The Uprise of Teen Depression

By: Nethra C.

 

Swirls and bursts of morose emotions flood your brain. Panic washes over you like a giant wave. As a teen, have you ever felt sad or stressed? These feelings are normal for any human being, but exhibiting these emotions daily can spiral down the unhealthy path of teen depression.  In recent years, teen depression has become more prominent than ever. Adults must rise to this situation before more and more loved ones are lost to suicide and despair. If we don’t take charge today, future generations could cripple from constant mental health issues.

About 20 percent of teens experience depression before adulthood. Furthermore, many keep this issue to themselves and never reveal anything to any adults. Perhaps, this number could be substantially more. Only 30 percent of teens facing depression are being treated! San Diego University professor Jean Twenge reveals that five times as many teens are dealing with depression-related issues than those observed during the Great Depression. Many kids who go down this route also face suicide. The rate of suicide of teens has tripled since 1960. It’s the third-leading cause of death of adolescents and second-leading among college youth.   

Why do all these things happen? And why is depression particularly affecting teens nowadays? To support this, school may be a major cause of mental health concerns. Excessive homework, exams, bullies, relationships, and pressure to do well cause lots of stress on kids. The staff from the Discover Mood and Anxiety program state, “modern-day lifestyles… less exercise, and no casual and unstructured technology-free play, less sunshine and more computer -- factors into the equation.” As technology gets advanced, many things in the world will solely rely on devices. Kids are sucked into technology and forget to do essential practices like exercising and going outside. According to Stanford Children’s Health, “a stressful home environment… and violence can lead to depression.” Trauma at home generates a big source of mental health predicaments. This includes divorce or death of parents, furthermore abuse and neglect as well. Unfortunately, once these issues cross a certain line, kids climb into deeper and darker levels of depression. According to https://www.mhanational.org/depression-teens-0, symptoms include hostile, aggressive behavior, substance abuse, destroyed relationships, and suicide. The Mayo Clinic Staff states, “It affects how your teenager thinks, feels and behaves, and it can cause emotional, functional and physical problems.” It’s repulsive how these circumstances can befall right under our noses. 

Fortunately, hope is not lost. If parents and teachers frequently intervene in a child’s life, serious mental health conditions can easily be prevented and terminated.  However, this doesn’t mean nagging or bothersome reminders. Preferably, adults should make kids feel comfortable speaking out and kindly approach them. According to Jill Suttie Ph.D., a psychologist, there are five different ways parents can help prevent depression in teens. Parents should implement continual care and support, teach strong emotional and social skills, encourage positive relationships,  and stimulate them to seek purpose in life.

Additionally, parents need to group in associations or unions and operate to change the school system and conditions. This could include talking to many teachers or the school board about reducing the daily workload on students. Molly Galloway from Lewis and Clark College says, “Because homework tends to act as a stressor in students’ lives, their bodies must find a way to respond or react to this stressor, chronic stress can induce negative physical, mental, and behavioral outcomes.” Moreover, parents could opt for a special program for specific bullies, or give out stricter rules and enforcement. Stopbullying.gov says, “Kids who are bullied can experience negative physical, social, emotional, academic, and mental health issues.” This act will positively impact every kid in the school and prevent them from experiencing distress. 

Even once teens have already fallen under depression, there are still many things parents can do. They should resort to medical solutions and professional help. For example, parents can take teens to mental health screenings to determine a kid’s conditions. Mental Health America announces, “Psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, medication” can drastically improve mental health in teens.  Most kids exhibit clear warning signs for attempted suicide. These include: “Obsession with death, giving away belongings, irrational, bizarre behavior.”  If all adults are somewhat educated in these matters, they could prevent many lives from being lost. 

We never know what goes on in the mind of a fragile teenager. Substantial numbers of teens are being lost every day due to depression and suicide. Families and schools must stop taking this point nonchalantly! All adults must collaborate to intercept and stop mental health obstacles from destroying our younger generations. Next time you go to school, check in on your classmates;  ask how they’re doing. Raising this topic at home and at school can cause others to become aware as well. If we all want to be healthy 20 years in the future, everyone needs to play their small role in stopping this noxious hindrance.