CHAPTER 23
Introduction to Adolescence and
Its Disorders
Since adolescence falls between childhood and adulthood, it is not sur-
prising that most of the psychiatric disorders of adolescence are either
continuations of childhood disorders or early manifestations of adult
disorders. But adolescence is not just a blend of childhood and adulthood;
it is a stage with unique biological and social characteristics of its own that
colour both normal and abnormal behaviour during the teenage years.
Before focusing on abnormal behaviour, it is important to consider the
uniqueness of the world the adolescent lives in, as well as the processes of
internal mental and physical maturation particular to this stage of life. The
behavioural problems that peak in the teenage years, such as delinquency,
substance abuse, deliberate self-harm and anorexia nervosa, often involve
exaggerated and unresolved versions of the ordinary trials and tribulations
of adolescence.
A potted history of adolescence
Although puberty is a biological process, adolescence, as we currently
know it, is a relatively new social phenomenon. In the developing world,
many people leave school and begin work before or during puberty;
physical maturity develops in step with economic and social maturity.
The same was true in the developed world until fairly recently, when the
combination of earlier puberty (reflecting better nutrition and health) and
prolonged education resulted in a ‘no man’s land’ opening up between
childhood and adulthood. This is the prolonged period when teenagers
acquire adult bodies but not adult roles, rights or financial independence.
Of course, this is an over-simplification, but it points to the need to think
of adolescence (and indeed every other stage of life too) as culturally as
well as biologically determined.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Third Edition. Robert Goodman and Stephen Scott.
©c2012 Robert Goodman and Stephen Scott. Published 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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