Recognising Common Mental Health Problems for Nurses

This session describes the features of some of the most common, and some of the most serious of mental health disorders in adolescence and the characteristics that may help distinguish them from each other. It also describes some of the important stages of assessing a young person presenting with mental health problems, particularly when these seem more complex.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Distinguish the main clinical features of some common and serious mental health problems in young people
• Use the ten key questions introduced previously to evaluate young people presenting with mental health difficulties and suggest possible diagnoses

In this session we will explore the presenting features, clinical signs and symptoms of common mental health disorders in young people, and also those of some less common, but potentially serious, conditions.

We will discuss approaches to the assessment of ‘troubled teenagers’ including those with apparently complex problems. Eating disorders, substance misuse and self-harm are dealt with in detail in other modules and sessions.