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Abstract
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In many ways, one can think of an adolescent as analogous to an entrepreneur, or an innovator in Silicon Valley. You will see the same type of person in both cases: someone who takes risks, who prizes a huge early reward, and values that reward over the risks they face. In both cases, you see individuals with a remarkable ability to innovate as they grow. Contrast this, however, with a larger company, which has already grown and acquired stability, like an adult, but lost some of their previous mobility and flexibility. Think of IBM. With this in mind, I urge you to think of the adolescent brain as an evolutionary success story. It would be disappointing if it were otherwise.
Although adults experience neuroplasticity as well, it is not to the same extent as in adolescents, who have a far greater capacity for absorption, assimilation, and adaptation. However, on the flip side, the hyper-reactivity of the adolescent brain can lead to vulnerability as well as risk behaviors. This is where we need to look at appropriate interventions. We need ensure that adolescents grow up in caring and supportive environments at home and in school so the triggers of hyper-reactivity are reduced, eliminated, or appropriately modified to reduce their risk of poor mental health outcomes or likelihood of engaging in risk behaviors. Given what we have learned from epigenetics—that the environment influences gene expression—we need to better understand how we can provide safe, supportive, and stimulating environments for the adolescent to explore and to grow without running into high risks [2]. Indeed, this is the real challenge we face: integrating the new science into our existing policies and programs. Simply put, we need to make their environment safer.
How do we actually do that? Obviously, we cannot restrict exploration, but we can ensure that adolescents face fewer hazards. Regulation of areas like tobacco and other addictive substances as well as food comes into play here [3]. To control potential ill effects, we must regulate harmful practices through policies. Whether you are talking in terms of obesity or disorders like tobacco addiction, we find conditioned environments in which the market is playing a major role. Clearly, there is a need for regulation to make the environment less hazardous for the adventurous teenager. In addition to regulation, there is recognition of the need for scaffolding, given the various stages of development the adolescent brain traverses as it enters adulthood. For many behaviors, thresholds must be assessed in an age-appropriate manner, so protective measures can be taken through the scaffolding of certain interventions. A good example of this is the age at which alcohol can be sold or consumed. These issues need to be explored much further in the new brain science, not by handcuffing the adolescent, but ensuring a safer society.
Clearly, there is a need for regulation to make the environment less hazardous for the adventurous teenager. In addition to regulation, there is recognition of the need for scaffolding, given the various stages of development the adolescent brain traverses as it enters adulthood. For many behaviors, thresholds must be assessed in an age-appropriate manner, so protective measures can be taken through the scaffolding of certain interventions. A good example of this is the age at which alcohol can be sold or consumed. These issues need to be explored much further in the new brain science, not by handcuffing the adolescent, but ensuring a safer society.
This is the responsibility that we bear. Just as the tigress allows her cubs to explore new surroundings as she keeps a watchful eye for predators, we must keep a watchful eye for industries preying on our youth, trying to invade their developing minds with marketable products. This is society's responsibility that we must reflect through our policies.
Focusing specifically on low- and middle-income countries, we must synthesize what we have learned here and translate it to action. These articles clearly reflect a universal transference of basic biological knowledge, but they also carry with them an understanding about the kind of environments that are safe, supportive, and stimulating for adolescents. We have an opportunity at this point in time in the developmental trajectory of low- and middle-income countries to shape the environment through appropriate policies. So, the question for lower- and middle-income countries is how do we shape our society to provide these safe environments for adolescents while unleashing their evolutionary advantage into positive pathways for personal and societal advancement? The challenge is not merely for the health professional, but for those dealing with larger developmental issues, and therefore, the message of this particular supplement should be disseminated not only to professionals but also to policy makers, so that this understanding percolates into multiple policy and programmatic pathways.
Language: en |