Teenage Brains: root to depression, bipolar, etc. ?

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  • KiwiTollway
    Platinum Poster
    • Jan 2014
    • 1474

    Teenage Brains: root to depression, bipolar, etc. ?

    If you don't have a teenager yet, chances are you will one day. I was reading an article yesterday that I found really interesting about current brain research findings. Through MRIs, they are learning more how teenage brains function, develop, etc. and it had some good links in it for anyone interested in how their own brains developed or that of their friends or loved ones coping with mental illness.

    Could it be that many of the problems & the violence in the world is committed by adults who had faulty synapses in brain development as teenagers? (not joking) All experiences & exposures matter and affect how brains develop -- that's what I've concluded thus far.

    Our brains aren't fully developed until age 25. By that time, much has occurred that can alter brain development (drugs, alcohol, injuries from sports, emotional struggles, etc.). Anyway, here's an excerpt & the article that contains the links:

    "As the idea of a teenage immature brain becomes more widely accepted, it’s natural to wonder whether or not the fact that the brain is still immature during the teenage years contributes to the development of childhood brain disorders. Evidence supporting this idea certainly exists, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

    The NIMH states that studies continue to show that developmental disorders seem to have a root cause in the time when the brain is still developing. Studies are continuing and scientists are paying particular attention to the brains of teenagers when trying to find the reason why mental illnesses and developmental disorders occur."

    A teenager’s brain may be
    only 80% developed, as extra, unconnected synapses in the teen’s brain seem to block the ability of the youngster to sometimes make judgments and to think rationally. As the brain continues to develop while the teenager moves into young adulthood, these synapses disappear in most teenagers.


    Because some psychological disorders begin to develop during the teenage years, it’s possible that disorders like bipolar affective disorder are related to the immature brain and the extra synapses. Perhaps the brain removes these synapses too fast, leading to the development of the disorder."


    Source:
    http://parentingspecialneeds.org/article/3749

    It goes on to discuss depression.


    This is why it's so unfair to speak derogatorily about teenagers, they cannot help that their brains are not fully developed, especially their frontal lobe. Parents tend to think once a child appears grown, they are also fully developed, but they are not, and cannot be expected to act like adults. Studies have shown they cannot rationalize or modulate emotions or understand risks and consequences like an adult.

    Any thoughts?

  • Jenks
    I'm kind of a big deal.
    • Jun 2004
    • 10250

    #2
    Re: Teenage Brains: root to depression, bipolar, etc. ?

    Originally posted by KiwiTollway
    If you don't have a teenager yet, chances are you will one day.
    Chances are....

    You say it like I have the same chances of catching the flu as having a teenager.

    Comment

    • KiwiTollway
      Platinum Poster
      • Jan 2014
      • 1474

      #3
      Re: Teenage Brains: root to depression, bipolar, etc. ?

      ^^ you're right! haha... don't know why

      Comment

      • nick007
        DUDERZ get a life!!!
        • Oct 2007
        • 6095

        #4
        Re: Teenage Brains: root to depression, bipolar, etc. ?

        My brother is a headmaster and been in it for years and he told me recently that new studies show that children between the ages of 13-18 have serious psychopathic tendencies (sex, drug, alcohol, cigarettes experimentation without conscience). Good kids = good parents.

        My daughter has a mom who is bipolar 2 so the tendency for her to become depressed is big and she did over our divorce period at the age of 9 and for a few years it was hard for her to grasp reality and the separation from her mom when she was with me and vice versa. When she turned 12 she refused to see her mom and came to live with me permanently as I was getting into a relationship with my present wife who nurtured my daughter and really cared and loved her.

        Today they are best friends and my daughter is a confident happy 15 year old who sees her mom again on her terms, sings in a band and loves life. Every now and then she gets a wobble but that's just her moving through into the next phase of her life and she is mature enough to see it for what it is. And if she can't she has Lena and I who love her and care for her and walk her through that stage. Kids are the product of their parents.

        The largest room in the world, is the room for improvement!

        Comment

        • nelinho
          Are you Kidding me??
          • Sep 2011
          • 4530

          #5
          Re: Teenage Brains: root to depression, bipolar, etc. ?

          ^ good parent.

          Comment

          • KiwiTollway
            Platinum Poster
            • Jan 2014
            • 1474

            #6
            Re: Teenage Brains: root to depression, bipolar, etc. ?

            ^^ so glad your teen is thriving!

            Important, maybe, to try not to define anyone (or parent) as good/bad; maybe there is too much categorizing, labeling, defining, etc. everywhere. Every parent has embedded faults/challenges just like every child/person and there is a good purpose for all of it. (imo)

            I didn't mean this as a discussion into parenting, but..............
            Some parenting enables a person to make clear what works for them and what doesn't (e,g., "I hate the way my parent acts while drinking, thus, I will not drink when I'm a parent"), and without that parent's unique challenges, those & other great realizations can't actualize for the child's benefit. Learning/expansion takes place within the child, but also important is the expansion the child produces in the parent. There's intrinsic meaning built in. I heard someone say recently "There is no greater benefit to a controlling parent than to have an uncooperative child."

            One of our teens has learning differences/disabilities that testing (unimportant) shows is significant and seems to be growing in significance as she matures.... have learned so much from parenting her. She thrives on love, understanding, acceptance, patience; and discipline creates "shutting down" from within that is quite visibly displayed as a giving up on life all together, which is scary. Still she is disciplined, but only in specific ways that doesn't create a disconnect/discord from inner self worth. (We learned what works for her by the time she was 12, thank God.)

            Because of the way her brain works and our society's standards/expectations, she's exhausted in compensating to meet those standards. (Though you'd never know it to meet her.) What she lacks in academic ability, she makes up 100-fold in compassion, caring, and courage (emotional intelligence). She also requires much protection, as most young girls do, but more because of the cognitive differences to her peers. Our daughter is doing quite well and thriving, granted she hasn't had divorce to work through, she has other issues and we're as distracted as any parent by our own junk.

            Teen boys require protection also at these tender ages 13-20, but especially if they're parent has only modeled macho/ego manhood, and/or provided a violent form of discipline, and all the while society is modeling objectification of women & unemotional, strong-arm tactics. As their brains develop, the sensitivity they came into the world naturally having gets pounded down deep with all the "realities" of manhood (war, fight, struggles, perception of power & powerlessness) all provided so they'll "fit in" while not really fitting in at all, or not fitting a society we'd all like to have be reality.

            In these ways, collectively, aren't we creating the world we currently live in where we're all scratching our heads at the violence, suicide, and mental illness? There are no perfect parents, but surely collectively we can do better. Having anything only "on your own terms" leaves little room for compassion development in a teen brain that is already wired with an underdeveloped frontal lobe (not necessarily "psychopathic tendencies") because the world will not always meet you according to your terms, then you're lost for awhile.

            Just as people learn how to love by being shown love, not just when they're cute and little but also when they're the size of adults and not fully developed, are difficult/challenging, unique, questioning, and coping with life circumstances. A parent who is dealing with specific issues of their own really can't be fully in the moment with an uncooperative/underdeveloped teenager teaching anything of value to their child other than "don't do as I do, do as I say.... no matter how wrong it sounds to you" which doesn't work and creates a disconnect within the child from their inner selves, in which it's that disconnect from within that might also lead to depression? (Though I believe most depression is chemically based.)

            I wouldn't say good kids = good parents as I would say "fully-present flawed parents = emotionally healthy kids" ....drugging kids to make them behave accordingly is so damaging.....I mean be as fully present about what's valuable to the growth of your child. "What's best" is too subjective. Good can come out of the contrast of having a "less than ideal" parent. We often don't know the goings on of a child's inner world (within their own mind).

            When parents simply can't be there in that way, other fully-present people from within their world (teachers, coaches, etc.) can make a huge difference. By fully present, I mean as in "I see you in there, hidden, acting out, but I know you're in there and YOU are good, valuable, precious, regardless of your behavior. Let's discover how you can contribute & function best for you." In that kind of connected presence, depression and maybe even the perceived need for drugs or alcohol, can be warded off?

            There are parents who parent within the confined beliefs of "you're broken, you came here to struggle so get on with struggling, we will break your will, not everything is about you, etc." like "I'll give you something to cry about" sending the message "your emotions don't matter" and create a disconnect from within their child to their own inner wisdom and goodness, AND the goodness of life and their inherent abilities to create.

            In my experience, the only need I've ever had for a drug to fade my mind is due to the intense pain of feeling no sense of worth/use within my world. Even as people are valuing me, if one significant to me withholds acknowledgement of my value, game over because my intrinsic sense of value is then masked, and there's a need to numb that pain. Thriving cannot occur while numbing is needed. I see this so often with my teen's teenage friends; they just "get by" day to day with drug use.

            It would be nice if we all could always rest comfortably within "self love" but we're not built to be islands unto ourselves. Isn't that how it goes, irrational as it is. Everyone's "terms" and what works for them, matters, as long as it's not disrespectful to others; their terms can be hard to pinpoint if they've been disrespected in any form as an individual/child within their lives because they can't see clear to their terms from too much fog/pain. However, everyone has specific personal preferences and if those are communicated and understood, anything is possible!

            blah, blah, blah....Just some thoughts. I'm sure some would disagree, but these are my experiences. Thanks!

            Comment

            • floridaorange
              I'm merely a humble butler
              • Dec 2005
              • 29116

              #7
              Re: Teenage Brains: root to depression, bipolar, etc. ?

              Not sure if applicable necessarily but interesting points at times, and certainly accurate for all parents at times: How American parenting is killing the American marriage Quartz

              It was fun while it lasted...

              Comment

              • KiwiTollway
                Platinum Poster
                • Jan 2014
                • 1474

                #8
                Re: Teenage Brains: root to depression, bipolar, etc. ?

                I'd say that article has very valid points. Kids will try to demand being the center and CEO of the family and without strong leadership, or in seeking the path of least resistance, it easily happens. Love that creates a child then creates a love/bond that can threaten the very love from which the child originated. But the same thing occurs if either spouse loves their work, church, pets, hobbies, to the point of practically being a religion for them...people in marriages "grow apart" that way.

                The most devoted way to love your child is to love & enjoy their father/mother (your spouse) first & foremost. Few people understand this. Mothers can be totally blind sighted by the complete feeling of love/joy they feel for their child, and fathers don't take being second place very well.
                Last edited by KiwiTollway; October 2, 2014, 07:50:39 PM.

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