This article is part of a Special Issue “Puberty and Adolescence”. The notion that
adolescence is characterized by dramatic changes in behavior, and often by emotional
upheaval, is widespread and longstanding in popular western culture. In recent decades,
this notion has gained increasing support from empirical research showing that the peri-and
post-pubertal developmental stages are associated with a significant rise in the rate of
psychiatric symptoms and syndromes. As a result, interest in adolescent development has …