Adolescent Depression in the U.S. Essay

It is not uncommon to hear stories about a teenager experiencing mood swings and rebelling against those in authority. Nor is it uncommon to experience general sadness or anxiety in high school and college. However, it is often difficult to tell the difference between normal teenage angst and clinical depression. It is not commonly known that there has recently been a staggering rise of depression in adolescents. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one in twelve adolescents in the United States suffer from depression, which is 8.3 % of the teenage population. In order to combat the problem of adolescent depression, it is essential that parents take an active role in their adolescent’s life by both acknowledging and

In the United States, suicide is the third-leading cause of death for 10 to 14-year-olds (CDC, 2015) and for 15 to 19-year-olds (Friedman, 2008). In 2013, 17.0% of students grades 9 to 12 in the United States seriously thought about committing suicide; 13.6% made a suicide plan; 8.0% attempted suicide; and 2.7% attempted suicide in which required medical attention (CDC, 2015). These alarming statistics show that there is something wrong with the way suicide is handled in today’s society. In order to alleviate the devastating consequences of teenage suicide, it is important to get at the root of what causes it all: mental illness. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (2013), mental illness is the imbalance of thinking, state of mind, and mood. Approximately 90% of all suicides are committed by people with mental illnesses (NAMI, n.d.). This shows that there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide. If mental illnesses are not treated, deadly consequences could occur. It would make sense that if there is a correlation between mental illness and suicide across all ages, the same should be thought for adolescents. Approximately 21% of all teenagers have a treatable mental illness (Friedman, 2008), although 60% do not receive the help that they need (Horowitz, Ballard, & Pao, 2009). If mental illnesses are not found and treated in teenagers, some of them may pay the ultimate price.

Depression, the dark illness of the mind that grabs you by the throat controlling what you need to do and to say. In this dark state of mind no joy goes through a person, no matter how hard they try it will not penetrate the soul. Suffocating in thoughts of sadness, hopelessness, and anger presses your mind including torturing your soul on a daily bases. I know I have been through this path which is not for the weak of heart, it is an endless road of temptations from drugs, alcohol, and suicide but the best thing to do is look forward, don’t turn to those temptations. Glimmers of hope show when a helping hand reaches out to you, that’s when the light shines the brightest. Many don’t know the cause of depression, but everyone knows the effects and consequences it can have on an adult, but it will mostly affect teens who are at that delicate stage of their lives. I’ve seen kids walk past me with the look of looking forward to nothing in life, by lunch time they stay isolated in their own world, I know how they feel I’m one of those kids I know how they feel. Modern medicine is a temporary healer but the scars are still in us, depression is an ongoing battle every day and night of our lives at any time it can take over and we are a different on the outside while our real selfs are trapped in a cage of our negative thinking. Therapist really do try

Depression is a disease that afflicts the human psyche in such a way that the afflicted tend to act and react abnormally toward others and themselves. Adolescent depression is greatly under diagnosed, and leads to serious difficulties in school, and personal adjustment. The reason why depression is often overlooked in children is because children are not always able to express how they feel. Therefore, teachers should be trained in dealing with depressed youths, and to advise the parents of the child to seek professional treatment. School is the place where children spend most of their waking hours learning, socializing, and growing. A child needs to be mentally healthy in order to learn properly, and sometimes problems arise at home, with

Today review evidence-based treatment fashion in Children and adolescents. We will also review new Suicide Prevention guidelines

Teenagers are being pushed to the extremely adults to be successful in both school and in the real world. The amount of pressure is overwhelming for most teens. In a study done by Kansas State University it showed that "13,251 teenagers needed counseling" due to the fact of the amount of pressure being placed on them. Also, the study showed that "the rate of suicide tripled in teens." Not only do teens face a mental toll when being pressured to succeed, they also face many health problems. For example, most teens are always tired, have headaches, and constant stomach pains. Another major problem is that their relationship with their families and friends is greatly, negatively affected. Teens become anti social, blocking themselves from

Suicide is the third leading cause of deaths in adolescents in the United States. Teen suicide is also often referred to as a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Teens so often are suicidal and attempt suicide as a call for help from others. They have no intention in dying they are just trying to cry out for help from anyone that will listen. Many reasons cause teen to attempt suicide, varying from bullying to psychological disorders. In fact, psychological disorders accounts for about 90% of teens who attempt or commit suicide. Teenagers are also at higher risk of suicide when they are under

Depression is a severe mood disorder and it is the most frequently diagnosed psychiatric disorder amongst adolescents. Depression is a state that adolescents can fall easily into. Teenagers spend more time with their friends than they do with their families which can result is possible rejection of peers. Individuals feel the need to have approval of self-worth by their peers. If they get disapproval, this can lead to brutal symptoms. (Platts, Kadosh, Lau 6). The symptoms can vary from self-worthlessness, anxiety, or a

Adolescent depression is a disorder that affects teenagers. It leads to sadness, discouragement, and a loss of self-worth and interest in their usual activities. Everyone experiences some unhappiness, often as a result of a change, either in the form of a setback or a loss, or simply, as Freud said, "Everyday misery." The painful feelings that accompany these events are usually appropriate and temporary, and can even present an opportunity for personal growth and improvement. However, when sadness persists and impairs daily life, it may be an indication of a depressive disorder it comes to no surprise to discover that adolescent depression is strongly linked to teen suicide. Adolescent suicide is now responsible for more deaths in

Depression is something that can cause an individual’s life to change drastically. It is a mental illness that needs to be taken seriously and have active actions throughout the process of becoming better. People may see depression as an illness that does not need much attention, or is nothing to worry about, but that is when they are wrong. Depression has many warning signs that need to be looked for and noticed carefully since they can be very hard to determine. Teen depression changes the daily lives of individuals and the people around them who are suffering. Depression is also one of the major reasons why the suicide rate is high. Depression is the cause of over two-thirds of the 30,000 reported suicides in the U.S. each year. (White House Conference on Mental Health, 1999). Untreated depression is the number one risk for suicide among youth. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 15 to 24 year olds and the fourth leading cause of death in 10 to 14 year olds. Young males age 15 to 24 are at highest risk for suicide, with a ratio of males to females at 7:1. (American Association of Suicidology, 1996). Depression is a very serious illness that needs to be brought to everyone’s

Adolescence is a stage of maturation between childhood and adulthood that denotes the period from the beginning of puberty to maturity. However, many conflicting opinions are raised about weather such a stage of childhood is influenced by stress, depression, and suicide rate. Some people support the optimistic view that says that adolescence is not a period of storm and stress. Others, including me, support an opposite pessimistic view which characterizes adolescence as a period of stress and inner turmoil. Unfortunately, it has been recently proved that depression is a growing problem in today 's society and a major contributing factor for a multitude of adolescent problems. This is because , as research indicates, adolescent depression

From my experience, peer pressure or fitting in, is the single most prevalent problem among adolescents today. This seems to be because the demands on today 's adolescents are more complex than they used to be for previous generations. Many of today 's youth fail to have a source of guidance and love, whether it is a family, role model, or even a group of friends. To help adolescents deal with peer pressure one could provide opportunities for success such as joining a group that encourage and value the individual. Another way to help the individual would be to focus on the positive by praising their accomplishments. Preparing adolescents with alternatives such as discussing ways to resist peer pressure and thinking for themselves are good ways to help them cope. When dealing with the topic of depression, many times it 's because the adolescent doesn 't fit in nor have any friends to help him/her with their problem. Peers are necessary for normal social development and can be an effective role model as well. In many cases, ones self concept is influenced by how he/she is viewed by their peers. The concept of self is a big factor of why adolescents fall under the disorder of depression.

Until recently depression in children and adolescents had not received a great deal of attention. Increasing interest can probably be traced to a number of influences.

Depression a word we’re familiar with especially when it comes to adults, we know adults get depress and we understand the reasons, with the high demands in life it’s not uncommon to get lost in the shuffle. Depression in adult is something we have known for many years, but what has surprised many of us is that adolescents also get depressed. I myself still don’t fully understand the reasons why or how this happens. I see it very often adolescent coming in to the ER because they are depressed and want to hurt themselves, and each and every single time I’m shock. What could be so bad in their lives that would make them think they have no way out? This is the reason why I choice this topic, I want to learn more of how this disease affects so many children and teens and what we can do to stop it.

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.