Adolescent Anxiety and Mood Swings: Understanding Hormonal Regulation

1. WHS AP Psychology Unit 9: Developmental Psychology Essential Task 9-9:Discuss maturational challenges in adolescence and the formation of identity (foreclosure, diffusion and moratorium).

2. Adulthood Types of Studies Adolescence Adulthood Unit 9 Developmental Psych Prenatal Development Aging We are here Cognitive Development Moral Development Piaget’s Stages Gilligan Vygotsky’s Theory Kohlberg Social Development Erikson Gender Parenting Styles

3. Puberty

4. Teen Anxiety and Mood Swings • Mood swings and anxiety, often caused by stress, are well known characteristics of puberty. • Anxiety is regulated by the brains's principal inhibitory neurotransmitter, GABA (gamma-amino-butyric-acid) which counteracts the effect of glutamate, an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain's limbic system.

5. Teen Anxiety and Mood Swings • Stress causes the release of a steroid known as THP which in adult and pre-pubescent individuals increases the "calming" effect of GABA in the limbic system. • THP has two roles, one in the limbic system where it helps to calm things down, and another in the hippocampus where in adolescents it hots things up. The hippocampus is important for emotion regulation.

6. Teen Anxiety and Mood Swings • The underlying mechanism appears to be different levels of expression of a type of receptor known as the "alpha4betadelta" GABAA receptor in the hippocampal brain region known as CA1. • In adults and pre-adolescents, the receptors are in low numbers so the overall effect of THP is a calming one. • However, in adolescents, the expression of these receptors is high, so for these individuals the anxiety raising effect of THP in the hippocampus outweighs the calming effect it has in the limbic system.

7. Teen Birth Rates

8. Imaginary Audience

9. Personal Fable Outline

10. Identity Crisis