Why do teens stink at reading people?

     I can definitely believe the results of the study conducted that teens have difficulties reading people. In my personal experience in high school, I can remember a dozen memories that still sting from when I misread a situation. Insecurity is rampant in high school, it really is a bit of a twisted social experiment. Thinking about who are my friends right now, there are a few that I can say are for sure my friends but many more people I converse with fall into an unknown category. On a daily basis my peers and I misinterpret each other.  Perhaps we misunderstand each other due to the intensity of our experiences in our adolescent years. As we struggle with our own identities, the events around us are magnified. In this myriad of emotions it is easy to see how we could get confused.  Perhaps a reason high school occupies such a large place in our heart is because the rejections we feel have been magnified. At the root of those rejections, however is failure to read one another.

Mental Illness

     The other day I stumbled across an article written by a functioning schizophrenic. My first reaction was amazement. How could someone with a life-altering mental illness function so well? Then as I read the article I realized I was making a very basic common mistake in psychology. Not treating the individuals like individuals. The basic premise behind psychology is that every individual has different needs. And furthermore there is no such thing as a general treatment that can applied to every individual. It is a case by case science that has trends. I assumed that the best treatment for someone hearing voices inside their head was institutionalization but his story is a case example of why individuals with mental illnesses need to be evaluated individually. Mental illnesses and how we treat them are a key topic in psychology as psychologists strive to better mental health for all.

A quick definition of a mental illness:  A condition that disrupts the happy state of the mind and makes functioning daily more difficult.
   
The following graph with statistics provided by the National Institute of Mental Health shows how common mental illness is among adults.

The numbers are a little surprising. millions with schizophrenia, millions with phobias and millions who are bipolar. It's stunning that there is a large chunk of the American populace that struggles with severe mental illness

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 1 in 4 americans of age 18 or older in a given year struggles with a mental disorder and 1 in 17 have to daily live with an illness of the mind such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or severe depression. These numbers clearly illustrate that mental illness is a massive problem. 

Recent mass shootings such as the one in Newtown, CN have brought mental illness to the forefront of the political discussion. There is no question that we could be doing more to help the psyche of America. The NAMI posted a telling stat: less than a third of adults with treatable mental health disorders receive treatment. Perhaps the road to a mentally healthy America starts with a culture change. Many of us individually frown upon seeking mental health treatment as a weakness. If this attitude changed, we would definitely see a positive change in American mental health. Sometimes, it's not entirely up to the individual to seek treatment. As citizens, we should watch our loved ones for signs of illness and be supportive in helping others to get treatment.

Treatment for mental illnesses can take many forms. There is psychoanalysis or talking through problems which is an effective way to combat most illnesses. Another option is medication. Some illnesses can be lessened by the use of drugs to stabilize chemicals and in turn moods. Institutionalization, while it gets a bad rap, is probably the most time effective way of mentally healing, or stabilizing an illness whether temporary or permanent.

The most important thing with all treatments of mental Illness however is personalizing the treatment. Some people need to talk, others need to feel loved, some need to feel a part of something by working. The important thing with mental health is that we don't give someone the wrong treatment because we lumped them into a category. Diseases of the mind are far more complicated than a broken bone or a deep laceration. The healing has no predictable time range and there is no such thing as standard treatment.

Thoughts on a pre-9/11 world by a post 9/11 child.

     Personally, I am a law-abiding citizen and I have no problem with my actions being monitored, I'm just going to keep living my life the way I was before. Movie stars always talk about not letting the fame get to them, and I think it is similar with security. When you're life is scrutinized you can't let it get to you.
     As a child too young to remember the pre-9/11 world with any depth, invasion of privacy is normal for me as is bringing your ID everywhere with you. When reading essays about the USA PATRIOT Act, it illuminates to me that there was a time before censorship, before massive airport security, before "live" television was put on a 9 second delay.
     One of the pieces we read references being uncomfortable writing while someone is watching. To that, my natural reaction is that a person should be more assertive, be confident that one is in the right, and practice civil disobedience when you disagree with society. If you cannot do something when everyone is watching, then you cannot do it at all in this increasingly public and clashing society. Today's liberty is a public one. Thoughts, without action and debate, thoughts that stay chained in the mind are worthless.
     These essays put into perspective the fact that some people have privacy, and it being written into the constitution makes it a sore subject.