The Turnbridge Adolescent Girl’s Residential Mental Health Treatment Center for Teens treats girls between 14 and 17 years of age.
Mental health disorders are numerous and varied. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) catalogs more than a hundred diagnoses. Because many patients suffer from multiple conditions, other complicating factors, and levels of acuity, thousands of diagnoses are possible. The many permutations of mental illness make accurate diagnosis crucial. The popular widespread use of broad terms, like depression, anxiety, and mood disorders, may create the impression that there are few types of many mental health conditions, or that they are similar. In fact, no two experiences of mental health conditions are the same, and many factors contribute to the development and experience of these disorders. Learning about each client’s medical history, family situation, academic background, and sociocultural influences help clinicians understand the nuances that shape each experience of mental illness and arrive at an accurate diagnosis.
Parents and loved ones seek treatment for the symptoms of mental illness, rather than specific diagnoses. The symptoms that often lead adolescents to treatment include:
- Sudden changes in attitude or behavior including sudden mood swings, and periods of intense sadness or elation
- Extended periods of sadness or lack of interest in activities that used to bring joy
- Repeated unexplained school absences or avoiding sports and other activities
- An unexplained drop in grades or other performance
- Trouble sleeping
- Eating significantly too much food or refusing to eat and sudden changes in weight
- Excessive time spent on devices or video games and an inability to stop
- Discovering that they are being bullied or have been exposed to negative online experiences
- Intense anger or being angry without apparent cause
- Discovering illicit use of medications, alcohol, or other drugs
- Stealing money or engaging in other illegal activities
- Getting into verbal or physical confrontations
- Heavy marijuana use
- An inability to pay attention or being readily distracted, even from activities they enjoy
- Incoherence or confusion
- Negative interactions or lacking interaction with family members and friends
- Cutting or other forms of self-harm behavior
- A history of suicidal thoughts
Most mental health disorders are progressive illnesses that will not get better without treatment. Seeking treatment as soon as symptoms appear is important to health and safety. Turnbridge clinicians and medical staff are able to diagnose and treat a wide range of disorders. Certain conditions and high levels of acuity may require specialized treatment in a psychiatric hospital or other settings.
Mental health disorders and substance use disorders are almost always interconnected — especially among adolescents. Misuse of prescription and illicit drugs and alcohol almost always results from young people self-medicating for unaddressed dysphoria and mental illness. Successfully treating underlying mental health conditions is often necessary to eliminate reasons to misuse substances. Turnbridge approaches mental health and substance use disorders as interconnected issues that require holistic approaches.