The urgent need for effective psychiatric interventions for teens is emphasized by the high prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders in this age group. Illnesses such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder typically onset during adolescence, and can negatively impact the development of brain networks subserving emotion regulation, attention, and cognitive flexibility. Therefore, psychiatric problems during the teen years can have long-lasting effects in many domains. On the other hand, because of the neuronal plasticity associated with this age group, interventions during adolescence can be especially effective and long-lasting. This session will review the prevalence of adolescent mood and anxiety disorders, and describe the brain abnormalities associated with each illness, as revealed through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research. We will also discuss preliminary studies that find evidence of change in brain function following behavioral treatments.

This is the download of the audio - video is available here: http://www.morethansound.com/blog/bridging-videos/