Adolescent Depression and the Amygdala Introduction and Method Adolescence is one of the most concerning times when it comes to depression. One study completed by Tony T. Yang and colleagues (2010) wanted to gain more knowledge on this subject. The goal of the Yang et al study was to compare the Amygdala in depressed adolescents to their healthy counterparts in order to grasp a better understanding of adolescent depression. The study focused on observing to see if there was any correlation between neural activity in the bilateral amygdala and adolescent depression. The hypothesis of this study stated that the facial tasks involved would produce activity in the amygdala and that amygdala activation would be greater in those participants with depression. (Yang et al., 2010) The participants of this study consisted of twenty-four adolescents between the ages of roughly fourteen and seventeen years old, twelve of which were classified as depressed and the other twelve participated as the healthy controls. In each of the two groups, five participants were female while seven were male. Let it be noted that of the twelve depressed adolescents, none had either a comorbid disorder nor were any on anti-depressant medication. All of the participants took multiple tests to determine eligibility, as there were many items listed under exclusion criteria. Such items included being left handed, IQ score lower than eighty, history of neurologic disorder and color blindness, amongst a few others. The healthy controls were tested for any presence of an axis one disorders, while the depressed participants were tested against the exclusion criteria. The procedure of this study involved using a functional MRI. While under the fMRI scan, each parti... ... middle of paper ... ...Monk, C. (2011). Lecture 12-Adolescent biological development 2011 student slides [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://ctools.umich.edu/portal/site/cebe77f0-5b4a-4dd6-a759-04bf01bbb166 Monk, C. (2011). Lecture 15-Physical and Cognitive Development in Young Adulthood 2011 student slides [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://ctools.umich.edu/portal/site/cebe77f0-5b4a-4dd6-a759-04bf01bbb166 Yang, T. T., Simmons, A. N., Matthews, S. C., Tapert, S. F., Frank, G., Max, J. E., … Paulus, M. P. (2010). Adolescents with major depression demonstrate increased amygdala activation. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49, 42-51. Yurgelon-Todd, D.A., Killgore, W.D.S.,. (2006). Fear related activity in the prefrontal cortex increases with age during adolescence: A preliminary fMRI study. Science Direct,406,194-199.
Previously, neuro-imaging studies have only observed the amygdala’s response to emotional face stimuli of the same cultural environment. This study went further and tested the amygdala’s response to participants of different cultures. In the study there were 22 adult participants: 12 native Japanese living in Japan (6 men and 6 women) and 10 Caucasians living in the United States (5 men and 5 women). The stimuli used to arouse the amygdala’s reactivity were 80 digitized grayscale pictures of faces that had different expressions. The facial expressions were of the four: neutral, happy, angry, and fearful. The photos were of 20 Japanese and 20 Caucasian men and women taken from the two groups. Participants were tested based on their own self-identified culture. The experimenters who conducted the studies used the participant’s native language. The independent variable in the study was the faces from the different cultures and the dependent variable was the amygdala’...
People constantly overlook the severity of depression, more importantly, major teen depression, which presents a legitimate obstacle in society. The intensity of teen depression results from society’s general lack of acknowledgement of the rising affair. In 2012, “28.5% of teens were depressed” and 15.8% of teens contemplated the option of suicide (Vidourek 1 par. 1), due to their major depression going unnoticed or untreated for. Even teenagers themselves often ignore their depression or remain in denial because neither them nor anyone else recognizes the signs. “A sudden change in behavior is a main sign of someone being depressed, which could lead to having suicidal thoughts,” stated Pam Farkas, a clinical social worker in California (Aguilar 1 par. 8). The warning signs and risk factors of teen depression include behavioral issues, social withdrawal, and inadequate interest in activities (Adolescents and Clinical Depression 2 par. 3), yet the unawareness of these signs does not allow professional medical attention to intercede. Deaths, illnesses, rejection, relationship issues, and disappointment present passages down the negative path of teen depression, but treatments, such as psychotherapy, intervention programs, and antidepressants express ways to subdue this major problem. Knowledge of the increasing dilemma needs to circulate, in order to promote stable teen lives in the present and future world. Understanding major teen depression, the events and incidents that lead to depression, and how to overcome the problem will lead to a decrease in major teen depression and its growing issue in society.
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), depression occurs in over 26% of adolescents and can lead to morbidity, mortality, and social problems that can last into adulthood (SCREENING FOR DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS -- RISKS AND BENEFITS, 2015). Signs of adolescent depression can sometimes be different than adults, and possibly harder to identify. It is most often identified as an increase in negative behaviors or somatic complaints such as an upset stomach (SCREENING FOR DEPRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS -- RISKS AND BENEFITS, 2015). Behavioral changes that are associated with adolescent depression include an increase in irritability, tantrums, anger outbursts, decrease in school performance, and social isolation (SCREENING
Although historically depression has been considered a character condition, evidence has accumulated suggesting the role of a biological substrate, namely serotonin, in subgroups of depressed patients. This accumulated evidence supports the indoleamine hypothesis of depression, which suggests that major depression results from a deficiency of available serotonin or inefficient serotonin. (16). We see that depletions of serotonin from certain regions of the brain such as the hypothalamus, amygdala, and cortical areas involved in cognition and other high processes, can have a great impact in contributing to depression.
The sample consisted of adolescents between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, who met the criteria for DSM-III-R (American Psychiatric Association, 1987), major depression and with the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et. al., 1988) score greater than or equal to 13 (p. 907). All participants were nonpsychotic, non-bipolar, without obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorder, substance abuse, or ongoing physical and/or sexual abuse. There were 122 adolescents who were eligible for the study but only 107 (87.7%) participants agreed to randomization. One third (32.7%) of participants were chosen through
Depression supplies a distinct depiction of the brain equals behavior theory. The physiological characteristics that taint the diseased brain directly impact the thoughts and behaviors of the millions of sufferers. The genesis of this dehabilitating problem is both mysterious and complicated and I am not offering any sort of revelation in stating that it is a multi-factorial manifestation involving both biological and environmental components. The end product of these variable factors do, however, provide some common biochemical alterations in the brain that lend insight into understanding the reality and possible treatment of the disease.
Thapar, A., Collishaw, S., Potter, R., & Thapar, A. K. (2010). Managing and preventing depression in adolescents. BMJ, 340.
Teenage depression is happening constantly and not improving. In fact, from 2005 to 2014 the prevalence of depression, or the chance of experiencing depression within the year increased in ages 12-17. “Any parent of an adolescent,” as Perri Klass points out, “has to wonder, of course, what’s the difference between “regular” adolescent mood swings and teenage behaviors and these warning signs.” Depression has varying symptoms such as mood changes, persistent sadness or irritability, and changes in functionality, such as school failure or a loss of interest in activities. This being said, author Perri
Although teenage depression cannot always be prevented, it is up to the health care providers to take simple steps by making a difference. While it may be difficult to distinguish between clinical depression and normal adolescent development, a notable indicator is whether symptoms are all-encompassing or situational. Is there a change in the patient’s behavior and mannerisms? Is there a history of familial depression? Has the depressed episode lasted for weeks? The questions are endless, as is the important need for clinicians to ask them. Adolescent depression does not have to be a lifelong battle, and it certainly does not have to end in suicide.
Lewinsohn, P.M., Hops, H., Roberts, R.E., Seeley, J.R. & Andrews, J.A. (1993). Adolescent psychopathology: I. Prevalence and incident of depression and other dsm-iii-r disorders in high school students. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 102(1), 133-144.
Thompson, P. M., Vidal, C., Giedd, J. N., Gochman, P., Blumenthal, J., Nicolson, R., Toga, A. W., &
The human brain controls everything that goes on within the body, but there are many functions of the brain that remain mysterious. Depression is one major disease that remained unexplainable for a period of time. Although the mechanism for this disease is basically unknown, technology has increased within the last decade to help better understand this disorder. It is one of the top mental diseases in the United States affecting overall 6.7 percent of adults and 2.7 percent of children ages 8-15. Depression is caused by the lack of emotional stimuli, which are caused by neurotransmitters. The limbic system contains parts of the brain that control the neurons that output emotional response: the hypothalamus, hippocampus, thalamus, and amygdala.
twenty-four, experience a serious level of depression. Women are generally the most commonly affected among young people. A depressed teen is more likely to get into various forms of trouble such as rebellion, truancy...
Teenage depression is a growing problem in today's society and is often a major contributing factor for a multitude of adolescent problems. The statistics about teenage runaways, alcoholism, drug problems, pregnancy, eating disorders, and suicide are alarming. Even more startling are the individual stories behind these statistics because the young people involved come from all communities, all economic levels, and all home situations-anyone's family. The common link is often depression. For the individuals experiencing this crisis, the statistics become relatively meaningless. The difficult passage into adolescence and early adulthood can leave lasting scars on the lives and psyches of an entire generation of young men and women. There is growing realization that teenage depression can be life- changing, even life threatening.
Empfield, M., Bakalar, N. (2001). Understanding Teenage Depression: A Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment and Management, Holt Paperbacks, New York.