The appearance of mental illnesses
The BRAIN magazine
According to a National Comorbidity Survey in the United States, surveying more than 9,000 people, the peak age of onset for having any mental health disorder is 14.
Anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, eating disorders, psychosis (including schizophrenia), and substance abuse disorders begin during adolescence.
Although the exact biological reasons why the teenage brain may be vulnerable are unknown, this period represents a time of substantial changes in:
• hormone production
• synaptic remodelling
• axon myelination (insulating a neuron’s transmission cables)
• changes to grey matter (supporting cells and the branches of neurons).
These changes are usually beneficial and optimise the brain for future challenges, but they may also make it more vulnerable to external stimuli.
Many neurons have receptors for male and female hormones, like testosterone and oestrogen. When these receptors are activated, this can affect neurotransmitter release and the size and shape of neurons.
Moreover, early alterations in the teenager’s brain have been linked with later progression to an adult psychiatric condition. Early intervention to block these changes and slow or stop the onset of psychiatric symptoms is now an active research area.
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