Not that long ago doctors thought that depression couldn't even happen to teens and if they
exhibited any signs of depression they were simply dismissed as being moody and irritable.
But as many teens and used to be teens like myself can attest, depression in your younger
years is a very real thing.
The first thing you should know about teen depression is that
it's probably more common than you think. Teenage depression is a mental and emotional
disorder that leads to symptoms such as prolonged sadness, loss of interest in activities, lowered
self-worth and feelings of discouragement. According to the National Institutes of Health
rates of adolescent depression peak around age 16. By 18 around 11% of kids have been
diagnosed with clinical depression. Just to put it in even more perspective 1 in 5 kids
in the US has experienced at least one bout of depression. Fact number 2: Teenage girls
are twice as likely to experience depression. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration between ages 12 and 15, depression rates triple among girls.
Doctors still aren't sure what's to blame for such a steep increase but it probably
has to do with a mix of hormonal changes bought on by puberty as well as peer pressure. And
speaking of at risk populations for teenage depression, LGBT youth are twice as likely
to experience depression compared to straight teens and are three times as likely to have
a history of suicidality. Bullying is often cited as a primary cause of that escalated
rate of depression among lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual teenagers. A 2013 study found
that 14% of eighth graders were bullied in school for either being gay or being suspected
of being gay. Even more alarming is that a 2008 study from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention found that out of 7,000 LGBT middle and high school students, 8 out of
10 were verbally harassed by classmates and 4 out of 10 were physically harassed. Whether
we're talking about boys, girls, gay, straight, transgender, what's important for parents
and teachers to recognize in particular is that teenage depression can look a bit different
than adult depression. Specifically the hallmarks of teenage depression include things like
irritability as opposed to things like outright sadness or complaints of physical aches and
pains as well as extreme sensitivity to criticism particularly for teens who tend to be over-achievers
as well as social withdrawal but not complete social isolation. If you or someone you know
is a teenager battling depression the fifth and perhaps most important fact to know is
that it can get better. Cognitive behavioral therapy or talk therapy sometimes paired with
anti-depressant medication is the typical professional treatment for prolonged bouts
of depression in teenagers. If those kinds of resources aren't accessible for you, even
just talking about it to a friend or family member can help alleviate those initial symptoms
of depression. A recent study among high-schoolers found that even just understanding and believing
that life can change and get better has an insulating effect from depression during those
crucial teen years. And while that might sound like a naively optimistic mantra to cling
onto, I can tell you from personal experience from being a used-to-be depressed teenager
that yes life can change and for the better and also all of that cheesy stuff about exercising
and eating right and treating your body well and feeding your creativity and talking to
people about what's going on inside of your head, yeah, all of that stuff makes a huge
difference too and that kind of stuff, I've only figured that out in the past few years.
And as far as that talking to people goes, if you needed an ear, I'm here. I didn't mean
to make that rhyme. You can always message me, you can e-mail me, you can tweet me, you
can facebook me. In the meantime be good to yourself and be good to others too.