BodiMojo Blog

Ahhh, the teen-age years: the first kiss, the freedom of a driver’s license, the glory of staying up all night.

It’s the agony and ecstasy of being young and innocent; a time of highs and lows, when the stresses of life seem particularly edgy. “I’ll just die if he breaks up with me.” “My SAT score s—cks.” “Won’t my parents ever stop arguing?” 

It’s already known that child and teen brains are very sensitive to stress—much more sensitive than adults, an important risk factor in the development of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.

Now comes news that stress during adolescence can take another physical toll as well, with a new UCLA study linking teen conflicts to potential risk for adult cardiovascular disease. Researchers found that when otherwise healthy, normal teens struggled with daily difficulties, they had higher levels of an inflammatory marker called C-reactive protein. C-reactive protein is an indicator for later development of cardiovascular disease.

The study, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, tracked almost 70 teens, average age 17, from Latin American and European backgrounds, who recorded negative interpersonal interactions in a daily diary.

“Although most research on stress and inflammation has focused upon adulthood, these results show that such links can occur as early as the teenage years,” researcher Andrew Fuligni said in a statement.

These results are especially troubling when viewed in the light recent teen tragedies around the nation and elsewhere: in Greater Cincinnati, a recent series of teen suicides has shaken up communities; in Ontario, two teen suicides occurred this winter—just as a few  examples. And one recent screening of young patients coming into a metropolitan emergency room found that a whopping 70 percent of those coming in for routine care had significant mental health or behavioral problems, including depression, anxiety, and social phobias. The clinician, Jacqueline Grupp-Phelan, says that their symptoms were impairing the things “these kids are supposed to do, like go to school every day, and do a good job, and socialize with their friends.”

Pediatricians from around the U.S. meet in Washington last week to talk about mental health issues affecting youth, with the message that pediatricians should adopt regular mental health check ups as part of routine care for teenagers.

The symptoms of depression—frequent irritation; constant feelings of sadness; changes in sleeping and eating habits; negative attitude that nothing matters—are often part of being a typical teen. “Get lost, mom.” But I can’t help but shake the feeling that many of today’s teens, as mobile and plugged in as they are,  feel more disconnected from life and love than the old-fashioned youth of yesteryear.

Now, that’s depressing. Time for a quick jog in the sunshine to lift the spirits.

– Cindy Atoji is BodiMojo editor and writer, and mom of a 17-year-old son, who hopefully, isn’t too stressed out!