What Causes Depression In Adolescence

How Is Depression In Teens Diagnosed

If you think you might be depressed, tell someone that you trust, such as your:

• Parents or guardian
• Teacher or counselor

The next step is to see your doctor for a checkup. Your doctor can first make sure that you do not have another health problem that is causing your depression. To do this, you may have a physical exam and lab tests.

If you don’t have another health problem, you will get a psychological evaluation. Your doctor may do it, or you may be referred to a mental health professional to get one. You may be asked about things such as:

• Your thoughts and feelings
• Whether you use alcohol or drugs

If You’re Being Bullied

The stress of bullyingwhether it’s online, at school, or elsewhereis very difficult to live with. It can make you feel helpless, hopeless, and ashamed: the perfect recipe for depression.

If you’re being bullied, know that it’s not your fault. No matter what a bully says or does, you should not be ashamed of who you are or what you feel. Bullying is abuse and you don’t have to put up with it. You deserve to feel safe, but you’ll most likely need help. Find support from friends who don’t bully and turn to an adult you trustwhether it’s a parent, teacher, counselor, pastor, coach, or the parent of a friend.

Whatever the causes of your depression, the following tips can help you overcome your symptoms, change how you feel, and regain your sense of hope and enthusiasm.

Statistics On Teen Depression In School

According to the National Institute of Mental Health , adolescent depression in schools is on the rise. Here are some 2016 statistics from NIMH.

• An estimated 3.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in 2016. This number represents 12.8 percent of the US population in that age group.
• More females than males experienced a major depressive episode in 2016 .
• That year, an estimated 2.2 million American adolescents aged 12 to 17 had at least one major depressive episode with severe impairment.
• Only 19 percent of these teens received care from a health professional.

These are worrying statistics, to say the least. Why is this happening to our teens? Why is depression in school so common? There are a number of reasons.

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How Is Teen Depression Treated

There are a variety of methods used to treat depression, including medications and psychotherapy. Family therapy may be helpful if family conflict is contributing to a teen’s depression. The teen will also need support from family or teachers to help with any school or peer problems. Occasionally, hospitalization in a psychiatric unit may be required for teenagers with severe depression.

Your mental health care provider will determine the best course of treatment for your teen.

The FDA warns that antidepressant medications can, rarely, increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior in children and adolescents with depression and other psychiatric disorders. Use of antidepressants in younger patients, therefore, requires especially close monitoring and follow-up by the treating doctor. If you have questions or concerns, discuss them with your health care provider.

For Many Patients Antidepressant Side Effects Can Be Bothersome Persistent And A Cause Of Discontinuation13

Common side effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants frequently persist well past the initial treatment period.13

Percent of patients reporting side effects during the first 2 weeks of a standard of care antidepressant who reported the same side effects at 3 months13#

#Based on a telephone survey of 401 patients who had received an SSRI for a new or recurrent case of depression. Telephone interviews were conducted within 75 to 105 days of starting antidepressant therapy. Patients responded yes or no to whether they had experienced any of a list of 17 common side effects of SSRIs.13

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To Date The Pharmacological Treatment Of Depression Has Been Focused On Monoamine Regulation1

For nearly 60 years, the monoamine hypothesis has focused pharmacological treatment on the modulatory neurotransmitters serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.1-3

Additional hypotheses suggest that other neurotransmitters may be involved in the pathophysiology of depression:

• Amino acid hypothesis of depression: Non-monoaminergic neurotransmitter systems, including glutamate and GABA4
• Neuropeptide hypothesis of depression: Neuropeptides such as corticotropin-releasing hormone, substance P, neuropeptide Y, and galanin4,5

Warning Signs Of Adolescent Depression

Its important for teens and their friends and family members to know how to recognize symptoms of adolescent depression. Here are 10 of the most common warning signs.

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Tip : Take Care Of Yourself

As a parent, you may find yourself focusing all your energy and attention on your depressed teen and neglecting your own needs and the needs of other family members. However, it’s extremely important that you continue to take care of yourself during this difficult time.

Above all, this means reaching out for much needed support. You can’t do everything on your own so enlist the help of family and friends. Having your own support system in place will help you stay healthy and positive as you work to help your teen.

Don’t bottle up your emotions. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed, frustrated, helpless, or angry. Reach out to friends, join a support group, or see a therapist of your own. Talking about how you’re feeling will help defuse the intensity.

Look after your health. The stress of your teen’s depression can affect your own moods and emotions, so support your health and well-being by eating right, getting enough sleep, and making time for things you enjoy.

Be open with the family. Don’t tiptoe around the issue of teen depression in an attempt to protect the other children. Kids know when something is wrong. When left in the dark, their imaginations will often jump to far worse conclusions. Be open about what is going on and invite your children to ask questions and share their feelings.

Describe Why You Are Concerned

• Im worried because Ive noticed youve been crying a lot lately.
• Im concerned because it seems that you are feeling angry and unhappy these days.
• Im sad because you dont have much energy to do the things you used to enjoy doing, like hanging out with your friends.
• I worry about your safety when you . . .”

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What Adults May Notice In Their Teen

• Irritable or cranky mood, preoccupation with song lyrics that suggest life is meaningless
• Loss of interest in sports or other activities, withdrawal from friends and family, relationship problems
• Failure to gain weight as normally expected
• Excessive late-night TV, having difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, having trouble getting up in the morning
• Inability to sit still, taking a long time to complete normal tasks, pacing back and forth, and/or excessive repetition of behaviors
• Social withdrawal, napping, withdrawal from usual activities, boredom
• Making critical comments about themselves, having behavior problems at home or school, being overly sensitive to rejection
• Poor performance at school, drop in grades, frequent absences
• Frequent complaints of physical pain
• Writing about death, giving away favorite belongings, making statements like, Youd be better off without me.

What Is Major Depression In Teens

Major depression is a type of mood disorder. Its also known as clinical depression or unipolar depression. There are 3 main types of depression:

• Major depression

• Bipolar disorder

• Persistent depressive disorder

Major depression goes beyond the days normal ups and downs. It involves a teens body, mood, and thoughts. It can affect and disrupt eating, sleeping, or thinking patterns.

Depression is not the same as being unhappy or in a blue mood. It’s also not a sign of personal weakness. It cant be willed or wished away. Teens with depression cant merely pull themselves together and get better. Treatment is often needed.

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Depression In Teens Vs Adults

Depression in teens can look very different from depression in adults. The following signs and symptoms are more common in teenagers than in their adult counterparts:

Irritable or angry mood. As noted, irritability, rather than sadness, is often the predominant mood in depressed teens. A depressed teenager may be grumpy, hostile, easily frustrated, or prone to angry outbursts.

Unexplained aches and pains. Depressed teens frequently complain about physical ailments such as headaches or stomachaches. If a thorough physical exam does not reveal a medical cause, these aches and pains may indicate depression.

Extreme sensitivity to criticism. Depressed teens are plagued by feelings of worthlessness, making them extremely vulnerable to criticism, rejection, and failure. This is a particular problem for over-achievers.

Withdrawing from some, but not all people. While adults tend to isolate themselves when depressed, teenagers usually keep up at least some friendships. However, teens with depression may socialize less than before, pull away from their parents, or start hanging out with a different crowd.

Managing Symptoms: Staying Healthy

Being healthy is important for all children and can be especially important for children with depression or anxiety. In addition to getting the right treatment, leading a healthy lifestyle can play a role in managing symptoms of depression or anxiety. Here are some healthy behaviors that may help:

• Having a healthy eating plan centered on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes , lean protein sources, and nuts and seeds
• Participating in physical activity for at least 60 minutes each day
• Practicing mindfulness or relaxation techniques

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Does Depression Medicine Work For Teen Depression

Yes. A large number of research trials have shown the effectiveness of depression medications in relieving the symptoms of teen depression. One key recent study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, reviewed three different approaches to treating adolescents with moderate to severe depression:

• One approach was using the antidepressant medication Prozac, which is approved by the FDA for use with pediatric patients ages 8-18.
• The second treatment was using cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, to help the teen recognize and change negative patterns of thinking that may increase symptoms of depression.
• The third approach was a combination of medication and CBT.

At the end of the 12-week study, researchers found that nearly three out of every four patients who received the combination treatment — depression medication and psychotherapy — significantly improved. More than 60% of the kids who took Prozac alone improved. But the study confirmed that combination treatment was nearly twice as effective in relieving depression as psychotherapy alone.

Why Do Adolescents Get Depression

There are multiple reasons why a teenager might become depressed. For example, teens can develop feelings of worthlessness and inadequacy over their grades. School performance, social status with peers, sexual orientation, or family life can each have a major effect on how a teen feels. Sometimes, teen depression may result from environmental stress. But whatever the cause, when being with friends or family — or doing things that the teen usually enjoys — don’t help to improve their sadness or sense of isolation, there’s a good chance that they have teen depression.

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Get Help Finding Treatment

Here are tools to find a healthcare provider familiar with treatment options:

• Psychologist Locator, a service of the American Psychological Association Practice Organization.
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Finder, a research tool by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry .
• Find a Cognitive Behavioral Therapist, a search tool by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies.
• If you need help finding treatment facilities, visit MentalHealth.gov.

Anxiety And Depression In Teenagers

Adolescence and the teenage years are crucial periods for developing social and emotional habits important for mental health and overall well-being. Many mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and psychosis-first appear before the age of 24 years.

Globally, one in seven 10-19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, accounting for 13% of the global burden of disease in this age group the most common disorders include anxiety and depression.

According to the American Psychiatric Association, anxiety refers to the anticipation of a future concern and is more associated with muscle tension and avoidance behavior. Anxiety can also be described as the feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness due to anticipated threats or dangers. Check out our blog on 8 common factors that trigger anxiety here.

Research suggests that 3.6% of 10-14 year-olds and 4.6% of 15-19 year-olds experience an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety to some extent is useful and essential as it prepares us for actionfor fight or flightwhen danger threatens. However, when it becomes overwhelming and impairs your ability to carry out daily functions effectively, it is regarded as an anxiety disorder.

Depression , on the other hand, is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think, and how you act.

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Common Symptoms Of Anxiety And Depression Commonly Seen In Teenagers Are:

• Low energy, tired, or sleeping too much.
• Loss of interest in activities and avoiding social contact
• Difficulty concentrating and paying attention
• Feeling helpless, restless, or tense.
• Engaging in self-harm or self-destructive behavior like alcoholism and burning their skin.
• Suicidal thoughts
• Difficulty sleeping or insomnia
• Significant and unintentional weight loss or weight gain
• In anxiety, physical symptoms like hyperventilation, gastrointestinal problems, sweating, and a fast heart rate are present.

Adolescence can be a tough phase for teenagers because of the changes their body goes through. A teenager goes through different pressures from all directions, emotional instability, and bodily changes.

Clinical Outcomes Of Depression In Adolescents

Longitudinal studies of community and clinic-based population samples suggest that 6090% of episodes of depression in adolescents remit within a year.41,42 However, in follow-up studies 5070% of patients who remit develop subsequent depressive episodes within 5 years.41,43 Clinic-referred patients generally fare less well than those treated in the community.6 Moreover, in adults very few individuals show complete symptomatic and functional recovery between depressive episodes, with most reporting residual symptoms or impairment.44,45

Finally, depression in adolescence also predicts a range of mental health disorders in adult lifenotably, anxiety disorders, substance-related disorders, and bipolar disorder,4648 as well as suicidal behaviour, unemployment,48 and physical health problems.49 Thus, an episode of depression during adolescence often heralds a chronic or relapsing disorder, and forecasts a broad range of psychosocial difficulties and ill health.

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Differential Diagnoses And Comorbidities

Two diagnoses in classification systems that are characterised by prominent depressive symptoms and associated impairment but that do not meet the criteria to diagnose major depression are adjustment disorder and dysthymic disorder. Research into the validity and treatment of these disorders is sparse. Adjustment disorder is short-lived, arises within 3 months of the onset of a stressor and does not persist longer than 6 months after the desistance of the stressor. Dysthymic disorder describes a pattern of chronic symptoms of depression that are present for most of the time on most days with a minimum duration of 1 year for children and adolescents. Sometimes individuals with dysthymic disorder have superimposed episodes of major depression onto their usual symptoms.

Two-thirds of adolescents with depression have at least one comorbid psychiatric disorder and 1015% have two or more comorbidities.28 Adolescents with depression are six to 12 times more likely to have anxiety, four to 11 times more likely to have a disruptive behaviour disorder, and three to six times more likely to have a substance misuse problem than are adolescents who are not depressed, with adjustment for multiple comorbidities.123 For example, almost 20% of adolescents with depression also meet diagnostic criteria for generalised anxiety disorder,124 with reported lifetime rates of 5070%.125 Depression can also complicate eating disorders, autistic spectrum disorders, and ADHD.

Tip : Manage Stress And Anxiety

For many teens, stress and anxiety can go hand-in-hand with depression. Unrelenting stress, doubts, or fears can sap your emotional energy, affect your physical health, send your anxiety levels soaring, and trigger or exacerbate depression.

If you’re suffering from an anxiety disorder, it can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Perhaps you endure intense anxiety attacks that strike without warning, get panicky at the thought of speaking in class, experience uncontrollable, intrusive thoughts, or live in a constant state of worry. Since anxiety makes depression worse , it’s important to get help for both conditions.

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Why Are So Many Teens Depressed

Here are some disturbing statistics about teen depression. According to suicide.org, teen and adolescent suicides have continued to rise dramatically in recent years. Consider these alarming figures:

• Every 100 minutes a teen takes their own life.
• Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24.
• About 20 percent of all teens experience depression before they reach adulthood.
• Between 10 to 15 percent suffer from symptoms at any one time.
• Only 30 percent of depressed teens are being treated for it.

Some teens are more at risk for depression and suicide than others. These are known factors:

• Female teens develop depression twice as often than males.
• Abused and neglected teens are especially at risk.
• Adolescents who suffer from chronic illnesses or other physical conditions are at risk.
• Teens with a family history of depression or mental illness: between 20 to 50 percent of teens suffering from depression have a family member with depression or some other mental disorder.
• Teens with untreated mental or substance-abuse problems: approximately two-thirds of teens with major depression also battle other mood disorders like dysthymia, anxiety, antisocial behaviors, or substance abuse.
• Young people who experienced trauma or disruptions at home, including divorce and deaths of parents.