The XIII Scientific Symposia continues with the study started two years ago on the development of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, focusing on this occasion on Adolescent Psychiatry.

Adolescence is the period from the end of childhood to the beginning of adulthood, and has very flexible limits. Experts say that in all countries of the world there is a trend towards earlier and earlier puberty, but the brain does not suddenly become an adult at the age of 18. For this reason, the international community has agreed to consider adolescence as the period between the ages of 10 and 24.

This period of adolescence, the period of greatest learning for life, is a difficult time. Not all development during these years is positive, especially because of the increasingly digitalised and competitive environment in which most of our adolescents live, which makes them prone to mental disorders such as anxiety, depression, alcohol and substance abuse, and even eating disorders, among others. To this situation we must add technological advances and the irruption of social media, which have led to the appearance of a new phenomenon, cyberbulling (virtual harassment or cyberbullying), hence its consequences in the most extreme cases, such as suicide. We understand that the problems of adolescence must be tackled from the perspective of disciplines such as medicine, social sciences, education and neuroscience. The challenge cannot be greater – relative to other ages, adolescents aged 10-24 represent a record 25% of the world’s population, the largest cohort ever seen.

I hope that the topics addressed throughout this Scientific Symposia on Adolescent Psychiatry will help to achieve early clinical intervention that ultimately results in superior comprehensive care.

Alicia Koplowitz,
President