Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology Services

During childhood, problems may arise that seem insignificant, but for children they involve suffering in silence or maintaining certain behaviors that are difficult for their parents to understand, and which are usually manifested with behavioral disturbances.

Adolescence is a stage of physical and emotional changes that accompany the transformation from child to adult. The main characteristic of this stage is the search for one's own identity. Thus, adolescents acquire new concerns such as peer group identification, body image, sexuality, love, and increased demands on academic performance.

The World Health Organization defines adolescence as the stage between 11 and 19 years of age, considering 2 phases: early adolescence (12 to 14 years) and late adolescence (15 to 19 years).

The adolescent brain, despite having reached its maximum size, is undergoing a profound transformation. A brain restructuring occurs that affects the reward system (with approximately 30% of dopamine receptors disappearing), leading to a decrease in the small pleasures that appealed to them as children, and a shift in interest towards other things. Relationships with friends become paramount. They are drawn to risk and are generally daring. They test their abilities, sometimes achieving success and sometimes failure, which is how they gain self-confidence. One of the dangers to which adolescents are exposed is drug use. On the one hand, there has been a reduction in the receptors of the brain's reward system, and on the other, they are relatively easily exposed to situations where alcohol and drugs are consumed, increasing their vulnerability to these substances, which are often used to enhance their mood.

On the other hand, the body also undergoes a sudden transformation, to which the brain must adapt. Height increases by 30 to 50 cm and weight by about 30 kg. Meanwhile, the effect of sex hormones, regulated by the hypothalamus, makes the brain receptive to sexual stimuli.

The main disorders that can occur during childhood and adolescence:

• Anxiety: Separation Anxiety Disorder, Specific Fears and Phobias, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Social Phobia.
• Depression
• Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• Antisocial Disorders
• Addictions
• Psychotic disorders
• Eating Disorders: Anorexia, Bulimia, Pica, Rumination Disorder, Binge Eating Disorder
• Sleep Disorders
• Learning disorders
• Enuresis and Encopresis
• School bullying
• Tic Disorder
• Selective Mutism
• Relationship problems
• Lack of Social Skills