ABSTRACT
Adolescents are in a state of transition that contributes to their over-representation in criminal statistics and auto accidents. More recent research has shown that the adolescent brain has not yet fully developed the circuitry that balances risks and rewards that lead the adult brain to make level-headed decisions. Increasingly, wild adolescent behavior that was once blamed on raging hormones is seen as the logical byproduct of surfeit hormones and the paucity of cognitive controls necessary for mature decision making and behaviour. The process of negotiating with an adolescent falls into the category of low probability but high risk. Most school systems have problems with adolescents in the classroom, but these typically do not provoke a hostage crisis. Adolescent depression can be triggered by anxiety over abandonment. Depression can result from real or feared rejection and it can stem from something as subtle as being stood up for a date or not being accepted into a sorority pledge class.
