Stressed Adolescents and Their Mental Health
All about the stress response in adolescents
An adolescent’s developing brain makes them particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of stress. The stress response in adolescents causes higher susceptibility to stressors and their negative effects. In fact, stress hormones have many connections to the way adolescents process emotions. Stress negatively impacts the mental health of adolescent students by altering the structure of their brain and increasing the risk of mental illness.
When a stressor is encountered the amygdala receives this information which is then sent to the hypothalamus. This hypothalamus is responsible for controlling the automated nervous system and therefore determines how your body responds. Physical reactions to stress come from the release of adrenaline and cortisol. These symptoms include an increase in blood pressure, shallow breath, and a surge of energy (Harvard University, 2020). Once the stressor is no longer present the hypothalamus signals the parasympathetic nervous system to relax the body (Hurley, 2020).
Stress has been shown to negatively impact adolescent's mental health through structural alteration of the brain. Specifically, these changes have been observed in the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. The amygdala is associated with processing emotions and stimuli response, the hippocampus controls learning and memory, and the prefrontal cortex regulates behaviour and decision making. Experiments using adolescent mice showed that exposure to chronic stress was associated with decreased dendritic spine density in the amygdala (Padival et al., 2015), reduced growth rate in the hippocampus (Carrion & Wong, 2012), and reduced dendritic branching in prefrontal cortex neurons (Cook & Wellman, 2004). Although it is not fully understood how these structural changes are directly related to mental health disorders, it is speculated that these changes increase one’s susceptibility to them.
Multiple studies have shown that the stress response in humans and animals is stronger in adolescents than in adults and children. These studies have determined that certain hormones, particularly cortisol, released during the stress response take longer to return to normal levels during adolescence (Romeo, 2013). Prolonged or frequent release of stress hormones, also known as chronic or toxic stress, can cause a variety of long-term physiological issues (Harvard University, 2020). Although children and adults may recover from these issues, adolescents who are in their final stages of brain development are at risk for developing disorders such as depression and anxiety.
The stress adolescents face has potential to increase their risk of mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. There are a variety of causes to these mental illnesses, but one of particular interest to adolescent students is an overload of unmanaged stress. The sustained stress adolescents deal with not only increases cortisol levels, but they also decrease the production of serotonin and dopamine. Low serotonin and dopamine levels have a direct correlation to stress-induced depression (Weiss, 1981). Stress is a universal feeling that comes as a response to threatening situations. One of the most common symptoms of stress is anxiety. Untreated anxiety levels, as a response to stress, have the potential to progress into an anxiety disorder.
Stress is unavoidable, but for adolescents, it can be a defining factor in their life and it is best to learn how to manage this stress early on. Stress management techniques such as lowering workload or organizing a schedule can make dealing with stress much easier. Reaching out to trusted adults early on can give adolescents an opportunity to get proper help and coping mechanisms. Contacting teachers or managers to discuss better time management options for their schedules can help relieve the weight of stress. Even with a busy schedule one of the most important ways to manage stress is to dedicate time to practice proper self care and relaxation techniques. These coping mechanisms won’t change the stress response adolescents experience biologically, but they may allow a relief from the unwanted symptoms and further risk of mental illness.
Carrion, V.G., Wong, S.S. (2012). Can traumatic stress alter the brain? Understanding
the implications of early trauma on brain development and learning. Journal of Adolescent Health. 51, S23-S28.
Cook, S.C., Wellman, C.L. (2004). Chronic stress alters dendritic morphology in rat medial
prefrontal cortex. Journal of Neurobiology. 60, 263–248.
Harvard Medical School. (2020, July 06). Understanding the stress response. Harvard Health
Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/understanding-the-stress-
Harvard University. (2020, October 29) Toxic Stress Disrupts Brain Architecture. Center on the Developing Child https://developingchild.harvard.edu/resources/wp3/
Hurley, T., & *, N. (2020, January 03). Parasympathetic Nervous System, Stress, and Anxiety. Canyon Vista. https://canyonvista.com/activating-parasympathetic-nervous-system/
Padival, M.A., Blume, S.R., Vantrease, J.E., Rosenkranz, J.A. (2015). Qualitatively
different effect of repeated stress during adolescence on principle neuron
morphology across lateral and basal nuclei of the rat amygdala. Neuroscience.
291, 128–145.
Romeo R. D. (2013). The Teenage Brain: The Stress Response and the Adolescent Brain. Current directions in psychological science, 22(2), 140–145.
Weiss, J. M., Goodman, P. A., Losito, B. G., Corrigan, S., Charry, J. M., & Bailey, W. H. (1981). Behavioral depression produced by an uncontrollable stressor: Relationship to norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin levels in various regions of rat brain. Brain Research Reviews, 3(2), 167–205.
