Adole$cent health Flashcards
When is adolescence?
Between 11-25
How common are mental health problems in adolescents?
1 in 7 eleven to sixteen year olds have a diagnosable mental health condition
Over half of mental health problems are established by the age of 14 - and 75% by the age of 24
Prevalence may be rising
In terms of grey matter - how does the brain change during adolescence?
What area of the brain is most important in this process?
Grey matter volume (which peaks around 12-14 years) overall decreases as puberty progresses
This is due to ‘pruning’ (unused connections getting lost while used connections are strengthened)
This starts at the back of the brain - but is most significant in the Pre-frontal cortex - where the most pruning takes place
Reminder - what is the function of the pre-frontal cortex?
Prefrontal cortex is responsible for executive functions
This involves our planning & decision making, short-term memory, personality expression, moderating social behavior and controlling certain aspects of speech and language
What parts should be asked about in an adolescent social history?
Mnemonic - HEADSS
Home
Education or employment
Activities
Drugs & alcohol
Sexuality
Self harm
In an adolescent social history - what aspects of their home life could you ask about?
Where they live and who they live with
Relationships in the home
Who they would talk to if they had a problem
What questions would you ask an adolescent about to do with school?
Which school do they go to? What year?
Which subjects do they like? What are they good at?
Who do they spend time with at school?
What questions could you ask about in an adolescent social history - about their activities outside of school?
What do you enjoy doing outside of school?
Are you in any clubs or teams?
Who do you meet up with at weekends?
In a social history from an adolescent - what could you ask about drugs & alcohol?
Do any of your friends smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol? How about you?
Have you ever tried cannabis?
How much do you smoke/drink?
What questions could you ask an adolescent about their sex life & sexuality?
Do any of your friends have boyfriends/girlfriends? How about you?
Have you ever had sex? Do you use condoms/the pill?
How could you ask an adolescent about self harm?
How would you describe your mood? Do you ever get really down?
Some people who feel really down often feel like hurting themselves or even killing themselves. Have you ever felt like that?
