Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Causes and effects of youth depression
Stress in teens
Causes and effects of teen-age depression
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Causes and effects of youth depression
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. Therefore, some changes that you could possibly see in teens if they do develop depression are behavioral and emotional turnovers. Changes like you sensing despondency and frustration. And them not performing as usual as always, but don't confuse this with just ordinary adolescents, this is what causes teens to feel like no one perceives the way they do . Make sure you know before just assuming they are all right. If you do, it can make the
Have you ever felt “down in the dumps”? How about sad or unhappy for long periods of time? Has the thought of suicide ever crossed your mind? Between 35% and 50% of adolescents experience depression at some point in their teenage years. Brent Runyon, author of The Burn Journals, experienced a severe type of depression while in middle school.
People constantly overlook the severity of depression, more importantly, major teen depression, which presents a legitimate obstacle in society. The intensity of teen depression results from society’s general lack of acknowledgement of the rising affair. In 2012, “28.5% of teens were depressed” and 15.8% of teens contemplated the option of suicide (Vidourek 1 par. 1), due to their major depression going unnoticed or untreated for. Even teenagers themselves often ignore their depression or remain in denial because neither them nor anyone else recognizes the signs. “A sudden change in behavior is a main sign of someone being depressed, which could lead to having suicidal thoughts,” stated Pam Farkas, a clinical social worker in California (Aguilar 1 par. 8). The warning signs and risk factors of teen depression include behavioral issues, social withdrawal, and inadequate interest in activities (Adolescents and Clinical Depression 2 par. 3), yet the unawareness of these signs does not allow professional medical attention to intercede. Deaths, illnesses, rejection, relationship issues, and disappointment present passages down the negative path of teen depression, but treatments, such as psychotherapy, intervention programs, and antidepressants express ways to subdue this major problem. Knowledge of the increasing dilemma needs to circulate, in order to promote stable teen lives in the present and future world. Understanding major teen depression, the events and incidents that lead to depression, and how to overcome the problem will lead to a decrease in major teen depression and its growing issue in society.
Depression is feeling low. Dont feel good about self and unhappiness. Mood changes include feelings of guilt and worthless, being sad for a period of time, and become disinterested in things they enjoyed or liked. Some behavior changes are suicide thoughts, eating or sleeping more or less, can`t concentrate, and poor performance in school work or job.
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.
There are three main types of sociological perspectives in which you can perceive different sociological issues and concepts; structural-functional, symbolic-interaction, and social conflict. Structural-functional looks at society as a whole and how it works together. Symbolic-interaction is how different symbols spark particular thoughts and emotions by examining the meanings that people impose on objects, events and behaviors. Social conflict studies how power and coercion affect social order. Based off these types of perspectives, an analysis on teen depression and suicide can be evaluated from a sociological standpoint.
Teenage depression is happening constantly and not improving. In fact, from 2005 to 2014 the prevalence of depression, or the chance of experiencing depression within the year increased in ages 12-17. “Any parent of an adolescent,” as Perri Klass points out, “has to wonder, of course, what’s the difference between “regular” adolescent mood swings and teenage behaviors and these warning signs.” Depression has varying symptoms such as mood changes, persistent sadness or irritability, and changes in functionality, such as school failure or a loss of interest in activities. This being said, author Perri
The exact causes of depression seem to differ immensely, but there are some who believe that it maybe caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, or that it may even be hereditary. Still there are others who believe that it is a combination of social, biological, emotional, psychological, and economical influences that may cause someone who has no family history of depression to develop even a mild case of depression.
Some of these are broken romances, family tension, problems at school, and other pressures. All though most of the time it is more than just one of these causes. There are many signs to look out for in a teen that will/may commit suicide. Child and adolescent psychiatrists recommend that if one or more of these signs occurs, parents need to talk to their child about their concerns and seek professional help when the concerns persist.
...owing problem amongst today's teenagers. Depression brings with it many problems that can be self-destructive. If a teenager has the benefit of early intervention and help in coping with his or her depression, however, the life script can be quite different.
and have no social skills. At this time of a child’s life in when everything in their brain and mind is developing and they are learning from what they see and seeing their mother the way she is, takes a big toll. It makes children more vulnerable to frustration, anxiety and emotional issues. Now if both parents are suffering from depression, children are now even at higher risks for problems and symptoms don’t always show up right away it could take a few years to see some changes and problems occurring with your child. Later in life your child can be in lower levels of education, elementary all the way to college. Also maybe gain mental and physical disorders. IQ levels can be low, drug-use and alcoholism, and also ADHD in teens. If
... 4 out of 100 become seriously depressed and anguished to the extent that they are ready to commit suicide. The reasons are bad grades, relationship with family and friends and alcohol or drug abuse. The upshot of depression is always devastating. It is estimated that every 30 seconds a teenager commits a suicide. The reason is the same, ‘depression’.
During puberty, many teens suffer with depression. Depression is when a teen is not happy with themselves for real or imagined reasons. They may be suffering from low self-esteem or torment by others, leading to not being happy with their appearance or other physical features. Many teens go through periods of moodiness, inner turmoil, and rebellion (Gilbert, Sara). Depression may also occur in a teen due to family problems. A teen may think a divorce is coming due to parental behavior but the parents may not be thinking that.
The first main cause is it may be in your genes. The reason I say that is because if someone in that person's family has had depression before, they may carry the same genes as them. Which may lead the person to have low levels of serotonin which will promote low levels of norepinephrine which may cause depression. The second big cause of depression is psychological reasons. In 1960 psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck, following the earlier work of George Kelly and Albert Ellis, discovered that 3 main psychological reasons for depression are negative thoughts about oneself, negative thoughts about one’s world and one’s future.
Empfield, M., Bakalar, N. (2001). Understanding Teenage Depression: A Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment and Management, Holt Paperbacks, New York.
Conclusively, teenage depression is a chronic problem in the life of teenagers, which should be properly handled. When signs of this are seen in teenagers, adequate steps should be taken, in order to ensure their safety and restore their mental strength.