Teen Depression

Most people have feelings of depression at times in their lives. Sometimes it’s related to an event – a death in the family, losing a job, challenges at school, a break-up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, a divorce – leaving a person feeling lost, scared, sad, or helpless. This is all very normal. But, for some people, these feelings are daily, or near daily, and are emotions that are not linked to an event or situation – seemingly for no apparent reason – and can dramatically impact their ability to carry on their day-to-day lives.

Depression is more than just having a bad day. The Depression and Anxiety Association of America defines depression as, “a condition in which a person feels discouraged, sad, hopeless, unmotivated, or disinterested in life in general. When these feelings last for a short period of time, it may be a case of ‘the blues.’ But when such feelings last for more than two weeks and when the feelings interfere with daily activities such as taking care of family, spending time with friends, or going to work or school, it’s likely a major depressive episode. Major depression is a treatable illness that affects the way a person thinks, feels, behaves, and functions.”

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States today, with an estimate 15-20% of teenagers having a depressive episode by the time they reach adulthood. Like many other illnesses, it often runs in families and can be brought on by genetics, stress, trauma, life circumstances, changes in neurochemical levels in the brain, o the use of drugs and alcohol. These possible causes include a combination of psychological, biological, and social sources of distress. Unlike just “being down” or “having the blues”, the symptoms of depression continue for at least two weeks and can last months if left untreated.