Behavioral Healthcare Treatment for Adolescents & Teens
Mental Health Treatment
- Written By: Marta Dias e Seixas
- Reviewed By: David Errickson, LCWS, LCDC, CCS
- Last Updated: September 29, 2023
Mental Health Treatment for Teens in NJ
According to many researchers and healthcare providers, mental health among teens is reaching a crisis point. The pandemic worsened what was already a growing issue. In the fall of 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry declared a national emergency regarding child and adolescent mental health. They were calling for increased funding and resources and the availability of increased mental health services for young people.
Portum Behavioral Health provides evidence-based mental health treatment for teens in NJ. We work to deliver leading-edge mental health services and addiction treatment in our teen behavioral health treatment programs in New Jersey.
Mental Health in Teens
The teen years are a time of physical, emotional, and social change. Teens’ bodies start to change, they’re dealing with hormone fluctuations, and they can feel caught somewhere between childhood and adulthood.
Today’s teens also have to contend with a growing set of issues that weren’t present in the past. For example, social media can affect a teen’s mental health in many ways, from reducing their self-esteem to leading to bullying even outside of school or other in-person settings.
Around half of all the people who will experience a mental issue during their life start experiencing symptoms before they’re 14, but these may go unnoticed for years.
Some of the many pressures teens are facing in today’s world include:
- The pressure to perform academically, athletically, or in other activities.
- Schedules that provide limited availability for relaxation.
- Bullying both in-person and online.
- Problems at home, such as a lack of safety or stable housing.
Signs of mental health issues in teens can include:
- Low energy.
- Loss of interest in things they once enjoyed.
- Problems eating or sleeping.
- Spending a lot of time alone and withdrawing socially.
- Excessively dieting, exercising, or binge eating.
- Engaging in destructive or risky behaviors.
- Suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
- Self-harm
The use of drugs and alcohol can also be a red flag of a mental disorder.
Portum Behavioral Health is a New Jersey teen mental health treatment center. We offer in-depth programs in various settings to help young people have healthy, meaningful lives.
Common Mental Health
Disorders In Teens
Some of the more common disorders seen in teens include:
- Feelings of excessive fear and worry characterize anxiety disorders. It’s estimated that around 32% of teens between 13 and 18 experience an anxiety disorder.
- Depression includes symptoms like low mood impacting daily activities, thoughts, and feelings. It’s thought that around 13% of teens and adolescents may have depression.
- Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, interferes with functioning at school and other areas of life and may affect around 9% of young people aged 13 to 18.
- Eating disorders can include either excessive or restricted eating patterns. Specifically, eating disorders most often affecting teens are binge eating disorder, bulimia, and anorexia nervosa.
At Portum Behavioral Health, we deliver mental health treatment for teens in NJ in a safe, supportive environment so that they can thrive.
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Teen Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment
There is often a relationship between mental health and substance use. This is true in teens and adults.
Teenagers struggling with an emotional problem or an untreated mental health condition might use drugs or alcohol to self-medicate and feel better. Their brains are still developing in teens, which can be even more problematic than in adults.
Over the short term, if a teen is struggling, the use of substances might help them feel better and reduce things like negative thoughts, anxiety, or struggles with self-esteem. Over the long term, however, it’s a different story.
Ongoing substance use in teens with co-occurring mental health disorders can worsen the issues, leading to abuse and addiction. Substance experimentation escalates to addiction and physical dependence in adolescents much faster than it does in adults. The progression to addiction is also more likely in kids with a mental health disorder than those without.
Around half of kids with mental health disorders that aren’t treated are likely to end up with a substance use disorder.
Drugs and alcohol affect teens more quickly and significantly because the pathways in their brains are still developing. There’s a term called plasticity, which refers to the ease at which the brain can learn new things. When it comes to substance use, that means the brain can more quickly get used to drugs and alcohol.
Using drugs or alcohol when having a co-occurring psychiatric disorder will likely worsen that disorder. They affect the same brain regions, and even if a teen receives mental health treatment, it will reduce the effectiveness if they’re still using substances.
At Portum Behavioral Health, we provide mental health treatment for teens in NJ and addiction treatment. By treating both disorders at the same time, it greatly improves recovery outcomes.
We’re on a mission to end the youth mental health crisis through science-backed, human-first, data-driven treatment designed for teens.
Portum Behavioral Health is on a mission to help teens and young adults in adapting to the world around them, fostering a positive attitude for a better tomorrow. We offer unparalleled treatment for adolescents, teens and young adults at our New Jersey inpatient rehab located in a farm home that allows your family a path to healing.
Approaching Treatment For Teens
There are overlapping risk factors, symptoms, and treatment approaches for mental health and addiction.
For example, both can be treated with behavioral therapies. Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one frequently used option where teens explore their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and find ways to change them. This is just one form of talk therapy, and many others can be geared toward the individual needs of teens.
Along with therapy, medication may be useful, especially for managing mental health disorders.
Holistic therapies are a way for teens to rebuild their self-esteem and develop healthy coping strategies and hobbies that become an ingrained part of their daily lives in recovery.
Our New Jersey teen mental health treatment programs are specifically designed for each client on an individual level, integrating a combination of approaches best suited to their needs.
Getting Help at Portum Behavioral Health
At Portum Behavioral Health, we are a leading mental health treatment provider for teens in NJ. Our levels of care include:
- Partial hospitalization programs: A PHP shares many things in common with residential inpatient rehab, but it’s a day program. Teens can return home in the evenings when they aren’t receiving treatment.
- Intensive outpatient programs: Whether a starting point or a step-down, an intensive outpatient program at our New Jersey center offers the opportunity to spend several hours a week in treatment. However, there’s still the flexibility to continue with other activities and responsibilities.
- Outpatient programs: Our least intensive and most flexible programs are an excellent option for teens who have received a higher level of care and are ready to take on daily life equipped with their newfound coping mechanisms but still need support.
If you’d like to learn more about mental health treatment for teens in NJ, please contact our compassionate, expert team at Portum Behavioral Health.