Write any two characteristics in the mental health development of adolescents

Mental development is closely related with intelligence and the capacity to learn. It is also a kind of intellectual growth which the individual has to attain with ‘the help of maturation, learning and education. The characteristics of mental development during adolescence are : 1. Tremendous development of memory and imagination. 2. Increased ability to communicate with others. 3. Increased ability to generalise facts. ADVERTISEMENTS: 4. Increased ability to deal with abstract terms. 5. Ability to understand relationship between objects and to solve problems of increasing complexity and difficulty. 6. Increased ability of decision-making and understanding of moral issues. Thus mental development begins with the ability to respond to simple stimuli and with the passage of time it acquires a complex nature. In other words, the mental development of an individual is indicated when he/she is able to perform mental processes successfully. ADVERTISEMENTS: Piaget’s Work on Cognitive Development Jean Piaget (1896-1980) is regarded, as one of the pioneers in psychological investigation of children. His work on cognitive development at the adolescent phase of life span is quite remarkable. According to his theory, a series of developmental stages are found in human growth and there are four basic concepts of cognitive development in this process: 1. Schemes (Cognitive Structure): The patterns of behaviour are used in dealing with objects in their environment. As development proceed...

Learning Outcomes • Describe brain development during adolescence The human brain is not fully developed by the time a person reaches puberty. Between the ages of 10 and 25, the brain undergoes changes that have important implications for behavior. The brain reaches 90% of its adult size by the time a person is six or seven years of age. Thus, the brain does not grow in size much during adolescence. However, the creases in the brain continue to become more complex until the late teens. The biggest changes in the folds of the brain during this time occur in the parts of the cortex that process cognitive and emotional information. Up until puberty, brain cells continue to bloom in the frontal region. Some of the most developmentally significant changes in t he brain occur in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in decision making and cognitive control, as well as other higher cognitive functions. During adolescence, myelination and synaptic pruning in the prefrontal cortex increase s, improving the efficiency of information processing, and neural connections between the prefrontal cortex and other regions of the brain are strengthened. However, this growth takes time and the growth is uneven. Figure 1. The brain reaches its largest size in the early teen years, but continues to mature well into the 20s. As you learn about brain development during adolescence, consider these six facts from the Your brain does not keep getting bigger as you get older For girls, the brain r...

• • Health • Maternal, newborn and child survival • Maternal and newborn health • Childhood diseases • Child and adolescent health and well-being • Adolescent health and well-being • Non-communicable diseases • Health and child development • Healthy environments • Injuries • Strengthening health systems • Community health • Quality of care • Strengthening district health systems • Strengthening supply chains • Data and digital health • Implementation research • National investment and governance • Health in emergencies • HIV and AIDS The world is now home to the largest cohort of adolescents in history – 1.2 billion people between the ages of 10 and 19. How they develop and grow has implications that reverberate across generations. When adolescents, including the most disadvantaged, are supported by caring families and adults, as well as policies and services attentive to their needs, they can develop to their full potential. Just some of the factors that impact the development of today’s adolescents include social media, urbanization, unhealthy diets, armed conflict, climate change and migration. While adolescents have a better chance of improving their health and well-being now more than ever, many lack access to the essential information, quality services and protective environments they need to stay healthy and well. An estimated 1.2 million adolescents die every year – mostly from preventable causes. Diseases like malaria and cholera still take the lives of adolescent...