Teenage depression

Teenage depression is a growing problem in today’s society and is often a major contributing factor for most adolescent problems. The statistics about teenage runaways, alcoholism, drug problems, pregnancy, eating disorders, and suicide are alarming. The common link to all of these crises is often depression. The path into adolescence is a difficult one, and the choices a teen makes can leave lasting scars on the lives of an entire generation of young men and women. There is a growing realization that teenage depression can be life changing, even life- threatening.

Depression can be described in many ways. Its main description is that it is a serious mental disorder in which a person suffers long periods of sadness, loneliness, and other negative feelings. Teenagers h

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The accurate and early diagnosis of depression is essential to prevent suicide. Loss can also be more subtle such as the loss of childhood, of a familiar way of being, of goals through achievement, or of boundaries and guidelines. One in three adolescents today are at risk for serious depression.

I am writing an abstract for the article Assessment and Treatment of Adolescent Depression and Suicidality taken from the Journal of Mental Health Counseling. Teenagers constantly teeter-totter between striving for independence from family and still trying to be a child and depend on it.

Homosexuality may be a risk factor for depression and suicide. Adolescents today are faced with stresses that were unknown to previous generations and are dealing with them in an often self – destructive way. Antidepressants are becoming more and more common in today’s society. The pressure of identifying yourself in a homophobic culture while struggling for acceptance can be hard.

In summary, teens today feel less safe, less empowered, and less hopeful than did the teens a generation ago. Medication is another effective treatment. This is what makes me believe depression can be life changing- even life threatening. ave always been vulnerable to depression for a variety of reasons.

The warning signs of depression are “depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, significant weight or appetite change, insomnia, agitation, fatigue, loss of energy, feeling of worthlessness and guilt, diminished ability to think or concentrate, reoccurring thoughts of death or suicidal planning, excessive risk taking, and giving away of personal possessions. It states that “from 1980-1997, the rate of suicide among 15-19 year old adolescents increased by 11% and among those aged 10-14 by 109%”

The thought of suicide is most commonly brought on by depression.

Approximate Word count = 538
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)

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