Discussion of Teenage Depression

Teenage depression is increasing briskly and often being treated erroneously. This is a major problem because depression has fatal effects on adolescents. It was stated by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, that depression is experience by 20% of people during their teen years. Each year, there are stories of thousands of adolescents committing suicide. There are also various causes of depression which lead to disastrous effects that might impair a teenager’s life. Every human being can infrequently feel down, yet depression is a constant feeling which is considered to be a mental disorder. There are two major diverse forms of depression; major and minor depression. Major depression affects one’s life from functioning normally. For instance, it affects a person’s daily routine as it also affects one’s capability to sleep, eat, and enjoy delightful events. Furthermore, minor depression is not permanent; it lasts for at least 2 weeks. Minor depression eventually leads to major depression. It is necessary for one to know the causes and symptoms of teenage depression in order to know how to avoid and confront it. Teenage depression has many different causes; this paper will discuss some of these causes. This topic is considered to be important because depression is a regular disease that affects teenagers. This essay will discuss the symptoms of depression and demonstrate some of the environmental causes of depression that alter teenagers’ lives. Some of the causes are; extreme trauma, family issues. Moreover, it demonstrates genetic causes; inherited depression. It also examines the effects of adolescents’ depression. This essay ventilates some of the previous recommended solutions on how to treat depression. Finally, it reviews the best solution acquired for teenagers to treat depression.

If one is alert to the symptoms; it is easy to prevent the disease. The symptoms are considered very helpful determinants that foreshadow to teenagers the depression they might face. Symptoms can also help teenagers avoid depression, since symptoms happen before they are actually depressed. Moreover, it notifies the teenagers’ parents that their children are going to suffer from depression. Most probably the teenagers’ family and friends will be the first to notice the depression symptoms. One of the main symptoms of depression is losing interest in all activities. It is an obvious symptom when teenagers start withdrawing from activities. When teenagers sleep too much or experience insomnia, it is, definitely, a symptom of depression (Schwanke, n.d.). Anhedonia is another symptom that occurs to adolescents, it is known as the teenagers’ inability to enjoy things that was previously enjoyable (Brennan, n.d.). There are no symptoms for traumatic events because it is unexpected to happen. If symptoms of depression are not noticed by teenagers and dealt with, it will not prevent the cause from happening.

The question ascends why depression is common in one’s teenage years. One of the main causes of teenage depression is extreme trauma. In other words, teenagers are depressed when they are sexually, mentally, or physically abused. Moreover, trauma might also occur to those who lost a parent, someone they love, or faced medical illness. An example of traumatic event, a teenage girl lost her father in a motorcycle accident which made her suffer and eventually became depressed (Kelly, 2011). Another example, two teenage brothers lost their mother in a car accident, and after six months they lost their father in another car accident. This is a traumatic situation that caused depression for both teenagers. Moreover, it was stated by their relative that both brothers have been suffering from depression for more than six months (Alleman, 2012). These examples indicate how traumatic events can cause teenage depression. Stressful events can negatively impact teenagers because if they attempted to handle a situation and it did not work out, it will eventually lead to depression. It was stated by Krans (2012) that traumatic events change adolescent’s life as it leaves a permanent effect on their brain, which suddenly leads to depression. When teenagers are traumatized, it makes them feel insecure, unsafe, and helpless (Lubow, 2010). According to teen treatment center, it was stated that teenagers who face traumatic events do not get the effective treatment they need. This is because approximately eighty six percent of sexual abuses on adolescents are not reported. It was also stated that about 5 percent of teenagers in the world suffer from depression (Framingham, n.d.). This shows the seriousness of teenage depression which leads to severe effects, moreover, it might lead to suicide.

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Another determinant why teenagers suffer from depression is because of the inherited traits. In other words, teenagers can suffer from depression if they have a family member who suffered or still suffers from depression. Depression is known to be mental disorder; this is why it can be inherited like any other disease. According to Krucik (2012), researchers discovered that almost 40 percent of teenagers inherited their depression. Moreover, it was found that adolescents whose parents or siblings suffer from depression have a higher risk of suffering from depression. It was also examined that teenagers with depressed relatives or parents are three times more likely to suffer from depression (Krucik, 2012). Studies show that teenagers who were taken away from their biological parents, who have some sort of depressive illness, have the same possible risk as a teenager not adopted away (The Committee on Nomenclature and Statistics of the American Psychiatric Association, 1952). Researchers conducted that identical twins are an example which shows that genes are a major cause of adolescents’ depression. For instance, when one identical twin is suffering from depression the other has a chance of 76% to develop depression (Price, 2004). Another example of genetic depression, a teenage girl, Heather, believes that depression is an inherited mental disease because her father was suffering from depression and committed suicide when she was 9 years. She asserted that depression runs in her family. In her teenage years she started suffering from depression and she wanted to commit suicide (Glain, 2011). It was stated by the Norwegian institute of public health, that 74% of teenage depression is resulted by genes. Teenage depression is not only caused by environmental factors. Teens might not face traumatic events to suffer from depression; moreover, teens might suffer from depression only because they inherited it from their parents.

The last common cause of teenage depression is caused due to family circumstances. What happens when one’s inspirational and motivational force collapses? Parents have a powerful impact on their teenagers; moreover, they motivate and inspire them. However, when parents argue and start fighting a lot in front of their teenagers, it causes depression. Teenagers feel depressed because they start thinking if their parents will get divorced or not. Moreover, parents’ arguing might change the teenagers’ perspective about marriage and love which can cause temporary depression. When parents separate, most of teenagers’ lives start disintegrating. Separation causes depression because teenagers have lived their whole lives with both of their parents and now they are forced to see them drifting apart. Parental separation and family issues cause stress for teenagers which eventually lead to depression.

Teenage depression has several consequences. Some of these consequences are severe, harmful and fatal. Depression has many effects, some of these effects are; self-harm, violence or even suicide. Adolescents can harm themselves when they feel depressed; they want to feel anything other than being depressed. Moreover, they can be violent and nervy because when teenagers are depressed they feel worthless. Finally, teenagers who suffer from depression are likely to think about committing suicide. Thinking about suicide also leads to self-harm and violence. Teenagers who cannot handle family problems probably will run away from their homes because they want to escape from what is causing their depression. These effects show that actions have to be taken to prevent such disorder in a teenager’s life. Depression might alter teenagers’ lives; therefore it has to be treated effectively in order to prevent serious effects.

This serious mental disorder has been addressed by various solutions of which managed to solve it. The first recommendation for overcoming teenage depression is psychotherapy; the process of talking with therapist about one’s depression. Psychotherapy is considered to be effective in some cases because some teenagers refuse taking medications. Yet, psychotherapy is not very effective for teenagers suffering from severe depression. Moreover, psychotherapy’s treatment typically takes long time in healing teenagers. Antidepressant medication is another solution; it helps healing teenagers suffering from severe depression. Moreover, a U.S study conducted that antidepressant medication helped in healing about 50 percent of depressed people (Kilham, 2011). Specialists found out that antidepressant medication has various side effects; due to this fact, many teenagers might suffer from insomnia, dry mouth, anxiety or dizziness (Allen, n.d.). Cognitive behavior therapy is another solution that teenagers pursue, it helps teenagers in getting rid of their negative thoughts and altering their behavior patterns. This solution helps in improving adolescents’ mood, yet according to Harvard medical health publications, it was stated that CBT can be abortive because some teenagers might stop attending their sessions. All these solutions were formerly mentioned, yet they were never implemented effectively. Therefore, depression still exists and teenagers are still suffering.

One of the best solutions that were not mentioned before to approach this problem is that depressed teenagers should talk with their family members and to their trusted friends. Moreover, share their thoughts with people they trust and love because depressed people need someone talk to in order to be relieved. Furthermore, teenagers’ family and friends might help them through their tough times and can also help them overcome their problems. The second thing that teenagers should do is to participate in social activities even if they do not want to. When teenagers are depressed, they retreat in their own shell because it makes them feel more comfortable, yet in order to feel less depressed they should be around people and try participating in activities. Furthermore, teenagers should pursue new interests. Teenagers should join a support group for depression; when one finds others suffering from the same disease, it will definitely help teenagers encourage and advice each other. Moreover, by joining this group it will reduce the teenagers’ sense of being isolated. Previous solutions have some drawbacks, but if teenagers were able to discuss their problems with family and friends, participate in social activities and joining a support group for depression, definitely they will feel relieved, pleased, and delighted. It is considered the best solution because it contains no medications, therefore, teenagers will not suffer from any side effects. Teenagers might refuse to go to therapists, so, talking in the depression group will relief. This solution should be carried out by teenagers because they are the ones suffering from depression. It is also important to raise awareness, because many teenagers do not seek treatment. This should be carried out by media, since media is responsible for raising awareness. In poor areas, NGO’s and civil society organizations are responsible for increasing teenagers’ awareness. They should seek their own interest and try to overcome depression by the presented solution. This solution is considered to be affordable and accessible; teenagers should only have the intention to heal.

To conclude, depression is an awful disease that must come to an end. Moreover, it affects many teenagers. Depression has numerous symptoms, these symptoms should be noticed as soon as they show and teenagers should seek immediate help to prevent depression. Teenagers, who have an ambition to cease depression, should consider the presented solution since it will help in curing them. Teens should comprehend that depression is a mental disorder that might ruin their lives forever. Therefore, they should implement the given solution in order to diminish depression’s negative effects. Adolescents should seek treatments because it will definitely help them heal. However, awareness should be increased on all social levels to enlighten teenagers who suffer from depression. Depression is a severe problem that should be immediately addressed.