Young and Mental

Have you ever just felt incredibly low for a few weeks at a time? Have you ever felt completely unmotivated, hopeless or withdrawn from your life? If you answered yes to both of these questions, you may have went through a major depressive episode.

In the U.S., depression vastly affects teens and young adults. It’s been said that about 1 in 8 adolescents suffer from clinical depression. Now it needs to be clarified, almost everyone will be depressed every now and then—that’s normal. Clinically diagnosed major depressive disorder is when an individual is depressed over longer periods of time—at least two consecutive weeks to be exact. It’s shocking to see that individuals are feeling so miserable at such a young age. Many adults would say that teens and young adults now have a lot more offered to them than they did at that age. In spite of that, research has shown that the current generation of teens and young adults are more depressed than other generations.

What is going on to create this drastic decline in happiness? Well one reason could be predispositions like genetics or a family history of depression. Another could be just from the situational stress and anxiety that occurs almost naturally during adolescence. It also could stem from a traumatic event such as death, terminal illness, job loss, divorce, etc. A big reason why it may be so prevalent today could be the opportunities I mentioned earlier. You know the old saying, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Teens and young adults have been told that the world is their oyster, so it’s very likely that their cracking from those expectations. They’re constantly worried about achieving the success that everyone’s been saying they can attain, so they become hopeless and depressed.

Something else that needs to be pointed out is depression is often coupled with other psychological problems. Anxiety and depression almost always go hand-in-hand. Depressed teens and young adults might also suffer from eating disorders, ADHD or bipolar disorder. So it’s important that family, friends and health professionals also look for signs of other disorders besides depression.

As I said earlier, pretty much everyone is depressed sometimes, but major depressive disorder is serious, and can lead to more dangerous behavior. Depression can lead individuals to abuse drugs and alcohol, which ironically can cause depression. Depressed teens and young adults are more likely to begin self-harm practices like cutting or burning. And sadly, some depressed teens and young adults commit suicide to escape their depression.

Depression can be treated and managed. Common treatments are psychotherapy and antidepressant medications. If an individual’s depression is so serious that they might harm themselves or others, they are hospitalized or institutionalized during treatment. All in all, early treatment and prevention is essential.