Important Changes that Happen to the Brain During Adolescence
As your teenager grows, they begin to develop into a young adult. Their choices and reactions may cause you to worry, but there are reasons behind their decisions. Below is information from the National Institute of Mental Health about how your teenager’s brain will influence their actions.
- Maturity develops in the mid- to late 20s
While the brain reaches its full size when girls are 11 years old and when boys are 14 years old, it’s still developing. The prefrontal cortex is the front part of the brain that controls responsibility and is the last area of the brain to reach maturity. Because of this, teenagers may make risky decisions and act on them without thinking about the results.
- Activity involvement helps brain maturity
Teenagers’ brains can change, adapt and respond to their environment because their brains have a lot of plasticity. By being involved in extra curricular activities that challenge their mind, body and creative thoughts, their brains learn and mature from the stimulation.
- Mental health problems may begin during adolescence
Because teenagers’ brains are constantly changing and they’re experiencing physical, emotional and social changes, their brains are more susceptible to mental health problems during this stage of their life, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and schizophrenia. But, the brain changes and grows, so it can help teenagers become resilient to help protect them against longer-term mental disorders.
- Teenagers can easily become stressed
As their brains develop, teenagers are still figuring out who they are, how to respond to situations and make sense of their reactions. They can easily become stressed which could lead to stress-related mental disorders like anxiety and depression.
- Sleeping a lot is normal for teenagers
Because melatonin, which is the “sleep hormone,” levels are high in teenagers’ blood at night but drops in the morning makes teenagers sleep longer than most children and adults. During their development, they need nine to 10 hours of sleep each night. They can have more difficulties trying to fall asleep at night and get up in the morning because of their melatonin levels. Without a proper night’s sleep, they may have a short attention span, increase their impulsivity, and be more prone to irritability and depression.
To learn more, visit www.nimh.nih.gov. Or, contact the Mercy EAP at (319) 398-6575 to talk through these changes.
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