More than 15,000 people are mentally ill in Kern County and one-third of them are minors, according to Bill Walker, crisis services administrator for the Mary K. Shell Mental Health Center.
“Teen illnesses are different from adults,” he said. “Their hormones are developing, not like adults. So you would feel even more depressed.”
Mental illness is defined by how a person is able to function in personal relationships, according to Edward M. Meshberg, director of psychiatric programs at Memorial Center. It’s in the way people behave, the way they think, and the way they interact with others.
“They think, what they feel now is what they will feel for the rest of their lives,” said Meshberg. “Teens aren’t like adults. They tend to be more agitated and confused.”
Because teens have less life experience than adults, they are inclined to become overwhelmed, according to Walker. In most cases, the teen needs anger management, self-esteem, self-acceptance and an educational opportunity.
Illnesses can be caused by stress, chemical and physical imbalance, genetics and environment, but one’s culture also plays a role, said Meshberg. For example, in one culture, someone could be considered mentally ill, but in another, he or she would not.
Some emotional illnesses can occur after stressful incidents.
For example, after Sept. 11, people were exposed to graphic photos everyday. After a while, they could start developing post traumatic stress disorder, according to Meshberg.
Teens can be diagnosed for an illness if they have three to five symptoms of the illness.
Young people with emotional problems frequently develop bipolar disorder or extreme depression or schizophrenia when they hit puberty, Walker said.
After two years of symptoms, they could become chronically ill.
Until they are 18, the illness could develop into a personality disorder.
Memorial Center and Kern Mental Health Center are just two of the clinics that hold mentally ill patients until they are stabilized.
Patients are admitted only if they meet the criteria that they are a danger to themselves and to others.
Most of the teens are admitted voluntarily, but some teen-agers are afraid.
“Some people look at problems as an opportunity, while other people look at problems as embarrassing,” Meshberg said.
For example, one patient set a trash can on fire because he knew it would result in immediate expulsion from treatment.
But instead of expelling the teen, Walker talked to him to find the root of his problems.
Those needing more information about treatment can contact the Memorial Center at 398-1800 or the Kern Mental Health Center at 868-8111.
For more information about about mental illness, contact The National Alliance of the Mentally Ill at (800) 950-6264.