, now offered through Tennessee Voices for Children, visit www.tnvoices.org or TeenScreen.org.

Elizabeth said, "If every parent doesn't accept the fact that her child has some type of mental health problem, we're not doing our jobs as parents."