Lecture 9 - Abnormal Development PDF

Lecture 9 - Abnormal Development Overview Mental Health Development Gene x Environment x Age Epigenetics Telomers Stress Age Infancy Adolescence Fostering Resilience and Prevention Mental Health Development Most major Mental Health problems develop during puberty Disorders that primarily develop du...

Lecture 9 - Abnormal Development Overview Mental Health Development Gene x Environment x Age Epigenetics Telomers Stress Age Infancy Adolescence Fostering Resilience and Prevention Mental Health Development Most major Mental Health problems develop during puberty Disorders that primarily develop during adolescents: Anxiety Depression Schizophrenia Eating disorders Bipolar OCD Why? Interaction between puberty, environment factors and genetics Genes x Environment x Age Environment - Stress Child poverty Deprivation Impacts the Brain Poor maturation of memory and amygdala Contributes to stress reactivity Reduced limbic areas Stress Types and Plasticity Do you have the resources to manage stress? Stress Types Good stress (adaptation) Tolerable stress (negative but remediable) Toxic stress (long term physiological and negative behavioural response) - allostatic load Toxic Stress Disruption of brain an other organ and metabolic systems (especially during sensitive periods of development) Damage ti regulation of these systems Damage leads to learning and behaviour that can become roots for chronic, stress related physical and mental illness Your Brain on Toxic Stress High toxic stress and pre-bedtime cortisol elevation changes brain volume reduction and disruption of protective myelin growth Inhibit neurogenesis of the hippocampus Effects on the Amygdala, PFC and anterior insula Stress Overload Allostatic load What leads to stress overload? Capacity of resources Toxic stress inhibits hippocampus and contextual learning Difficulties discriminating between dangerous situations and safe ones Brain Effects of Toxic Stress OFC PFC develops either to promote vigilance for danger or potential threat Normally involved in regulating impulses and moods Poor set shifting and mentalising Can lead to poor mood regulation/ impulses and less able to engage in thoughtful planning Epigenetic Contributions Epigenetics Environmental influences that shape the individual Environmental influences that change how genes are expressed Epigenetics refer to the changes and divergence in the activity (methylation patterns) of DNA Stressors have different effects on gene expression Exposome “The exposome captures the essence of nurture; it is the summation and integration of external forces acting upon our genome throughout our lifespan.” (Miller and Jones; 2014, p. 2) Environmental factors comprising the exposome include: Where one lives What one eats The quality of air one breathes One’s social interactions and relationships One’s lifestyle choices Epigenetic Modifications Cannot reverse epigenetic modifications Recovery from earlier experiences is possible by redirecting gene expression to compensate for what happened Recovery, redirection and resilience are possible - plasticity Brain x Body x Environment Reciprocal Interaction Immune, metabolic, autonomic, and neuroendocrine systems talk to and affect each other and talk back to the brain Allostasis involves turning on a physiological response when needed and turns it off when stressor is over Telomeres and Disease Associated with accelerate aging and disease Chronic stress contributes to shortening telomeres Deprivation Kills Resources impacts your ability to bounce back from stress Creates a divide in those who have and those who have not Deprivation leads to significant health difficulties Less resources for management Age Matters Abnormal Infant Development Causes for Abnormal Development Attachment Issues Trauma Disturbance in self development and regulation Disturbance in relational models - can modify your ability to manage future stress Infancy Critical Period Involved in the development of the self and its regulation (internal and social) Disturbance in this process contributes to mental health problems Adolescence Sensitive period of development - plasticity Malleability and sensitive to outside environment Can foster resilience and contribute to trajectory of poor health Adolescent Capacities Influence on Mental Health Symptoms Pre-frontal and down regulation abilities and meta-cognition critical for mental health symptom development Talk about adolescent brain development and symptoms Sensitive Period Whether positive or negative depends on social and physical environment contexts on development over the life span Environments expose people to experiences that will produce adaptation in brain processes and physiological processes Environment lead to flourishing or struggling Anxiety Development Large levels of stress can induce anxiety disorders Young children report more physiological signals of anxiety With puberty they develop the ability to name their feelings and identify anxiety cognitions Eating Disorders Young children are more likely to encores body related signals of discomfort with eating (fullness and sensory problems) of ARFID Adolescence people with eating disorders become more socially and bodily conscious Puberty changes the body Body image concerns seem to develop during adolescence ** How does infant development and adolescence separately contribute to mental health development? Pick a disorder and talk about how development might influence its symptoms ** Fostering Resiliency and Capitalising on Plasticity Fostering positive trajectories and resiliency Design prevention strategies and prescribed systematic changes that can help prevent mental health problems: During infancy During adolescence Interventions being explored Family based interventions Stress reduction aimed at adolescents Programs that teach adolescents to cope with stress during the transition from elementary to middle school Workshops on what stress is, how the body reacts to it and problem focused methods for coping Reduce glucocorticoid levels and reduction in depression symptoms in adolescents with high levels of anger Promoting Wellbeing Promoting emotional wellbeing - mindfulness and empathy sensitising work Programs that facilitate physical activity and social integration Enrichment programs - programs increase brain changes for academics that can be used in low SES areas #PS406