The years between 18 and 29 have become an extended period of development between adolescence and middle adulthood; young adulthood is a time of many new personal, social, and cultural pressures. Risk-taking behaviors, including substance use, typically peak during this time period in part due to neurbiological development, identity exploration, and social interactions, and most major psychiatric disorders develop during young adulthood. Young Adult Mental Health will provide researchers and clinicians in the United States and elsewhere with a clear understanding of the developmental, clinical, and socio-cultural features of mental health unique to young adults, and how this developmental period influences critical assessment and treatment. Bringing together leading experts from psychology and psychiatry, the book surveys how major developmental milestones such as marriage and childrearing influence mental health and well-being among young adults, and the ways in which psychiatric disorders may present differently in this age group. It also reviews the conceptual and assessment challenges, phenomenology, and appropriate pharmacological and behavioral treatments of the many psychiatric difficulties faced by young adults. Finally, the book examines current research on mental health issues in young adults and reviews the strengths of the evidence, providing mental health professionals with a thorough grasp of mental health issues that will allow them to talk intelligently and informatively with young adults and to make well-informed assessment and treatment decisions based on the unique needs of this age group. Young Adult Mental Health is an essential resource for psychiatrists and psychologists who treat young adults. It will also be useful to researchers in various areas of mental health, and to scientists who are interested in issues of age and development.
