The majority of mental disorders occur during adolescence and follow patients throughout their lives.
- The first alterations in cerebral development to appear are autistic disorders, from the age of 5 years.
- Around the age of 14-15, we see the birth of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), eating disorders and all those related to stress.
- Around the age of 20, personality problems generally appear: schizophrenia and mood and personality disorders.
Adolescence is a crucial period in life, especially for brain development. A recent study has shown that those with mental disorders have a different “hardwiring” than others. A new meta-analysis, in which a cohort of European researchers examined 192 epidemiological studies, suggests that in most cases mental disorders arise in adolescence and follow patients throughout their lives. The results were published June 2 in the journal Molecular Psychiatry.
Most disorders occur around 14-15 years old
The researchers combined birth cohort studies, cross-sectional studies and classic observational studies. The first alterations in brain development to appear are autistic disorders. The latter begin on average at the age of 5 years. A precocity that is also found for disorders related to anxiety and fear.
The other mental disorders appear later, precisely at the time of adolescence. Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD) and Eating Disorders appear around the age of 14. All those related to stress begin around the age of 15. Finally, later, around the age of 20, personality problems generally appear: schizophrenia and mood and personality disorders.
Set up prevention and information systems
Estimating the age at which all these disorders occur is important because the earlier they are taken care of, the better the chances of treatment success. However, one of the main problems of these mental disorders is their diagnosis, or rather their under-diagnosis. Thus, better knowing when they occur makes it possible to increase vigilance, in particular among clinicians. They also offer the potential to set up prevention and information systems for patients and their families.
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