Depression in Adolescents

Approximately 4 out of 100 teenagers get seriously depressed each year (Oster and Caro 4). The term depression refers to "changes in moods and behaviors that range from a mild degree of reactive sadness to intensely experienced feelings of dysphoria and possibly even suicidal thoughts" (Oster and Caro 5). Among its symptoms are feelings of worthiness, restlessness, changes in appetite, diminished abilities in concentration and decision making, loss of interest in daily activities, and repeated thoughts of death (Oster and Caro 5). Although many teenagers feel sad at one time or another, depression can be identified if a child's state of sadness is giving him/her problems with grades, relationships with family and friends, alcohol, sex and drugs, or controlling one's behavior in other ways. It is relatively common for depression to occur with other psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety states, drug use, and eating and personality disorders.

Because the experience of sad feelings is familiar to everyone and appears to be a typical response to life stress, family members and friends are likely to minimize the severity of symptoms and less likely to attribute a depressed emotional state to a teenager who is showing signs of apathy or restlessness (Rutter 45). Feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem are primary characteristics of people during depressed states. Many depressed teenagers view themselves as inadequate or incompetent and believe that others view them in the same way. Death by suicide occurs in about one percent of depressed people during the year of a depressive episode and in about fifteen percent of cases where depression occurs frequently over the lifetime (Oster and Caro 7).

Since the late 1960s, increasing geographic, economic, and emotional changes, as well as a number of other factors, have made adolescence at risk for developing depression (Rutter 16). Overcrowded school, alienation by peers, family dynamics, and relationships are all factors that can affect a teenager's sense of self-worth. A lack of friends and social support is a leading factor in depression of teens. These situations can lead to a sudden decline in grades and a withdrawal from peers and extracurricular activities (Rutter 16). Depressed youth often have problems at home. In many cases, the parents are depressed, as depression tends to run in families (Oster and Caro 33). Drug use has been viewed as a method for teenagers to defend themselves against the uncomfortable feelings accompanying anxiety and depression. However, it is these very drugs that may increase the urge to attempt suicide. Teens who have difficulty talking about their feelings may show their emotional tension, physical discomfort, pain and low self-esteem with self-injurious behaviors, such as cutting. Because of a teenager's lack of life experience and coping skills, situations that may seem easy to overcome by adults will be huge obstacles for a depressed teen. In these instances, suicide may seem a child's only escape from the dark hole known as depression.

Common treatments for depression include psychiatric evaluation and counseling for the teen and the family, anti-depressant medication, and/or a significant change in life events (Rutter 106). Counseling, or psychotherapy, means talking about feelings with a trained psychologist who can help change the relationships, thoughts, or behaviors that are causing the depression. Medicine is used to treat depression that is severe or disabling. Antidepressant medications, such as Zoloft or Paxil, are not "uppers" and are not addictive. When depression is so bad that one cannot focus on anything else, when it interferes with a person's life in an overwhelming way, medication might be necessary, in addition to counseling. But most often, counseling alone is sufficient. Sometimes the adolescent will simply grow out of the depressed stage either on his/her own or because of a change in his/her life that causes the opposite feelings (Oster and Caro 27). However, in most cases leaving the depression untreated in adolescence may cause future problems with depression in adulthood.

Works Cited

Oster, Gerald, and Janice Caro. Understanding and Treating Depressed Adolescents and Their Families. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1990.
Rutter, Michael, Carroll Izard, and Peter Read, eds. Depression in Young People. New York: The Guilford Press, 2000.