Depression in Adolescents
Depression is described as a collection of unique symptoms associated with impairment. However, depression is best characterized as a medical condition that manifests symptoms through an individual’s functionality and mood. Depression between adults and adolescents has similar clinical and diagnostic features. It is a common mental health problem amongst the youths at puberty across the globe but usually goes unrecognized and is given little to no attention (Thapar et al., 2012). Depression has proven to be a critical and severe condition for the individual, especially when left unattended, since its consequences are magnificent. The incidence of depression in the youths at puberty is notably highest among girls. Depression amongst adolescents in the middle- and low-income nations bear the highest-burden since the depression rates among these adolescents are most elevated (Thapar et al., 2012). Adolescents suffering from depression might be feeling sad from time to time, hopeless, or anxious. However, there is a scale of diagnosis for depression and the extent of depression.
Causes for Depression in Adolescence
Usually, depression is a process that has a reasoning behind it (Thapar et al., 2012). Depression amongst the young adults at the puberty stage comes in hand with several causes that one cannot imagine, and depression happens or is triggered by various reasons. This work aims to discuss and enlighten the reader. Some of the significant causes of depression among adolescents are discussed below.
An adolescent’s personality is the leading cause of depression. Adolescents with low self-esteem tend to hold more worries than adolescents with higher self-esteem. It is influenced by the parenting style their parents have adopted during their nurturing period. Authoritarian and ignoring parenting styles produce adolescents who have a higher rate of depression. Youth raised with an authoritarian parenting style are easily sensitive to criticism and tend to break down (Cohen et al., 2020). Therefore, an adolescent’s personality, which is significantly contributed by the parenting style, is the leading cause of depression amongst youths at puberty.
Substance and drug abuse are another cause of depression among adolescents. Medications of various drugs have a significant reaction on the user, especially when the prescription is misunderstood (Martsenkovskyi et al., 2020). However, it is advised when an individual feels depressed after medication; they should seek the advice of the doctor or research its side effects before taking further actions. Likewise, alcohol use and recreational drugs are other causes of depression, with an increasing number of adolescents consuming alcohol in large amounts.
The family structure citing the family history variable is a concept we have to look at as a cause of depression among adolescents. However, there is no specific gene that we can look to enable us to trace depression in a family’s roots (“Study identifies genes potentially linked to depression”, 2018). When a family member has depression issues, an adolescent is likely to face the wrath of depression. Most adolescents tend to be attracted to the opposite gender and develop romantic relations. If the relationship is not stable, an adolescent tends to experience significant depression. Similarly, abusive families and being victims of bullying in learning institutions is a cause that leads to depression. Other adolescents have difficulty transitioning into adulthood, offering unnecessary pressure and succumbing to depression. Some adolescents take complex subjects that take them a considerable amount of time to comprehend, together with pressure from their guardians and parents to excel in academics, making them victims of depression.
Lack of or insufficient chemicals in the brain is another cause of depression in adolescence. The chemistry of the brain is a complex and developing field in the medical profession, and much is being researched about the functionality of the brain. However, depression is not certainly caused by the lack of specific chemicals in the brain but by the unique process of the functionality of nerve cells that contributes to depression.
Effective Treatment Strategies
Every adolescent has a range of depression levels that require various strategies to adopt or use. Most of the treatment strategies recommended for depression focus on the brain functionality and nerve cells responsible for regulating moods. However, practical methods for treating depression involve a change of lifestyle to an accommodative one that has less pressure, changing social life, undertaking therapy, and regular medications prescribed by a physician or doctor. Starting a therapy or counseling session with a physician or mental health service provider is the first step to treating and combating depression.
Stimulation of the brain helps treat depression among adolescents with severe depression cases. Changing a lifestyle is a simple but effective guide to treating depression that an adolescent can practice. Changing lifestyles like sleeping cycles and how they spend their time would do a lot in treating depression. However there are various treatment forms for depression, but the above discussed are the most effective and applicable to any adolescent.
References
Cohen, O., Shahar, G., & Brunstein Klomek, A. (2020). Peer victimization, coping strategies, depression, and suicidal ideation among young adolescents. Crisis, 41(3), 156-162. Web.
Martsenkovskyi, D., Napryeyenko, O., & Martsenkovsky, I. (2020). Depression in adolescents exposed to war trauma risk factors for developing depression in adolescents exposed to war trauma: Does PTSD matter? Global Psychiatry, 3(12), 4-8. Web.
Study identifies genes potentially linked to depression. (2018), 10(6), 2-6. Web.
Thapar, A., Collishaw, S., Pine, D., & Thapar, A. (2012). Depression in adolescence. The Lancet, 379(9820), 1056-1067. Web.