Normal adolescent development is often accompanied by transient
emotional and behavioral problems. For most individuals with
postpubertal-onset adjustment problems, there is a resolution by early
adulthood and relative stability through the adult life span. But for a
minority, adjustment problems escalate during adolescence and portend
the development of serious mental illness in adulthood. In this
article, we explore adolescent behavioral changes and
neurodevelopmental processes that might contribute to stress
sensitivity and vulnerability for the emergence of the mental
disorders. Of particular interest is the role that hormonal changes
might play in the expression of genetic vulnerabilities for
psychopathology. Drawing on recent findings from clinical research and
behavioral neuroscience, we describe the ways in which postpubertal
hormones might alter brain function and, thereby, behavior. It is
concluded that there are both activational and organization effects of
hormones on the adolescent brain, and these contribute to developmental
discontinuities in behavioral adjustment. Implications for adult
psychopathology and preventive intervention are discussed.