A famous author John Green said, “Whenever you read a cancer booklet or website or whatever they list depression among the side effects of cancer. But, in fact, depression is not a side effect of cancer. Depression is a side effect of death (“The Only Thing Worse”).” Occasional bad moods or acting out is to be expected, but depression is something different. Depression can destroy the very essence of a teenager’s personality, causing an overwhelming sense of sadness, despair, or anger (“A Guide for Parents”). The depression rate in the teen’s generation is rising every day. Teenage depression is not just bad moods and occasional melancholy; it’s a serious problem that impacts every aspect of a teen’s life (“A Guide for Parents”). To better understand why teens are depressed, it would help to know the causes of depression, such as, trauma, life experiences, and social anxiety or peer pressure. Trauma’s can definitely scare someone for a lifetime, but it can also give them depression. The traumatic events during childhood, such as, physical or emotional abuse, and the loss of a parent, may cause changes in the brain that makes a person more susceptible to depression (“Teen Depression”). Physical and emotional abuse is a main cause of trauma because the teen will not be able to trust anyone. Adolescence can be a very turbulent and difficult time, even for the well-adjusted teen. Teenagers with depression can have far-reaching implications, when young people suffer from or with emotional difficulties they aren’t sure how to manage (“10 Common Causes”). A physical abuse from a loved one or relationship has a lot of impact on a teen’s life. In the aftermath of traumatic events that a teen has gone through the teen can become depressed ... ... middle of paper ... ... might need to know the causes, for instance, trauma, life experiences, and social anxiety or peer pressure. The causes are important because as a society, the society itself needs to take notice and try to stop the depression in teenagers. Society and this generation must take notice on the anxiety, peer pressure, cyber- bullying, and traumas to help stop the causes from happening; also to greatly improve the depression rates in teenage boys and girls. Works Cited "10 Common Causes of Teenage Depression." N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014. Aguirre, Blaise A. Depression. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2008. Print. "Diseases and Conditions." -. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. ""The Only Thing Worse than a Boy Who Hates You: A Boy That Loves You."" Popular Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. "Teen Depression: A Guide for Parents." Helpguide.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2014
Teenage Depression. Everywhere you look these two words appear together as one, in newspapers and magazines, as well as in scholarly reports. Teenage depression is one of today's "hot topics" this among other teenage mental health problems, has been brought to the forefront of public consciousness in recent years after several incidents involving school shootings (CQ 595). The environment that teens grow up in today is less supportive and more demanding than it was twenty years ago. Not only are the numbers of depressed teens rising, but children are also being diagnosed at younger and younger ages. Studies have found that, "There is an estimated 1.5-3 million American children and adolescents who suffer from depression, a condition unrecognized in children until about 20 years ago" (CQR 595). This increase in depression is due to social factors that teenagers have to deal with everyday. A recent study found that, "About five percent of teenagers have major depression at any one time. Depression can be very impairing, not only for the affected teen, but also for his or her family-and too often, if not addressed, depression can lead to substance abuse or more tragic events" (NAMI.org). Gender roles and other societal factors including the pressures on girls to look and act a certain way, the pressures on boys to suppress their emotions and put on a tough front and the pressures on both sexes to do well in school and succeed, all contribute to depression in teens today. Depression is a growing problem which crosses gender lines and one that needs to be dealt with with more than just medication.
Studies show that up to nine percent of teenagers meet criteria for depression at any one time, with as many as one in five teens having a history of depression at some point during adolescence (Cheung et al., 2007). Symptoms in adolescents can manifest differently than in adults due to the physical and social challenges that teenagers encounter. Some of the challenges that teenagers encounter that might lead to depression are peer pressure, changes due to developing bodies, changing hormone levels, peer pressure and sports among others. These challenges present in a teenager’s life can cause high levels of stress and anxiety that affect the teenager’s life in different areas such as school, work, family and their personal, social and family lives. Due to the challenges confronted when living with depression, it is completely necessary to seek professional help once symptoms
According to research done by Gokmen Arslan (2016), childhood “psychological maltreatment” may directly indicate depression, or low self-esteem in adulthood. Childhood abuse and general trauma are two major risk factors of depression in adolescent and adult years (Wingo et al. 2010). While the term “depression” often is used in a colloquial manner, it is not a disease to be dealt with casually. According to Wingo et al., sixteen percent of the population is affected by major depression alone. Additionally, it is one of the top ten causes for disability and untimely death in the United States. This number does not include dysthymia and other mental health issues which brings the percentage up to almost 19% (Reserved, 2016). Roy, Carli, & Sarchiapone (2011) even address studies that show a correlation between childhood trauma and suicide attempts in patients with psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, there is a strong correlation between experiencing childhood trauma and substance abuse, which can lead to additional social, emotional, and developmental problems (Calmes, 2012). These psychological challenges are not necessarily caused by childhood trauma; however, they are a result of the “dysfunctional” and “addictive” behaviors that many survivors engage in (Putnam, 2006). Childhood trauma can cause a disrupt in personality development which will in term harm the way that the child develops emotionally, physically, behaviorally, cognitively, morally, and relationally. Therefore, the child may have to work very hard to live a life free of negative consequences from his or her
The suicide rate for adolescents has increased more than 200% over the last decade.[2] Adolescent suicide is now responsible for more deaths in youths aged 15 to 19 than cardiovascular disease or cancer. Recent studies have shown that greater than 20% of adolescents in the general population have emotional problems and one-third of adolescents attending psychiatric clinics suffer from depression.[3] Despite this, depression in this age group is greatly underdiagnosed, leading to serious difficulties in school, work and personal adjustment which often continue into adulthood.
Young adults, they’re known to be moody or very emotional due to the experience of puberty or maturing. Emotions seem to run wild and to most parents, this is a common and normal phase for their children. Almost every adult would look at an overly upset teenager, and simply write it off as “teenage angst.” Which is why depression, self-harm, and suicides involving teenagers have become such a drastic social issue. It is easy to ignore and simply pass off as mood swings until the child has taken more drastic measures such as attempting suicide, committing suicide, or harming themselves physically. Last recorded in 2011, suicide was the third leading cause of teenage death (CDC). Parents, teachers, and even teenage peers need to know more about the signs and real causes of self-harm, suicide, and depression.
Depression and other mental disorders affect a teenagers life drastically. Having a mental disorder like depression, anxiety, PTSD, or OCD can greatly affect an adolescents life; OCD and PTSD are two different types of anxiety, there are other types of anxiety that come in certain phobias like social phobia(Social phobia and social anxiety are the same thing just with different names) or agoraphobia. These mental disorders can greatly affect an adolescents life and how they live it. There are many more mental disorders most worst than ocd or anxiety, some not as worse. People who have these mental disorders usually act out different than someone else with the same disorder would, or they might have it worse than someone else in the world. Depression
There are many factors linked to teenage depression; however, being a victim of bullying is claimed to be the preeminent motive for the distress of the teen. In fact, an analysis done by the University of Harvard has shown
Until about ten years ago, children’s mood swings and irritability were considered nothing but a phase that kids go through and would eventually outgrow. It has been proven that if depression in teenagers goes unnoticed and, therefore, untreated, the children gradually will turn to doing drugs (“self-medication”) and consuming alcohol, will drop out of school, will become promiscuous, and for a lot of them it even might lead to suicide.
Why do so many teens go into a depression? There are multiple reasons for why a teen might become depressed. Teens can develop feelings of worthlessness when they can't express themselves as much as they wish to. Also, problems at school like too much work or problems with peers are some basic reasons.
There are several possible theories of where depression comes from, such as bullying, learned patterns of negative thinking, victims of physical abuse, sexual abuse, or mental abuse, and early child...
Adolescent despondency affects the way an individual sleeps, eats, the way they feel about themselves and those around them (“Side Effects of Untreated Depression”). This particular mental disease changes the outlook on a teenager’s view on themselves, loved ones, and their surroundings. Depression can be a responsive action to certain situations, such as emotional trauma, and stress. It can have devastating, and in some cases, life threatening, effects on younger members of society. Due to the fact that normal, unaffected teenagers naturally have fluctuating moods, it is much more difficult to diagnose depression at this age.
A lot has changed in the past decade. Due to systematic followup studies of children under treatment, and depressed parents, the onset of depression occurs during adolescence, and must be treated during adolescence (Weissman 210). Depression has a wide range of symptoms, from being sad or mad to withdrawal from others, or lashing out at others. Symptoms of youth depression are often masked. Instead of expressing sadness, teenagers may express boredom and irritability, or may choose to engage in risky behaviors. Other emotional problems make it hard to recognize depression in a child, but usually overlap with depression.
Today, many young adults face teenage depression. Teenage depression can be caused by a plethora of triggers. Often thought to be the result of the stress of school performance, social status with peers, sexual orientation, or family life, teenage depression can also be caused by other more significant factors (Teen Depression). Frequently other causes of teenage depression are overlooked, but are important factors to the development of depression in teens. According to an article written by Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, “Rather, people with this illness tend to have a number of biological, psychological, and environmental risk factors that contribute to its development” (What Is Teen Depression). Factors that cause
Empfield, M., Bakalar, N. (2001). Understanding Teenage Depression: A Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment and Management, Holt Paperbacks, New York.
Teenager depression can be a major obstacle to teenagers actualizing their dreams and goals in life. This can have several negative effects on the life of teenagers and their families. The causes of teenager depression may be grouped mainly into two categorizes; they are psychological and environmental causes. The psychological factors/causes deals with the less physical but mental causes of teen depression. While the environmental factors/causes deal mainly with the more physical and obvious causes.