Mental Disorders Tied to Teen Parenthood

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Teenagers who suffer from any of a variety of mental disorders tend to experience difficulties at home, at school, and with peers. A new study identifies another worrisome area for adolescents who endure depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or other psychiatric conditions--parenthood.

"Mental health professionals treating adolescents need to be sensitized to their higher risk of pregnancy [and parenthood], while family doctors and specialists treating teenage mothers or their children need to be sensitized to the mothers' higher risk of [having a] psychiatric disorder," concludes a research team headed by psychologist Ronald C. Kessler of Harvard Medical School in Boston. …