Depression Affects Children And Teenagers In The United States

This topic came from the thought that depression is something that all of us have experienced at some point in our lives. It focuses on adolescents because during this period we are young and vulnerable and may not know how to cope with situations or circumstances that may lead us into depression. Factors such as going through puberty and issues at home with parents can all cause depression. This paper will talk about what is depression, how families can affect depression in the child, and how depression can lead to long term effects.

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

Mental illness is a popular ill among all ages of people, it can happen in kids, adult or in senior. In fact, 20% of Canadians will personally experience in their lifetime (Canada Mental Health Association, n.d.). But all among of those mental illness we’re going to talk about depression. Depression is an extremely complex disease and it can be really bad especially for people who are expected to focus during class, be confident and social outside of school, and successfully plan their futures, depression it can be devastating for these people. Even mental experts have a belief that’s teens suffering from untreated depression are up to 12 times more likely to commit suicide (Marsico, 2012, p16). The main purpose of making this report is to

Depression is a significant problem for adolescents and one of the most common reasons that they seek mental health treatment. Depression is often brought on or worsened by experiencing negative life events such as bullying, abuse or neglect, parental divorce, and countless others. There are numerous treatment options for depression, but cognitive behavior therapy is one of the most widely used and heavily researched treatments for depression in children and adolescents. Adolescents who are depressed often interpret life’s events in distorted and negative ways which can lead to engaging in maladaptive behaviors as a way of coping with life’s stressors. CBT aims to bring awareness to clients about their irrational ways of

Often teenagers are stressed because of the range of academic pressure from school that is derived from the need to achieve high grades or pass the class, pressure from parents, heavy workload, competition and sports. There are many contributing factors as to why a teenager may be suffering from depression, but by taking a closer look at the increased amount of pressure put on adolescents from the school system alone, one can observe a pattern in the resulting data.

For future direction I would love to see the way it can affect young children below the ages of seven years old. Even though the studies would have to be altered. It would be nice to see just how the younger children below the age of seven would see themselves. Maybe the way they could go about it talking to children and getting their feedback. Or it can be on older age children above the ages of 12 and beyond. That way to get a better sample of younger and older ages of people. Or it could be another more detailed topic than depression or a deeper meaning of depression.

The subject of my research is Depression, which is an illness that affect most of the teens in the United States and worldwide. Although I have family members who have been experiencing depression including me, I did not know that this horrible feeling can catch adolescents specifically that period called puberty. Puberty is the most critical period where the child has a transition into adolescent and it is characterized for a mixture of changes in behaviors, moodiest. One of the most dangerous is Depression. My 12 years old daughter was diagnosed with Severe Depression.

By explaining the youth and society of the causes and symptoms of depression, we can inform students the consequences that can occur from the highly common mental disorder. What is depression? Depression is a brain disorder characterized by persistently depressed mood or loss of interest in activities, causing significant impairment in daily life (Mayo Clinic). Depression can happen to anyone. Just to show, one in five teens suffers from a clinical depression (Mayo Clinic.) Depression is severe and, if left untreated, can worsen to the point of being life threatening. Evidence shows that with such a low self-esteem, instead of seeking help, “young people resort to suicide and other forms of dangerous acts. Many of these long-standing problems are caused by bullying,” (Mental Health America.) Because of this, we implement more programs so people are more aware of how depression can lead to dangerous consequences if left untreated. Studies show that suicide attempts among young people may be based on long-standing problems triggered by a specific event. To explain, adolescents that are suicidal may view a temporary situation as a permanent condition. Feelings of anger and resentment combined with exaggerated guilt can lead to impulsive, self-destructive acts. Many schools use programs after school such as bullying campaigns. According to the

Research indicates teen’s depression and health professionals say it’s important to get help as soon as a problem is present. Diagnostic criteria are the same for adolescence and adults, with the exception that adolescence may express irritability rather than sad or depressed mood. Major depressive disorder in adolescents is a common condition that affects physical, emotional, and social development for which are more likely to experience anhedonia, boredom, hopelessness, hypersomnia, weight change, alcohol or drug use, and suicide attempts. (MacPhee, 2006) Another major difference between adult and adolescent depression is that depression in adolescence usually involves more social and interpersonal difficulties which directly leads to self-esteem problems. (Seth J. Schwartz, 2012) Correlational studies have consistently shown a significant negative relationship between self-esteem and depression. (Seth J. Schwartz, 2012) People with low self-esteem are typically unhappy. Their sense of fulfillment and pleasure with life is usually resulting from how they feel about themselves. For some people, low self-esteem may contribute to depression and even the inability to function in life. School related stress plays a role in triggering predisposed conditions; the potential for conflict and for psychological stress is high in schools for students because of pressure that comes with adolescences. Ignoring

Some studies indicate that today’s youth are ten times more likely than fifty years ago (Wickramaratne, 1989). Many credit the increase in depression statistics to greater understanding and awareness of depressions itself, moreover, there are concerns that although over the last five decades, virtually every aspect of American life has improved (Seilgman, Ernst, Gillham, Reivich, & Linkins, 2009). Americans have greater purchasing power, larger homes, more cars, better careers, less effect racism, women’s rights, more entertainment, less pollutants, dynamic music and better education, yet depression is on the rise. Is it possible that the lack of positivity education is at the root of this depression increase? Positive psychology was formally introduced by Martin E.P. Seligman to the American Psychological Association (APA) in his 1998 Presidential address (Seilgman, Ernst, Gillham, Reivich, & Linkins, 2009). However, there is irrefutable evidence that peripheral ideations can be found dating back to American philosopher and psychologist William James studies, citing one’s ability to alter their attitude can alter their outcome (Froh, 2004 pg. 18).

Everyone feels depressed at some time in their lives, whether the cause may result from illness, the loss of a family member, a decrease in grades and so on. These tribulations and many more are natural causes of feelings of sadness and lamentation. It is normal to feel distressed about a loss or failure. However, for a number of people, that feeling of dejection repeats for months, years, or, if left untreated, even a lifetime. An estimated 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression. Of these affected, one in eight teens suffer from this disease (World Health Organization, para. 1). Depression is an attenuating disease, affecting teens at an increasing rate, and it is essential for one to know what teenage depression is, how depression affects teenagers and what can be done to prevent it.

Throughout the world, people are struggling daily with one, if not multiple, mental illness. Some of these individuals have been diagnosed as a result of symptoms they exhibit, while others struggle in silence. For those that have received help, life slowly looks brighter for them, while loved ones work to help in any way possible. One of the serious mental illnesses that teens struggle with is depression. There are various aspects as to why an adolescent may develop depression including social, academic, or family problems, as well as stress or past issues; however, if others recognize the warning signs, complications can be avoided and treatment obtained to overcome depression.

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.

Depression is a psychological disorder that not only gravely affects the state of mind of a person but also the physical body. It is characterised by behavioural changes such as differing intensities of sadness, feelings of hopelessness, low self-worth and loss of interests (“A Definition of Depression”, 2007, para. 1). Depression is a major problem among youths and the number of occurrences has been growing in recent years. Kuabara, Van Voorhees, Gollan and Alexander (2007) support this claim by citing that youths have the “highest incidence and cumulative prevalence of depression” and further reiterate that “the risk of depression in this age group [youths] has increased significantly in the last half century” (para. 1). This is based on

Depression is a common mental health issue in adolescents worldwide. However, a variety of different symptoms, risk factors, and treatment methods have a roll on how the child copes and recovers from their depressive disorder. Nonetheless, Adolescent depression is a disorder that affects teenagers. This disorder can lead to several negative feelings such as disappointment, sadness, and a loss of self-worth. However, when do parents know the difference between their child facing challenges that may result in experiencing “the blues” rather than consequences that could lead to much more severe risks such as suicide. Throughout my research, I will discover such differences in relation to warning signs and symptoms, causes of depression, how a