A Relationship Between Adolescents With Depression And The Activation Of Their Amygdala

During the book, Steven talks about his depression because of the traumatic experiences with his father. When Steven says, “At this point, my depression really kicked in” (pg. 45). This is because his hippocampus has shrunk. It has been researched, that people that have major depression, have a shrunken hippocampus. The longer Steven has been depressed, results in his hippocampus getting smaller and loses the ability to work correctly. In addition to the hippocampus, the amygdala has a role in depressive behavior as well. The amygdala forms part of the limbic system and is a set of neurons that are shown to play a major role in the processing of emotions. The amygdala is a part of the brain that has a direct correlation to depression and oversees evaluating the emotional significance of different kinds of stimuli. For example, the amygdala is overly active in people with depression when you show them sad stimuli, and is under-active when shown positive things like rewards. This part of the brain also organizes the emotional experience in expression. What this means is that it organizes endocrine response to stress and threats. The more depressed a person is, the more their amygdala must act. The DLPFC, stands for dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and is the latest part of the brain to form in humans and other mammals. This part of the brain also has a lot to do with major depressive disorder because

Adolescence marks the emergence of internalizing problems, which are defined as the emotional conditions that surface when an individual begins to turn problems inward where they take them out on themselves (Santrock, 2016, p. 437). Two of the most commonly noted examples of internalizing problems are anxiety and depression. Anxiety is best described as a future-oriented emotion, characterized by perceptions of both uncontrollability and unpredictability over potentially aversive events, causing one to feel fearful and apprehensive (Wicks-Nelson & Israel, 2015, p. 110). While defining depression is more complex in that it is a slightly more subjective experience, it is generally characterized as the experience of a pervasive unpleasant mood (Wicks-Nelson & Israel, 2015, p. 147). Important to consider is that anxiety and depression are often comorbid, meaning that they exist simultaneously within an individual. Understanding these internalizing symptoms in adolescence is a complex task, which provides a foundation for the present paper.

As in adults, depression in children and adolescents is treatable. Certain antidepressant medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), can be beneficial to children and adolescents with MDD. Certain psychotherapy modules also have been shown to be effective. However, our awareness of antidepressant treatments in children and adolescents, though growing substantially, is incomplete compared to our knowledge about treating depression in adults.

Also research supports that ongoing stress impairs the growth of the nerve cell in the hippocampus. The amygdala is associated with emotions mainly fear and anger. With depressed individuals, a variety of scans show the amygdala to be very active and there is an increase in activity when the person is saddened or depressed. Even after affected people recovery, the increased activity in the amygdala is still present for a period of time. Another area of the body that research has determined plays a role with the development of depression is the endocrine system. The endocrine system is made up of small glands which are responsible for producing hormones and to release them into the bloodstream. The hormonal levels are keep constant and avoid

Through my research, I’ve learned that in terms of depression, there are three major parts of the brain that play a significant role in the illness: the amygdala, the hypothalamus, and the hippocampus. The limbic system, as a whole, and other parts of the brain are also involved when dealing with depression. However, the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus are three parts that show up most commonly when researching the effects of depression on the brain. The amygdala – like the other effected parts of the brain – is part of the limbic system, which is a set of structures in the brain that controls actions and emotions that ensure survival. The amygdala is primarily associated with emotions like anger, fear, pleasure, sorrow, and sexual arousal. Activity in the amygdala is higher when sad or depressed. The hypothalamus acts to regulate things like body temperature, appetite, sleep, sex drive, stress reaction, aggressive behavior, reactions to pain, and it helps control the pituitary gland – which regulates hormone control. When dealing with depression, the hypothalamus is prone to hyperactivity. Finally, the hippocampus’ role in the brain is to make short term memories into long term memories. It also plays an important role in spatial navigation. In depressed people, the hippocampus is generally smaller than those not suffering from depression. Brain activity, as a whole, is generally lower in people suffering from the

There is a circuit of structures that form a functional route of communication of emotions in depression. These structures surround the brainstem (the cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, the hypothalamus, and the anterior thalamic nuclei). The use of MRI, PET and fMRI technologies establish the understanding of the malfunction of the limbic system being central to the pathophysiology of depression. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a role in regulating autonomic and neuroendocrine responses, pain modulation, aggression and sexual behaviors. PET studies have shown abnormalities in cerebral blood flow and glucose metabolism in multiple prefrontal cortical and limbic structures implicated in emotional processing. The amygdala are involved in recruiting and coordinating cortical arousal and neuroendocrine response to underdetermined stimuli as well as in emotional learning and memory. Abnormal activation of the amygdala results in severity of depression and is also linked with bipolar depression and anxiety. The hippocampus plays a fundamental role in learning and memory, and its is rich in corticosteroid receptors. Dysfunction is the hippocampus is responsible for inappropriate context-dependent emotional

The typical duration of a major depressive episode for clinically referred children and adolescents is 8 to 13 months. Approximately 90% of these patients’ major depressive episodes remit by 2 years, but up to 10% persist.Within 5 years of MDD onset, up to 70% of children and adolescents will experience a recurrence,a rate comparable to adults. Anxiety

The hippocampus is smaller in patients with depression. The smaller hippocampus is thought to be diminished because of a persistent exposure to stress hormones, like cortisol, which impacts the growth of nerve cells. The hippocampus is highly susceptible to stress, perhaps because the protracted ontogeny or the high amount of glucocorticoid receptors (Uma Rao et al.; 2010). The longer the patient has depression, or the more episodes of depression the patient experiences, the smaller the hippocampal volumes become. Stress correlates with the smaller hippocampus, researchers used twenty-nine patients with depression, twenty-two patients with severe depression and thirty-two control patients. All patients were around the same age, physically healthy, alcohol and drug free, and did not have any other kind of mental illness like bi-polar disorder, autism, or schizophrenia. Structural imagery was used to obtain the images of each patients’ entire brain. Then an image was aligned with the anterior commissure and posterior commissure as well as the borders of the left and right hippocampus. From the MRI scans and using a formula the hippocampal volumes were figured. All of the patients were followed up on, every 6-months for up to five years. The results were conclusive, the severely depressed and the depressed patients had smaller hippocampal volumes when compared to the control subjects. The left hippocampus of the patients was smaller by 4.9% and 4.2%, respectively, while the

During the teenage years is when the human brain goes through the most drastic changes, both at the cellular level and at the emotional level. Teenage brains go through the most emotional distress because their frontal cortex is not fully developed. According to dr. Charles Nelson who was interviewed for the film; Inside The Teenage Brain and said, “...and because the child - the 13 or 14 or 15-year-old - still has an immature frontal cortex, they often do not make the most responsible, reasoned decisions.” This is one plausible explanation to most teenage attitude. Dr. Nelson also referred to mood swings, “But we think the ultimate responsibility for regulating these mood changes resides in the frontal cortex, and that's what's overseeing

During adolescents, there is an increased vulnerability for depression due to biological, cognitive, and socio-environmental changes. For this paper, I will be discussing Scarlet, a 16 year old Hispanic female whose parents have divorced two years ago, and because of that Scarlet has been displaying symptoms of Persistent Depressive Disorder and Oppositional and Defiant Disorder. This paper will review literature which supports Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as being an effective form of treatment for depression with adolescents. I will also review literature which supports Family Therapy as being an effective treatment for adolescents with parent-child relational problems. I will also discuss any issues related to culture,

s the awareness of mental diseases such as depression increases throughout American society, the diagnosis of childhood depression has risen as well. Recent reports published by the National Alliance on Mental Illness in addition to studies suggest that 11 to 20 percent of children will experience a depressive disorder by the time they are 18 years old (Duckworth, 2014; Vitiello).1, 8 In early childhood, depressive disorders including major depressive disorder (MDD) and dysthymic disorder, now called persistent depressive disorder per DSM-V, are more often seen in boys than in girls. However, at the start of puberty and by the age of 14, MDD and DD are more commonly seen in girls (Shashi Bhatia). 2 This apparent flip in occurrences has not been properly studied, but conjecture has been made proposing that hormonal imbalances may play a key role in the rise of depressive disorders in pubescent girls. Mental diseases, such as depression, can cause significant psychological and psychosocial harm to an adolescent or child (Pine).3 In addition, depression has been shown have a negative impact on growth, educational development, relationships, and self-image (Brent).4 Not only is there an immediate impact on this patient population, but it is believed that children who suffer from depression will be at an increased

Depression is a normal emotional reaction to perceived loss and hopelessness (Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2002). There are a number of different types of depression such as chronic depression, manic depression and the primary focus of this essay Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). MDD is a clinical depression, which is more chronic and more severe compared to other types of depression. It significantly disrupts the individual’s ability to meet the normal demands of life. According to many clinicians, clinical depression should be considered as a medical illness in need of medical intervention. Other mental health professionals believe this is an overstatement of the role of physiology and the

Childhood and adolescence disorders are very common in society and have been for centuries. Research is constantly being done to determine causes and cures. To get a diagnosis, the physician has to use a categorical classification system. One of those systems is the DSM, which stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The ongoing research on the mechanisms behind most mental illnesses continues and although much progress has been made, there is still a large gap of missing knowledge that remains unknown. There are many common mental disorders that affect tens of millions of Americans every year. However, there are several mental disorders that are more commonly seen in recent times among adolescents including

Research studies often do not enhance the individual quality of life of the subjects, even though they may be illuminating for persons with that disorder later on. However, the treatment team of the adolescent has a particularly strong obligation to act in the best interests of the patient, given that the adolescent may not be able to fully understand the