The transition period between childhood and adulthood is adolescence. At this stage, critical changes occur in the brains, affecting some key human behaviors. Crucial neurodevelopmental changes take place and it is of importance for a mental health therapist to understand these changes well to be able to address risks like mental illness.
Brain connectivity reduces during puberty and adolescence. An increase in myelin increases the amount of grey and white matter throughout childhood to youth. Primary sensory areas of the brain mature early compared to advanced mental abilities like social understanding, language and decision making that take place during adolescence (Dumontheil, 2016). Subcortical regions relating to rewards develop early compared to areas relating to behavior control and thoughts. During this stage neglect and abuse alters the structure of the brain and the intensity of the alteration varies based on age. During adolescences, abuse resulted in development of abnormalities of the prefrontal cortex. Recent studies have indicated a difference in terms of gender regarding the brain of adolescents (Foulkes & Blakemore, 2018). By keenly looking into these differences, one will understand the varying rate of anxiety and depression the first display at this stage. Creating a loving and safe environment in an adolescent life profoundly affects the healthy development of their brain at his stage which creates cognitive stamina in the reduction of anxiety and depression levels.
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An adolescent mental therapist needs to understand that the brains of teenagers are work in progress and it is part of the profession to help in molding such a mind. Changes at this stage relate closely to mental illness; therefore it is important for the therapist to engage in research and literature relating to this matter continually.
References
Dumontheil, I. (2016). Adolescent brain development. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 10, 39-44. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352154616300894
Foulkes, L., & Blakemore, S. J. (2018). Studying individual differences in human adolescent brain development. Nature Neuroscience, 21 (3), 315-323. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-018-0078-4
