Psychopathology in Adolescents Many factors play a role into being diagnosed with a mental disorder. Environment, surroundings, social group, background, too much of a certain neuro-transmitter can all effect your emotional and behavioral decisions. Adolescence is a prime time for brain development/growth and based on what someone has been through that development can be stunted. Santrock (2016) expresses how adolescence quality of life decreases because there is such a dramatic change going on with their bodies and mind including: puberty, body image, increased responsibility, hormone fluctuations, and many other factors. Psychopathology is the scientific study of mental disorders. There are many studies out there about all the different …show more content…
In the article Pscyhopathology in Children and Adolescents with ASD Without Mental Retardation, Caamaño and Boada (2013) hypothesized that adolescents who had Autism and no mental retardation or comorbid disorder were more likely to have additional subsyndromal psychopathology. Subsyndromal means possessing symptoms that are not distinct enough for a diagnosis. What they did was take 25 patients who had ASD but no mental retardation and 25 controls who were healthy and interviewed them. There was extensive criteria the participants had to go through to be selected for the study, as well as taking an IQ test. They used the semi-structured clinical interview called the K-SAD-PL to consult the patients and parents to access if they had any current or past mental disorders. The person who conducted the interview was the one who accumulated the final score between both the patients and the parents. The scores ranged from 0-3, with 3 meaning there was psychopathology present. There were five different groups of …show more content…
In the article, Coping with Anxiety, Depression, Anger, and Aggression: The Mediational Role of Resilience in Adolescents, focuses on how to be more proactive when it comes to treatment for psychological disorders and trying to find the relationship on resilience between coping vs psychopathology. Ng and Ang (2012) studied how positive thinking, persistence, and help-seeking influences approach/avoidance techniques and mental disorders. Seven-hundred-and-nineteen, 14-15 year old adolescents answered a series of questionnaires about avoidance/approach coping, tenacity, depression, anxiety, and aggression. Their results determined resilience characteristics did have a relationship between approach coping and mental disorders but not with avoidance. “Approach coping works via resilience processes to bring about a decrease in internalizing (anxiety and depression) and externalizing (anger and aggression) conditions” (Ng & Ang, 2012, p. 16). They found positive-thinking benefits anxiety and depression, and also that persistence/tenacity and seeking help can lower anxiety, depression, and anger. Keeping a focused and optimistic attitude throughout all of life’s struggles will keep you happier and
Patel, V., Flisher, A. J., Hetrick, S., & McGorry, P. (2007). Mental health of young people: a
Recently, controversial changes to the Diagnostics and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM V) have been the topics of heated discussions in the psychiatric world. The more recent Fifth Edition (DSM V) has been released with changes that now group all of the sub- categories of Autism in to one. Some of the community views this change as a personal attack on their identity while others are welcoming the change.
Co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders are quite prevalent in today’s society. Treatment and prevention of co-occurring disorders are both critical topics. However, professionals across the board cannot seem to agree on what is the best way to approach these topics. Perhaps the most ‘at-risk’ demographic for substance use are adolescents, ages 12 – 17. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2011) Thankfully, more and more research has been conducted in the areas of adolescents and co-occurring disorders over the past few decades. However, since treating and preventing co-occurring disorders in adolescents is so monumental for their proper development and for their future as adults, the research must continue.
The psychoanalytic perspective (Erikson’s psychosocial stages), Sigmund Freud Ego or psychological defense mechanism, and behaviorism and social learning theory, are important to understanding adolescent bullying. In the psychoanalytic approach, development is discontinuous and as such occurs in stages where “people move through a series of stages in which they confront conflicts between biological drives and social expectations, and how these conflicts are resolved depends on the person’s ability to learn, to cope with others and cope with stress” (Berk 2010, p.15). According to Sigmund Freud from this theory, individuals use a mechanism called psychological defense mechanisms which when they feel an overpowering anxiety, the ego employs to protect themselves against unwanted, scary feelings or weaknesses within their psyche or consciousness. The use of these defense mechanisms can be useful sometimes and also hurtful at other times to us and others, which emanates as aggressive behavior e.g. bullying [2]. Erikson’s psychosocial stages of development are important for understanding bully behavior. According to Erikson, a “basic psychological conflict which is resolved along a scale from positive to negative determines a healthy or maladaptive outcomes of each stage” [Berk 2010, p.16], in other words as the child grows and goes through each of the psychosocial stages, he or she negotiates new cognitive and emotional experiences which enables him or her to pass through the stage with either a positive or negative outcome. The effects and results of a negative outcome from the stages can be used to describe aggressive behavior such as bullying [Berk 2010, p.16]. According to the behaviorism and learning theory, they believed that b...
..., Tager- Flusberg, H.,& Lainhart, J. E. (2006). Comorbid psychiatric disorders in children with autism: Interview development and rates of disorders. Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 36(7), 849-861.
Resilience and hardiness has long been a topic of research and discussion within different paradigms and fields of study, for example, in military psychology, psychiatry, health statistics and measurement, medical anthropology, education, medicine and organizational settings. Resilience means the skills, abilities, acquaintance, and insight that accumulate over time as people struggle to conquer adversity and meet challenges. It is an ongoing and developing fund of energy and skill that can be used in current struggles (Saleebey, 1996; Liebenberg, 2005).Most commonly, the term resilience has come to mean an individual's ability to overcome adversity and continue his or her normal development.
Aldwin, C. M. (1994). Why is Coping Important? . Stress, coping, and development: an integrative perspective (p. 86). New York: Guilford Press.
Within psychology adolescence is described as a period of transition from childhood to adulthood. It is a period between year twelve and late teens, when the physical growth is complete, the person becomes sexually mature and establishes identity (Nolen-Hoeksema, Friedricson, Loftus & Wagenaar, 2009). During this period of development, the individual has to face several risk factors, which are considered as a hazard on normal psychological development of an individual (Colman, 2009). This means, that experiencing them is associated with vulnerability, developing mental health problems and problematic behaviors such as for instance greater risk taking, school related deviance and school failure, teen pregnancy, substance misuse, aggression, violence or vandalism or in other words delinquency and antisocial behavior (Perkins & Borden, 2003). Therefore risk factors have a potential not just endanger the present developmental period, but also jeopardize the future biological and psychological development (Beam, Gill-Rivas, Greenberger & Chen, 2002; Perkins & Borden, 2003). However, not all young individual will respond to risk factors by developing negative outcomes. Some develop resilience and adapt to changes and stressors (Crawford, 2006; Perkins & Borden, 2003). Furthermore it has been suggested, that risk factors are desirable for developing this kind of positive outcome (Fergus & Zimmerman, 2005). According to Fonagy et. al. (1994) (cited in Crawford, 2006) resilience can be defined as normal development under difficult conditions. It leads to overcoming and coping with the negative effects of exposure to risk factors (Fergus & Zimmerman, 2005). To maintain this, protective factors need to be put in place (Fergus & Zimmerman, 2...
Major depression in teenagers can be caused by biological issues, traumatic events or learned patterns (Bhatia & Bhatia, 2007). Biological issues that may cause depression in a teenager are caused by differences in the brain where neurotransmitters affect the ability of brain cell communication, therefore, affecting their mood and their behavior. Hormones also play an important role in mood disorders that may lead to depression as well as inherited traits of depression from blood relatives. Traumatic events in early childhood is also a known cause for depression in teenagers due to the fact that children have poor ability to cope with stressful situations such as physical, sexual or emotional abuse which may contribute to depression later on in life. Teenagers can also have episodes of depression by learning patterns of negative thinking from those closest to them instead of learning to find solutions to the challenges they encounter in
Parents who adopted positive and problem-focused coping experienced lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression; while parents who adopted active avoidance and religious/denial coping strategies experienced higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression (Hastings et al., 2005, p. 386). Benson (2010) drew similar conclusions that employing positive coping strategies is likely to have the greatest influence on parents’ well-being and outlook on life.
Adolescence is the time-frame when children transition into adulthood, usually beginning between age 11 or 12 concluding in the late teens or early twenties. Adolescence offers the fortuity for psycho-social, physical, cognitive and physical growth, with a stipulation of risk to healthy development by making poor choices and risky behavior such as unsafe sexual activity, substance abuse and inferior peer relationships. The impact of adolescence physically; puberty marks the termination of childhood as we know it, these changes can have a profound affect psychologically. Hormonal changes present during puberty can trigger mood swings, erratic and fluctuating behaviors. Generally, puberty takes four years to complete,
Mental illnesses impact moods, feelings, behaviors, and the capability to sympathize with others (“Mental Health Conditions”). The most commonly known mental disorders among children are ADHD, depression, and mood, panic,
Ong, A. D., Bergeman, C. S., Bisconti, T. L., & Wallace, K. A. (2006). Psychological resilience, positive emotions, and successful adaptation to stress in later life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(4), 730.
There is not doubt that the mind is a complex thing. But just how complex it is and how does our mind evolve throughout the years? Adolescence is an important part of development. Not only is it physical development but it is also cognitive. The brain starts to understand more and starts growing and expanding its ideas and ways of thinking. Through puberty the adolescence is at risk for many problems. Whether it be delinquency, drugs, or anorexia.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression can be defined as a state of mental instability which affects the human body, mood, thought pattern, and relationship with others. Statistics from the National Institute of Mental Health shows that about eleven percent of teenagers have depressive disorder by age eighteen. (National Institute of Mental Health). Teenage depression is one of the issues confronting teenagers in today’s society. Depression can occur at every age in the human life, but it is more common in teenagers.