Did you know that adolescents face more risk factors for depression?
In Tara Parker-Pope on Health session of the New York Times, some of the causes of teenage depression mentioned are the normal process of maturing and the stress that occurs with it, the influence of sex hormones, conflicts with parents, failure at school, feel little control over negative events, etc. As you can see, little things can trigger depression in Adolescents and instead if us looking at adolescence as “that phase” we should look at it as a “Cry for help.” In fact: Adolescent girls are twice as likely as boys to experience depression. A family history of depression also puts teenagers at greater risk.
So let’s look at the symptoms such as change in behavior, easily irritable personality, use of alcohol and drugs, lack of concentration, etc… Because these symptoms are associated to many illnesses, it is hard to detect depression in teenagers especially with the stigma associated with teenagers and adolescents: ” True depression in teens is often difficult to diagnose, because normal teenagers have up and down moods. These moods may go back and forth over a period of hours or days.” says Sara Parker-Pope and it is important that parents know their kids and know what their kids are capable of doing in their right state of mind.
According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Depression affect 10 percent of the population of 18 and older every year. Let’s join our strengths together! Our children are smart and strong and we should not lose them to reckless behavior because we failed to pay attention to them or because they felt like there was not hope. It is important to get rid of the stigma around depression so that people can reach out for help when needed.