Adolecsent Depression Essay

"Men pray to the gods for health and they ignore that it is in their power to have it."

This will give the child the opportunity to express his or her feelings and possibly lessen their emotional states of loneliness and hopelessness. If a parent believes their child is in imminent danger, contact the emergency room, 911 or a suicide hot line number. Similarly, it is important to seek professional help from a psychologist who is specialized in detecting and treating adolescents with serious mental health problems.

The changes a young adults body is going through puberty can already be stressful and even cause depression. Depression is having feelings of severe despondency and dejection. Some may even consider depression a disease. Depression is not unheard of in our society today. There are various stressors that can cause depression. Adolescents have a lot on their plate emotionally and physically. Stressors have a severe impact on adolescents, especially pubertal timing, family stressors and school stressors. Depression is so common, it often goes unnoticed, which can cause many health problems.

moods, stress vomiting, low energy, lack of hunger, and more. When depressed, your emotional, physical, and behavioral well being is jumbled around (“Diseases and Conditions: Teen Depression”). Let’s face it, high school is an emotional roller coaster by itself, but many of the warning signs of depression can go unseen (“Diseases and Conditions: Teen Depression”). When one is experiencing depression they might intentionally remove themselves from social interactions, stop eating, experience stress vomiting, experience lack of enthusiasm, have extreme mood shifts, or even have thoughts of suicide (“Depression” 2). A single adolescent affected by depression may have one or all of these symptoms for they vary from person to person (“Depression” 2). For example, in It’s Kind Of a Funny Story, Craig suffers many symptoms of depression such as stress vomiting, lack of appetite, extreme sadness, and low energy (Vizzini 15). Craig even contemplates jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge

Mental illness is a concern worldwide with over 350 million people suffering from depression annually. The World Health Organization has predicted that by 2020 depression will be the 2nd highest disease in the world. They predicted it will be the #1 disease by 2030 (Tucci page 4). Depression will have affected more people than

According to the World Health Organization (2017), major depression is a prevalent disorder, affecting over 300-million people globally. It is common for depression to be comorbid with other disorders, it is the leading cause of disability, and greatly increases risk of suicide, the second leading cause of death among individuals ages 15-29. This increasing prevalence is making the disorder continually pressing issue for mental health providers worldwide (World Health Organization, 2017).

More people suffer from depression than you might think. People of all ages, backgrounds, lifestyles, and nationalities get clinical depression. An estimated 35 to 40 million Americas living today will suffer from major depression at some time during their lives. (4) This is about 13 to 20 percent of all Americans. (1) About half of these individuals will experience recurring depression. (3) Despite being what authorities call "the nation's leading mental health problem" (6), depression is often misdiagnosed or undiagnosed, and therefore not treated. (4) Often as a result, about 25 percent of these people attempt suicide to end their

depression at all. That is why it is wise to remember that if a person is suffering from these symptoms, then that person will more then likely need some help. The psychological symptoms consist of (a) sadness - the most common and obvious symptom of depression. (b) Loss of Interest - This is when a person no longer feels like doing many of the things that he or she usually does. Including their favorite pastimes.

Teens will exhibit symptoms of irritability; whereas, adults will have symptoms of sadness. Adolescents will typically experience anxiety along with their depression; they will also show increases in sleeping and eating. Teen and adults with depression are also treated very differently (Lewis & Simons, 2009). According to Gledhill and Hodes (2011), it is important for adolescents to receive adequate treatment because 50-70% of teens with depression will experience a relapse in the next five years. Luckily, we have seen increased activity in research within this field in the last two decades; this has helped identify approaches of treatment that are most effective (Gledhill & Hodes, 2011). The first step in the assessment is choosing a treatment that is appropriate. A full appraisal will acquire data from the juvenile, parent or care giver, and school (Gledhill & Hodes, 2011). The evaluation needs to recognize the range and seriousness of depressive indications, including suicidal risk and thoughts about suicide. The seriousness of the depression can be arranged on the premise of the number of indications, four symptoms indicate mild depression, six symptoms for depression that is moderate, and depression that is severe would indicate eight or more symptoms. Any other problems or disorders will likewise be surveyed (Gledhill & Hodes, 2011). Most interviews will include the parent and adolescent

Is depression a subject that people typically tend to brush aside? Rather than facing away from a serious issue that people suffer from in their daily lives, we should discuss the methods to help people with their struggle from depression. A common method to treat depression is the use of antidepressants. But are they effective? Do they cause more harm and danger than aid? Are there other methods that can provide greater improvement rather than a pill? Instead​ ​of​ ​using​ ​antidepressants​ ​there​ ​are​ ​other​ ​alternatives such​ ​as​ ​placebos​ ​and​ ​types​ ​of​ ​therapy​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be​ ​just​ ​as,​ ​or​ ​more​ ​effective​ ​than​ ​the​ ​use​ ​of ​prescription​ antidepressants.

Many physicians tend to think of depression as an illness of adulthood. In fact, Brown (1996) stated that "it was only in the 1980 's that mood disorders in children were included in the category of diagnosed psychiatric illnesses." In actuality, 7-14% of children will experience an episode of major depression before the age of 15. An average of 20-30% of adult bipolar patients report having their first episode before the age of 20. In a sampling of 100,000 adolescents, two to three thousand will have mood disorders out of which 8-10 will commit suicide (Brown, 1996). Blackman (1995) remarked that the suicide rate for adolescents has increased more than 200% over the last decade.

One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Over one in five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over one in twenty Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. However, depression is often not taken seriously because of the large use of antidepressant drugs and the large number of sufferers. Depression is a serious illness and should be taken as so. Contrary to the popular misconceptions about depression today, it is a serious and deadly disorder.1

Today’s teenagers are faced with the ever changing world around them and the biological changes of their bodies. Many teens are also faced with depression. Approximately half of teenagers with untreated depression may attempt suicide, which remains the third leading cause of death in this age group. (Bostic). This depression affects their school, family lives, and robs them of their self image. Depression affects many teens and often goes by unnoticed and untreated.

The DSM states “having five or more symptoms present during the same two week period and represent a change from precious functioning at least one of the symptoms is either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure” (American Psychiatric Association:, 2013). Some other “behavioral patterns are running away from home, accident-proneness; aggressive acting out; temper tantrums; self-criticism; social withdrawal and loneliness; extreme sensitivity to criticism by others; low tolerance of frustration’ sleep problems; dark fantasies, daydreams or hallucinations; marked personality change; and overwhelming interest in death and suicide.” (Comer, 2014) This is why depression and suicidal behavior is harder to recognize and are not treated. “Depression can be difficult to diagnose in teens because adults may expect teens to act moody. In addition, adolescents do not always understand or express their feelings very well. They may not be aware of the symptoms of depression and may not seek help” ("DEPRESSION IN TEENS"). Therefore, when a teen is suffering from depression and feeling suicidal it is important to help them seek help by just asking them if they are feeling suicidal and then help them take the appropriate steps to find and receive help. “About 5 percent of children and adolescents in the general population suffer from depression at any given point in time” (Shaffer,

The term depression is widely misused in today’s society. All human beings experience periods in life where they are sad for a relatively short period of time, which is considered normal. Those who experience sadness for extended periods may be suffering from depression. Two terms used to reference the classifications of depression, are Major Depressive Disorder, and Dysthymia. Individual diagnosis of these classifications is dependent on the length of time, and severity of symptoms experienced by the individual. The causes for these depressive states can be due to genetics or the insufficient production of neurotransmitters, which provide the brain with the data necessary to regulate one's psychological well being. Two examples