A Brief Discussion on Adolescent Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical developmental stage with high susceptibility to anxiety and depression. This review summarizes relevant findings covering epidemiology, pathogenesis, neurobiology, diagnosis and treatments. Global prevalence of adolescent emotional disorders has risen continuously and was further escalated by the COVID-19 pandemic, with females at higher risk. Pathogenesis results from combined genetic, epigenetic and toxic stress factors alongside brain network and gut-brain axis dysfunction. Differing from adults, affected adolescents mainly present with irritability, somatic discomfort and school refusal, prone to misdiagnosis. SSRIs dominated pharmacotherapy with fluoxetine prioritized, while CBT and IPT-A are effective non-drug interventions. Multilevel collaborative prevention systems are essential to optimize adolescent mental health management.