Many teenagers experience changes in mental health. This can include increased levels of irritability, depression, anxiety, and stress. What’s behind these drastic changes? The answer is quite simple. It’s hormones.
What Roles Do Hormones Play in Affecting a Teen’s Emotions?
Hormones play a massive role in affecting a teen’s emotions. The increased levels of hormones which cause puberty, also have an effect on the neurotransmitters and neural pathways involved in emotional processing. This effect on the brain is responsible for a number of emotional changes in teens, including increased stress, mood swings, and irritability. It is also responsible for more serious mental health conditions like depression. In fact, research shows 1 in 7 teens will experience a mental health condition.
What Hormone Causes Depression?
There isn’t a single hormone which causes depression in teens, but actually a few. These are:
- Estrogen: This hormone is the driving force behind puberty in females. Unfortunately, it also affects serotonin levels. Low serotonin levels caused by elevated levels of estrogen can lead to depression.
- Testosterone: This hormone is the driving force behind puberty in males. When testosterone levels are low, it can cause the onset of depression.
- Progesterone: While progesterone is often considered a female hormone, it is actually important to both sexes. Females do produce more progesterone than males, but it is still a necessary hormone for the latter. Low levels of progesterone often lead to depression.
- Serotonin: Most commonly, depression is linked to low levels of serotonin in the brain. With all of the increased hormones in a teenage brain, serotonin production can easily be affected. Anything that causes low levels of serotonin is likely to cause depression.
As you can see, the chemistry of a teenage brain is complicated and filled with different hormones. An imbalance in any of these can result in depression.
When Do Teenage Hormones Peak?
There is no point in time where all hormones peak at once, it will depend on the specific hormone. For example, testosterone tends to peak in males between 18 and 20. For females, estrogen levels do not reach their peak until the mid to late 20s. Adrenal hormones, which contribute to changes in skin, like acne, and the development of body hair, tend not to peak until the early 20s.
This does not mean that these ages are when a teen will most likely feel the mood swings and irritability brought on by being hormonal. Usually, a teens emotional volatility will peak in early adolescence. This is because they are not yet used to the effects hormones can have on their moods and emotions. Additionally, they have not yet developed the reasoning and cognitive control skills needed to work through their emotions and regulate them.
Teenage Hormones and The Brain
While teenage hormones cause a number of physical changes to the body, they also cause remarkable changes to the brain. Teenage hormones cause growth of certain brain structures like the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and amygdala. The hypothalamus and pituitary gland are responsible for hormone regulation, meaning that improper growth of these brain regions during puberty can lead to long-term health consequences, such as disorders of sleep or metabolism.
Teenage hormones, such as testosterone and estrogen, are also responsible for myelination, a process that insulates the brain’s neurons so that the electrical signals are more efficient. In layman’s terms, this is the process that covers neurons in a substance called myelin, allowing them to quickly carry information to other neurons.
When to Seek Depression Treatment for Your Teen
It can be hard to know if the behavior you see in your teen is just run-of-the-mill teenage angst or serious depression. In general, you should seek professional depression for your teen if you observe any of the following.
- Behavioral Changes: This can include acting violently, completely isolating themselves from their peers, and a decreased interest in activities they once enjoyed.
- Sleep Problems: This is not referring to sleeping a little later on Saturdays, but serious sleep problems like insomnia. If your child is not getting any sleep, or is getting so little sleep that they can not function during the day, it is time to seek professional help.
- Suicidal Thoughts: Any suicidal thoughts or ideations should be taken extremely seriously. These can include thoughts of self-harm, making preparations for death, giving away possessions, writing goodbye letters, making a will or outright threatening to kill themselves. If you notice any of these, you should contact a reputable treatment center immediately. In these cases it is of the utmost importance that you keep a close eye on your teen until treatment can begin.
If you observe any of these in your teen, it is time to help them get treatment for depression. With proper intervention, depression can be successfully treated and your teen can return to living a happy, healthy life. If you think your teen may have depression but have not observed any of these specifically, it is worth it to have them speak to a healthcare professional. When it comes to teenage depression, it is better to be safe than sorry.