How Half of Adult Mental Disorders Begin by Age 14

Helen Mayberg MD concluded that individuals with depression have an overactive Brodmann Area 25, the region of the brain responsible for generating emotional states. Unfortunately, Brodmann Area 25, found in the subcallosal cortex, is considered one of the least understood areas of the ACC in the brain. Mayberg has demonstrated that by targeting this area, symptoms of depression can be alleviated. 

But how does it develop in the first place?

Studies show that "structural brain alterations" or inherent structural abnormalities in select regions of the brain lead to this mental disorder. Additionally, a notable amount of adolescents and young adults suffering from depression have smaller hippocampus and amygdala volumes, though this is not always the case. 

Reportedly, volumetric changes in the "hippocampus, amygdala, and putamen" during one's teenage years is strongly associated with the onset of depression in later teenage years. After it develops, depression is not easy to get rid of. Though, it is considered one of the easiest mental illnesses to treat, and emerging research is promising. 

When an individual undergoes significant trauma or long-term stressors, such as those on the list (though not entirely comprehensive) above, their brain restructures itself; this is sometimes seen as PTSD. This is the brain's attempt to "cope" and is supported by the law of neuroplasticity: the brain's ability to reshape itself throughout one's lifetime.