According to research on diagnosing psychological disorders, what percentage of adolescents have a mental illness that persists into adulthood?

• A. $80\%$
• B. $10\%$
• C. $25\%$
• D. $60\%$

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the question: It asks for the percentage of adolescents diagnosed with a mental illness that continues or persists into adulthood.
2. Recall relevant research findings in developmental psychopathology, which studies how mental disorders evolve over time from childhood through adulthood.
3. Identify that persistence means the disorder does not remit or disappear but continues to affect the individual as they grow older.
4. Review empirical studies or meta-analyses that track adolescents with mental illnesses over time to see how many still meet diagnostic criteria in adulthood.
5. Recognize that the correct percentage, based on such longitudinal research, is 60%, indicating a significant portion of adolescent mental illnesses persist into adulthood.