Mental health is just as important as physical health, especially during adolescence, a time of rapid growth and change. Teenagers face unique challenges, including hormonal shifts, social pressures, school stress, and identity development. While feeling stressed or anxious occasionally is normal, ongoing mental health struggles can affect daily life, relationships, and school performance. Understanding teenage mental health helps parents, caregivers, and teens themselves identify problems early and access support. This article covers common mental health issues, their causes, signs to watch for, and strategies to help teens maintain emotional well-being. What is Teenage Mental Health? Teenage mental health refers to a teen's emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how they think, feel, and interact with others. During adolescence, the brain undergoes significant development, particularly in areas related to decision-making, impulse control, and emotional regulation. Common mental health issues include: Anxiety Depression Body image concerns Low self-esteem Persistent or severe mental health problems can affect confidence, academic performance, and relationships. Recognizing the signs early is key to practical support and intervention.

When wandering around the pharmacy and faced with a multitude of choices, how do we know what’s going to hit the spot? What's the strongest painkiller? Here at Healthwords, we'd usually say the right painkiller is the lowest strength painkiller that can solve the pain problem, hopefully reducing the risk of side effects from stronger medications. But we've also all been there with a nasty toothache and just wanting to make it go away – just give me the strongest one! Below we'll discuss options in decreasing order of strength, although normally we'd say it is best to start with the mildest pain relief (acetaminophen) and work your way upwards to the strongest. Certain classes of painkiller might be better for particular pains, and within each class there are increasing strengths, from those available from the pharmacy at the mildest end, to those prescribed by your doctor. It’s also good to be aware of side effects, and if these are intolerable, there may be other medications that can be added, such as ones to treat nausea with opioid medications, that help you feel more comfortable. The following relates to tablets or oral medications: we discuss gels, creams, patches and other modes of pain relief in other articles. You may also need other medications to reduce risks if you’re taking pain medications for a long time, such as protecting against excess stomach acid caused by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories. Let’s start with the science behind the main classes of pain relievers, or analgesics, as we call them.

You may have been put at risk of a sexually transmitted infection (STI) if you have had unprotected sex, the condom broke, split, or slipped off during sex, or you have been told a partner has an STI. STIs include gonorrhea, chlamydia, HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. You may have no symptoms from some of these, or symptoms may take weeks or months to show. It's best to get this checked out, and the best place is to attend a sexual health clinic. Look online for services near you and know that it's all confidential. If a partner has said they have an STI, you need to get treated immediately and avoid sex until treated, otherwise you can pass it back and forth between each other. Again, this is best done at a sexual health clinic. Unprotected sex also leaves women at risk of pregnancy. You can buy a pregnancy test, and it can take up to 3 weeks after unprotected sex for any pregnancy test to turn positive.

You may be notified that a current or former sexual partner has tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection (STI), which means you may have been exposed. Depending on the infection, you may need testing or treatment, even if you have no symptoms. Receiving this news can be upsetting, whether you hear it directly from your partner, receive a text from an ex-partner, or are contacted confidentially by a healthcare provider or public health department.

Statins are a type of medication used to lower your cholesterol. They work by converting the bad cholesterol in the blood. To learn more about statins and how they work read our article on Statins. In the US, there are three types of statins available on prescription. These are: First generation - pravastatin, lovastatin, & fluvastatin. These have the greatest risk of side effects. They are not so commonly used. Second generation - simvastatin & atorvastatin. Of these, atorvastatin is newer, more effective and has a lower side effect profile in comparison to simvastatin. Third generation - rosuvastatin & pitavastatin. They are effective and have a low side effect profile. All medicines can cause side effects. Statins are no different, but depending on which one you are on, the risk of a side effect may be more likely. Below we will look at some of the main side effects you may experience. You should speak with your doctor for advice if you develop any bothersome side effects. Your doctor may want to lower your dose. Alternatively, they might switch you to another statin as side effects can vary.

Back pain is a common condition that can affect people of all ages. It can be caused by factors such as poor posture, injury, or worsening conditions like arthritis. However, not many people are aware that spinal problems can also impact digestion. This is because the central nervous system (CNS) plays a significant role in controlling the movement and function of the muscles and organs in the digestive system. When the CNS is disrupted, it can lead to digestive problems, such as bloating, gas, and constipation. Also, spinal misalignments can cause nerve pinches that affect the communication between the CNS and the digestive system. This can lead to further digestive issues, such as acid reflux, diarrhea, and loss of appetite. It is important to note that not all digestive issues are caused by spinal problems. However, if you have back pain and digestive problems, you should talk to your healthcare provider. They can help you determine whether your symptoms are related to spinal issues and suggest appropriate treatment options.

A sore throat is hard to ignore, as it affects us when we speak, eat, and drink – even simply swallowing can bring on pain. Sore throats are common, and most improve with time and without any intervention. It can be hard to know when to sit it out and when there's reason to worry. First, you can assess your own throat, and it's good to get to know it when you're well. If you look in the mirror and open wide, perhaps with the help of a flashlight, you'll see a high double arch at the back with a little boxing bag in the middle – this is the uvula, flanked on either side by the soft immune tissue of the tonsils. The black hole in the middle reaches the pharynx, the back of the nose and throat, and extends down to the larynx (voice box), then onwards to both the airways and lungs, and to the esophagus (food pipe) and stomach. The back of the throat should be a uniform light to medium pink color. If it's red, or with bloody spots, white or yellow spots, this is abnormal. If one or both tonsils look enlarged and red, with the hole in the middle looking squished or smaller, it's likely you're fighting off an infection as part of your immune response. This is called tonsillitis. You can't see further than your tonsils – the pharynx, larynx, and vocal cords are unseen in the very back of the throat, and only visible via a special camera on a wire, called an endoscope.

A sore throat is a pain, scratchiness, or irritation of the throat that often worsens when your child swallows. It may come out of the blue if they’re fighting a viral or bacterial infection, and they may also experience cold symptoms like a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, a fever, coughing, and headache. You might be able to feel that the glands in their neck are enlarged, and they may be quite tender to the touch. If you look in the back of their throat, you might see one or both tonsils are enlarged and red, causing the gap between them to reduce, and you may notice some white spots on the tonsils.

Sinusitis is inflammation of the linings of the sinuses - the air-filled spaces in your skull behind the bones of your face and forehead. The maxillary sinuses in each cheekbone are most commonly affected by sinusitis which can be short or long-term. Sinusitis lasting a few days to a few weeks is called acute sinusitis but if it lasts three months or more it is known as chronic sinusitis and can affect people of any age. Most bouts of acute sinusitis are caused by an infection such as a cold whereas chronic sinus problems are usually linked to something that regularly irritates the lining of the nose such as infection, pollen, overuse of decongestant nose sprays and allergies. What are my sinuses? These are the four pairs of cavities (air-filled spaces) known as paranasal sinuses in the head. These small hollow spaces, which are located within the skull or bones of the head surrounding the nose, are named for the bones that contain them, namely: Frontal sinuses over the eyes in the brow area. Maxillary sinuses inside each cheekbone. Ethmoid sinuses just behind the bridge of the nose, between the eyes. Sphenoid sinuses behind the ethmoids in the upper region of the nose and behind the eyes. The paranasal sinuses open into the nasal cavity and are lined with cells that make mucus to keep the nose from drying out during breathing and to trap unwanted materials so that they do not reach the lungs. What are the symptoms of sinusitis? The main symptom of sinusitis is a throbbing pain and pressure in the face, which is worse bending forwards. There may be pain above the eyebrows, the forehead may be tender to touch, and you may feel as if you have toothache in the upper teeth. Other typical symptoms include a blocked nose, headaches, and reduced sense of smell & taste. Interestingly, dentists say sinusitis is often associated with toothache, but because the nerves are interconnected, people find their teeth may be very sensitive. Because your nose can get stuffy or congested when you have a condition like the common cold, you may confuse simple nasal congestion with sinusitis. A cold usually lasts about 7 to 14 days and goes away without treatment, whereas acute sinusitis often lasts longer and typically causes more symptoms than a cold.

Children get ill from time to time – they pick up diarrhea and vomiting bugs at nursery school, and the coughs, colds, and sore throats roll in at the start of every autumn term. Sharing their germs with each other is essential to strengthening their immune systems, and this doesn’t usually need medication or a doctor’s opinion. Which may leave you wondering, at what point should you worry? You’ve heard that dehydration is to be avoided, but how can you tell if they’re dehydrated? You know fevers are common, but when should this concern you? Doctors here at Healthwords will take you through what they look for in a sick child and when there’s cause for concern.

The shoulder is a complex joint that can move in multiple directions and carry significant loads. But its versatility can put it under stress and make it prone to injury. We need to look after it to prevent any injury, but still enable it to carry out requirements for sports and work. Let’s talk you through the steps you can take to prevent shoulder injury. We’ll also outline any investigations used to assess injury and techniques to aid recovery.

Shooting pains tend to describe nerve-associated pain. One of the common causes of shooting pains down the back of the legs is sciatica. Sciatica is a broad term used to describe symptoms caused by compression or irritation of the sciatic nerve or its contributing nerve branches. The sciatic nerve is the largest nerve present at the back of the leg, passing from the lower back to the foot. It is responsible for controlling the muscles at the back of the thigh, all muscles below the knee, and it provides sensation to the skin of most of the leg. Sciatica is characterized by a sensation of pain, tingling, or burning passing along the course of the nerve, extending from the lower back down into the leg. The specific location of the pain or altered sensation is dependent upon the nerves that are irritated or compressed. Sciatica is often associated with low back pain. The most common cause of sciatica is from a prolapsed intervertebral disk. Here a part of the fluid-filled center of the intervertebral disks (the disks which separate each of the spinal column bones) is allowed to leak out through a tear in the outer disk layer. This prolapse, or disk bulge, causes direct compression or irritation of a nerve which subsequently causes the symptoms of sciatica.