Young people may experience higher risk of mental health issues with early puberty. Those most frequent in the teenage years include anxiety and depression, eating disorders, conduct disorder (serious antisocial behaviour), attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and self-harm.

Puberty has begun. The trigger for puberty in both boys and girls is the production of ‘gonadotrophin releasing hormone’ (GnRH) from a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. This hormone stimulates the pituitary gland to release two hormones, Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing Hormone (LH).

However, researchers have discovered that puberty not only changes your body, but also your brain. This is because puberty involves changes in hormones that also attach to your brain cells and change how the brain learns and grows. These changes are useful because they help shape the brain for new forms of learning.

As a result of going through puberty, both boys and girls can experience changes in self-esteem. Whereas high self-esteem indicates a positive self-image, low self-esteem, which is often associated with going through puberty, indicates a negative self-image.

A Northwestern University study is the first to suggest that delayed brain development and its interaction with puberty may be key factors contributing to language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

Puberty results in very rapid somatic growth, brain development, sexual maturation, and attainment of reproductive capacity. It is accompanied by final maturation of multiple organ systems and major changes in the central nervous system and in psychosocial behavior (Patton and Viner 2007).

In puberty, children get taller, heavier and stronger. There are also changes in children’s sexual organs, brains, skin, hair, teeth and sweatiness….Around 10-11 years

• Breasts will start developing.
• A growth spurt occurs.
• The body shape will change.
• The external genitals (vulva) and pubic hair will start to grow.

During puberty your child’s emotions may become stronger and more intense. Their mood might change more frequently, quickly and randomly. Your child may have strong emotions that they’ve never experienced before. It’s common for them to feel confused, scared or angry and not know why.

An alteration in mental status refers to general changes in brain function, such as confusion, amnesia (memory loss), loss of alertness, disorientation (not cognizant of self, time, or place), defects in judgment or thought, unusual or strange behavior, poor regulation of emotions, and disruptions in perception.

The common teenage problems that teenagers face today are usually related to:

• Self-Esteem and Body Image.
• Stress.
• Bullying.
• Depression.
• Cyber Addiction.
• Drinking and Smoking.
• Teen Pregnancy.
• Underage Sex.

American teens have a lot on their minds. Substantial shares point to anxiety and depression, bullying, and drug and alcohol use (and abuse) as major problems among people their age, according to a new Pew Research Center survey of youth ages 13 to 17.

Most teenagers face hardest time during schooling where bullying is exercised. Bullying is so traumatic and very few teenagers escape it. Peer pressure forces teenagers to conform to standards and hobbies which makes teenage life hardest (Kazan kaya, 250). Lastly, teenagers lack independence and privacy.

The teenage years can be an emotional assault course for all concerned. One of the reasons many of us find it so hard is because it is a time of rapid physical development and deep emotional changes. These are exciting, but can also be confusing and uncomfortable for child and parent alike.

Typical teen behavior: “It’s normal for teens to get moody, frustrated, and irritable from time to time,” explained Dr. Vinay Saranga, a child and adolescent psychiatrist in Apex, North Carolina. “Adolescence is a period of transition and teens have to work through new emotions, thoughts, and feelings.

The reason why being a teenager is great is because it is the only time of our life when we find a happy medium between childhood and adulthood. If you think about it, teenagers are like the anchors that tie together the childhood life and the adult life.