The Prevalence Of Depression Among Teenagers

Depression is prevalent for teenagers so it is crucial that we spread awareness to this issue. My paper is about teenage depression and how common it is now. This topic interests me because as a high school student i can relate very much. Each day is like a challenge so you’ll never know what to expect. Teen depression is interesting to me because there’s multiple ways to comprehend and treat this illness.

To understand depression first you must understand the signs and changes. Karen Swartz, psychiatrists and director of clinical programs says irritability, lack of feeling focused and sad are the main symptoms to be acknowledged. Not being able to concentrate corresponds with lack of focus because these two go hand in hand. This evidence is important because in order to receive help you must recognize the signs first. If you don’t then it’s going to be too late for you as a parent and teenager. It’s serious to notice the slightest changes in a person’s personality or mood.

Teenage depression or depression in general can’t be necessarily prevented but gradually progressed. In order to make that progress you must stay active. Adrienne Rayski, creator of EveryDayHealth.com says, “getting active is not only great for your physical health, but it also improves anxiety as well as depression. Just by walking 30 minutes a day will create a positive purpose for you” (Rayski). This is key because you cannot let depression win the battle. No matter how low you feel, you still have a special purpose to serve. You have to think about how your parents or guardians would feel if you were no longer on this Earth. When people commit suicide, they don’t realize that they are affecting the people who they leave behind - friends, family, significant others, children, and teachers - and it could cause a ripple effect if someone related to them takes their death so heavily that they decide to kill themselves in return.

The lack of attention or abuse from parents can lead to depression. Having divorced or separated parents can be emotionally overwhelming. Mindyourmind.ca states that it’s usually the aftermath of the parents splitting can cause trauma so the parents should pay close attention to their teenagers. Here this is vital because these teenagers feel alone. When the family is splits after they were so close it can create emotional instability for adolescents.

Suicide is the third leading cause of death in the ages 15-24 years old; Dr. Jeff Nalin says there are 25 attempted suicides for every one successful suicide attempt made by teenagers (Nalin). Most of these deaths come from social media that involves cyber bullying. This can destroy the reputations of these young teenagers within hours. When these kids go through their timeline they usually think their friends lives are living perfect lives so they feel left out. This is indispensable because 15 percent of adolescents who suffer from depression will develop bipolar depression.

Depression increases when adolescents are romantically involved. More than 8,000 teenagers become depressed after breakups. Psychologist Carl E. Pickardt says this causes the teenagers to turn to drugs, sex, and alcohol to cope with feelings. 40 percent of teen girls become more promiscuous to hide depression. This evidence is important because depression comes from negative relationships. The aftermath is what usually triggers the depression.

To cope with depression adolescents can listen to music, draw, paint and dance to express their feelings. Depressionteenshelp.com says the importance in doing this is to ease some of the pain away. You want to make sure these kinds can see how things can be positive and let them know you have their full support. When trying to cope with depression it’s important to try doing things that used to excite you. Rather if it works or not you have to remain positive and take it one step at a time. Nothing will ever happen overnight so patience is key.

There are multiple ways to help depressed adolescents so they won’t feel in the dark. Psychodynamic therapy is what can help treat depression by focusing more on the teens psyche to deal with internal struggle. Problem solving therapy is always good to help kids find better ways to deal with stressful situations. Momjunction.com suggests that cognitive behavior therapy helps focuses on replacing negative thoughts and feelings patterns with more positive ones. This is significant because you want the good to outweigh the bad in order for you to progress properly.

As a parent no one will ever know your child better than you, so if you can sense a problem, most likely you’re right. According to DepressionTeensHelp.com You don’t want to pressure your teens about coming to you about their feelings. They have to open up to their parents on their own and in order to do that give them space. Amy K. Mistler, a psychologist at Orenstein Solutions suggests that teenagers pick their own therapist so teenagers can open up more. As stated by Lauren MacDonald, therapy sessions will improve school, social and family life to keeps teens in control.