One in five teens suffer from emotional disorder, researchers say

By Staff Writer

Researchers recently estimated that teenagers in the U.S. suffer more from severe emotional disorders than physical conditions like asthma and diabetes.

Approximately one in five teens have a mental disorder serious enough to impact their daily lives, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and reported by MyHealthNewsDaily.com. Researchers said it was the first study to show such a high rate of mental disorders in a nationally representative sample of teenagers.

Researchers surveyed more than 10,000 adolescents age 13 to 18 and found that panic disorders and social phobias were the most common conditions at 32 percent. Major depressive disorder was detected in 14 percent of those surveyed, while substance abuse disorder affected 11 percent.

The study also found that 40 percent of adolescents with one class of disorder also met criteria for another disorder at some point in their lives.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that mental health problems, including depression and other psychosocial dysfunctions, are frequently linked to substance abuse among teenagers.