Depression in Adolescents

Approximately 4 out of 100 teenagers get seriously depressed each year (Oster and Caro 4). The term depression refers to "changes in moods and behaviors that range from a mild degree of reactive sadness to intensely experienced feelings of dysphoria and possibly even suicidal thoughts" (Oster and Caro 5). Among its symptoms are feelings of worthiness, restlessness, changes in appetite, diminished abilities in concentration and decision making, loss of interest in daily activities, and repeated thoughts of death (Oster and Caro 5). Although many teenagers feel sad at one time or another, depression can be identified if a child's state of sadness is giving him/her problems with grades, relationships with family and friends, alcohol, sex and drugs, or controlling one's behavior in other ways. It is relatively common for depression to occur with other psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety states, drug use, and eating and personality disorders.

Because the experience of sad feelings is familiar to everyone and appears to be a typical response to life stress, family members and friends are likely to minimize the severity of symptoms and less likely to attribute a depressed emotional state to a teenager who is showing signs of apathy or restlessness (Rutter 45). Feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem are primary characteristics of people during depressed states. Many depressed teenagers view themselves as inadequate or incompetent and believe that others view them in the same way. Death by suicide occurs in about one percent of depressed people during the year of a depressive episode and in about fifteen percent of cases where depression occurs frequently over the lifetime (Oster and Caro 7).