The Effect Of Depression Amongst Teens

Depression is not prejudice it affects people of genders, ages, and any background. People once believed that teens never went through any form of severe depression. Some still believe this to be true, but if it was why are so many teens homicidal and suicidal in the society. This report should give support for the fact that a teen’s depression deserves attention, not the shrug of the shoulders or to turn your back them when they are in need of serious help.

Depression is defined as a mentally unstable and the emotional state marked by sadness, discouragement, and loss that can occur during a teenage years. Depression causes changes in behavior, thinking and especially changes in a person everyday life. “Depression amongst teens generally starts when a child hits puberty, but could possibly begin the day they were born if chemically imbalanced.” Dr. David Kalkstein, psychiatrist at Penn Foundation. Depression can affect anyone, anytime, and anywhere. Teens, children, and adults are all effected; some even have the same problems in common, the causes too. Depression is experienced mostly by teens even though it is mistakenly classified as an “adult illness”. Studies show that “Twenty percent of high school students are deeply unhappy or have some kind of psychiatric problem.” The causes for depression in teens are sometimes more harsh than the causes in adults. In a teen’s lifetime they have to face many problems and sometimes they have to face these problems more than once. Teens have to deal with peer pressure problems at school, problems at home, the deaths of loved ones, and if they are already using drugs this could also be a cause. Many teens also have to deal with anxiety some point in their life when; they wonder if they are attractive to other people of the opposite sex. If they do believe that they are unattractive they will most likely feel as though they have failed at something. Then they will act as if they do not care anymore, then the uncaring attitude increases until they no longer care about much at all. Depression also comes after a teenager is trying to learn about himself or herself and understand their body, and their emotions towards others.

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Several years ago, as part of a national report, NIMH staff reviewed the status of research on the depressive disorder [1]. We noted in1973 that for the mental health professions these disorders had begun to rival schizophrenia in the sheer magnitude of the problem and in their consequent demand on services. Further, in reviewing the results of a survey on the pattern of psychotropic drug use in the USA, it turned out that upward of 30% of the general population was reporting significant psychic distress, and that fully half of this group acknowledged symptomatology of a primarily depressive nature [2]. In the book noonday demon “I got better I remember oh yeah, religion why I did not use that to help me, but it could not help me at the low point nothing could. Evening prayers slow her down and help to keep the chaos of depression at bay”. P 13, Joseph Mendels, Jay D Amsterdam the Psychobiology of Affective Disorders.

Most people emerge from really serious depression just by fighting a really serious depression has to be treated or it has to pass, but while you are being treated or waiting for it to pass you have to keep up the fighting, and to take medication is as part of the battle is to battle fiercely.

If many remedies are prescribed for an illness you may be certain that the illness has no cure a many remedies are prescribed for depression Anton Chekhov wrote. P23, Andrew Solomon, An Atlas of depression, the noonday Demon.

In the short story, “The Yellow Wallpaper” written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, we are introduced to a woman, the narrator, who suffers from postpartum depression, a disorder in women that result from childbirth. This disorder can have serious effects on the individual and may result in extreme behaviors such as suicide. The narrator of the story is symbolic of Gilman, as she had experienced this illness after the birth of her daughter. (Gilman 181) Postpartum depression is a serious issue that must be dealt with in order to help its victims carry on with everyday life. In order for society to effectively help those affected with postpartum depression, they must know what it is, what its symptoms are, and effective ways to treat the disorder.

Postpartum depression is defined as “a treatable medical illness characterized by feelings of sadness, indifference, exhaustion, and anxiety following the birth of a child.” (Postpartum Depression) These characteristics may result from varying circumstances surrounding the mother and child, such as low income or the father leaving, or can result from the mother’s physical or mental condition prior to the birth. It is very common among all women, as about 1 out of every 10 will suffer from this depression. In the United States, it is estimated that about 700,000 women will undergo postpartum depression each year.

Medical fields have done extensive studies and have determined many factors or symptoms that are used when diagnosing this depression. There are many forms of symptoms that can be examined in order to diagnose this illness. Many include uncontrollable crying, feelings of sadness, exhaustion, irritability, anger, and many emotional aspects such as thoughts of guilt, hopelessness, and even suicide.

According to the book Bipolar disorder, Bipolar disorder has long been understood to demonstrate onset during the adolescent years. Aretaeus of Cappadocia is reported to have described the incidence of bipolar illness as occurring “in those periods of life with which much heat and blood are associated, persons are most given to mania, mainly, those about puberty. Recent data from large epidemiological catchment area studies have confirmed these previous observations and it is now relatively commonly understood that the onset of bipolar disorder may be largely in the adolescent and young-adult years, particularly when the first affective illness episode (which is often depression). At the core of this interest is the definition of child or very early-onset (prepubertal) bipolar illness. Some authors (Geller and Laby 1995, Wozniak et al. 1995) argue that non-cyclical mixed affective, behavioral and cognitive disturbance found in some severely dysfunctional children is a “developmentally” colored manic (bipolar) illness.

Sometimes these emotions have to deal with homosexuality and finding out whether or not they like people of the same gender. To many people the idea of homosexuality is disgusting and most people know how others feel about it, so when someone who thinks that he or she is gay, they feel out of place, especially if their family, friends, and loved ones are homophobic. Another cause of depression may be the Acne drug, Acutance. There was a study on this drug. Researchers have tested Acutance on one person and this person used it for a few months, then after a while signs of depression began to appear. When the drug had stopped being used by the person, the signs of the depression cleared. Another cause of depression is said to be smoking, and that most depressed teenager’s who are in fact depressed have been smoking. “Teens who smoked were at an increases risk of depression at a 73% higher rate than other teens.” Sometimes teens may be depressed and it will be easy for people to notice, this is not always the case. In every teen’s life, at some point, they are on a roller coaster ride, for this reason it is hard for anyone, even the parents, to distinguish depression from just a plain bad day. This is why it is important for parents to know what to look for, otherwise something bad may happen. One sign to watch for is their grades in school, if you have to, go around and meet with the teachers to see how they are doing in classes and how they are acting when you are not around. As some teens get depressed they sometimes begin not to care for their grades and may not try too hard to keep up in classes. Teens also may begin to isolate themselves from friends and family and only hang around in their room by themselves or try and try to get moments for them. If someone’s depressed their sleeping patterns may change, either they’ll sleep all the time, or not at all. They may also act out more, either for the attention, hoping someone will notice their needs or just to irritate others. If you’re depressed you’re often more irritable yourself, you may start to feel guilty but may have no reason to, you may make rash decisions and go through with things without thinking of the outcome. Lastly, you may make the most devastating decision of threatening suicide, or even worse, going through with it.

“Most children suffering from depression don’t say they’re sad. They don’t even appear gloomy,” says child psychiatrist Paramjit Kaur Joshi, M.D. of Johns Hopkins. “Instead, they’re often extremely irritable.” P 50, Maj, Mario, Sartorius, N Depressive Disorders Depression has an effect on a lot of people, most of all the people who care. Depression causes stress on everyone, who is involved with the depressed person, they may try to help but usually the person who is depressed believes that no one cares for them in them and will basically tell everyone and anyone to “take a hike”. Depression in a teen’s life may make the parents feel as if it’s entirely their fault but it’s not. Sometimes which is basically most of the time the effects of depression will take a very drastic turn for the worse. In saying this, I am speaking of suicide. P34 Marneros, A. Angst, Jules. Bipolar Disorders

In some cases teens are able to deal with what they are going through and get the help they need, while others feel there’s not use. Some teens also feel as if they are the cause for everything that has been going wrong all around them, and think that by killing themselves the world would be a better place for everyone. In most cases some parents know, or have an idea, that their child may be suicidal, but usually the topic doesn’t arise. This is because parents believe that if they do talk to their teens about suicide they will get ideas and attempt it to escape any problems. The parents are wrong in doing this because if the teen knows that someone cares they may feel better about everything that has been happening. This way if they are talked to they will be able to express their feelings and maybe get the help that they need and deserve. Suicide occurs when someone has unclear thoughts and they mix with their depression resulting in a deadly outcome. Suicide is the leading killer in the United States among people ages 10-24 and it is the second largest killer for teens ages 15-19, with accidents being the first. Teen suicides are attempted by both male and female. Teen boys are five times more likely to commit suicide over girls, but the girls are more likely to attempt suicide. This is because boys tend to find more violent and successful ways. The better ways include family members and close loved ones because you know that they really care. Antidepressants are drugs that alter the chemicals in your body to a neutral state, which helps with depression, but sometimes this is not the way to go since people have been known to get a little too addicted. Psychotherapy is one on one session with a psychiatrist who may be able to see why you were depressed and helps to make you understand yourself and why you feel the ways that you do. The best way to go is Help Groups because this way you are around people that you know have gone through the same kind of thing and will understand you better. But also the reason that this is so good is because you are allowed to bring family and friends so that you will be able to go through it with people who care for you and whom you care about. Everywhere you go, you hear people saying that the children are the future. If these children and teens are depressed now, how will it be in 20 years when they have high ranking jobs which influence everyone so much? They may still be depressed if no one reached out for them and their needs. Don’t forget that they will be paying your social security. Somehow you will have to repay them for that, listening and helping them with their problems now will do just that. As you always hear people say, “It’ll make the world a better place.” The sooner that these teens and children are helped the better. “In this century each generation has experienced major depressions at earlier ages, and the next generations have even higher risks.” I know a family who had relocated from the US Virgin Island the same Island where I am from, a mother and her three kids moved to Atlanta, her kids had started school, but her oldest son who was thirteen was having a difficulty at school from his peer because he says words differently, and he had an accent when he speaks, so they make fun at him and teased him daily. I think because he was in a strange place and he was depress, but he never told his mom anything that was going on at his school and on day he came home from school and hanged himself in his room, and now I understand how serious depression could be.

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