Core Principle #1

Three-quarters (75%) of all mental illnesses appear between the ages of 14 and 24.

• • • The teen years are a period of major development in the young-adult brain; new connections are being made and brain structure is changing rapidly.

    • Depression and anxiety often occur hand-in-hand.

    • Depression is a complex illness with many possible causes and both external and internal factors. Depression can be an inherited illness for some people.

    • The teen brain is growing and changing quickly and things can easily get mixed up with how neurons are communicating with each other or with how the brain processes neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

    • If that mix-up in how neurons are communicating with each other or in brain chemicals happens, a teen can become depressed or anxious.