Teenage Depression Essay Example

Introduction: Defining Teenage Depression and Vulnerability

Depression is a mental disorder that is characterized by long periods of loneliness, negative feelings, and sadness. Teenagers are vulnerable to depression than any other stage in life (McLeod et al.1409). The changes in a teenager's body can lead to confusion. A teenager tries two balances between getting freedom from parents and authority in general and still acting like a child to be guaranteed support. The current teenager depression is complicated as compared to what the older generation went through when at the adolescent stage. The contemporary world is riddled in a continually changing environment that is characterized by the internet, social media and globalization. The older generation, parents, find it complicated to handle the teenagers due to the unfamiliarity with the current situation. Teenage depression poses a problematic situation in society ranging from the school environment to the homes. Due to the frustrations emanating from miseries teenagers are engaging in alcoholism, suicide tendencies, eating disorders, drug problems, and early pregnancy. The journey through the adolescence period is challenging, and it can leave long-lasting scars that can be life changing for the teenagers.

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Approximately 20 % of the people experience depression in their teenage (Bifulco et al. 98). Depression has deep-reaching effects on youths. The increase in the number of teenagers affected by depression arises from factors such as the divorce of the parents. The rate of divorce among American parents is higher than any other time in history. Such actions that have deep-reaching effects on a child lead to depression. Traumatic events lead to stress and depression. The provision of solutions to the teen depression has to begin with sensitization of the parents and how they can handle the youths to keep them safe from the effects of this condition.

Factors Contributing to Teenage Depression

Family circumstances that are unpleasant cause depression among teens. Such cases of depression are hard to trace since the children grow in those circumstances and they get accustomed to the environment in the family (Foland-Ross et al. 128). A family that is riddled in domestic violence, poverty or drug abuse creates an environment that can push a teenager to depression. A poverty-stricken home makes a teen to compare the family with others leading to depression (Lewis et al. 133). Equally, drug abuse in a family can easily push the family to a financial crisis while trying to maintain the addiction to drug abuse. Drug abuse can lead to violent homestead. The intoxication can further lead to family feuds that can negatively affect a teenager leading to depression.

Some medical conditions can push an individual into depression. In some cases, despair emanates from a medical condition. Medical conditions such as premenstrual syndrome and hypothyroidism can cause distress in a teenager or any other person. Equally, some legal medical prescriptions can have side effects that cause depression in a teenager. The street drugs or illegal can also have possible depression effects, to a greater extent (Cardomona-Breen et al. 11). The guardians, schools, and parent have to enquire from a medical practitioner whenever a teenager is bound to get medical attention to avoid unnecessary depression among teenagers.

Inherited traits can cause depression among teenagers. A family member that is depressed or suffered from depression previously can cause distress in a teenager through inheritance. Approximately 40 % of the teenagers suffering depression inherited it from the family members (Stapley et al. 622). A teenager that has a sibling or parent suffering from depression has higher chances of getting affected by depression. Teenagers that are raised far away from the biological parents that are affected by depression have similar chances of getting depression as the teenagers that are not adopted. This aspect implies that the genes of the parent affected by depression can be reflected in a teenager.

Impact of Depression on Youths and Academic Performance

Parents are an integral part of a child while they transition to adulthood. Parents equally offer the motivational and inspirational force that drives the teenager to further heights in academics and talent development. When there is a breakdown of the motivational and inspirational force in parents through either death or divorce, the teenager becomes vulnerable to social pressure. Fighting among parents that at times culminate to divorce causes depression in a teenager. Even sudden arguments in the family make the teen question the existence of love and the importance of the family leading to temporal depression (Huang et al. 257). In the case of a divorce, the teenager is affected since they have lived all their lives with both parents intact. The new phenomenon that has parents separate becomes a challenge to the teenager leading to depression.

Children have different talents, and they should be developed in line with the prevalent talent. Education is given much importance by both educators and the parents than the need to equally develop other abilities such as sports (Kroning and Kayla 80). The parents applaud good performance in school. The pressure on the teenagers to perform well in academics pushes them into depression.

Depression in teenagers leads to a difficulty in concentration in school and in activities that they found pleasure in at first. Reduced focus on studies culminates to reduced performance in academics (McLeod et al. 1411). In some cases, the teachers and the parents might be upset with the new trend leading to further stress levels in the teenager. The enhanced stress levels can further trigger suicidal tendencies among the teenagers. If not attended to, the suicidal tendencies can lead to untimely death.

Mitigation Strategies: Establishing Achievable Goals and Open Communication

The tendencies of depression can be limited and may be eradicated among the youths if necessary measures are out in place. The parents or guardians, as well as the educators, have to set achievable goals both in school and at home (Bifulco et al. 112). A teenage can feel appreciated and capable when they can accomplish a set target satisfactorily. The relationship between the teenagers and the authority will equally improve when the teenagers think they have achieved the set targets. Similarly, they will be enthusiastic about having other goals because they believe they are capable. Such an environment will keep teenagers healthy and devoid of depression instances.

Cultivating a culture of seeking-help whenever there is a problem can help teenagers to avoid stressful situations. A culture of seeking help when in need can be developed through opening all communication channels with the teenagers in a way that they deem fit. Teenagers try to shun traditional methods that are authoritative, the new channels such as through social media platforms can be ideal. Once there are excellent communication channels in place, the teenagers can quickly open up and seek help from either the parents or teachers (Ophir et al. 105). Equally, the use peer coaching can be ideal to make the teenagers open up about what is troubling them. Peer coaching gives teenagers the impetus to do what is tight and shun what can bring stress; they can witness fellow youth handling the challenges that trouble them.

Cultivating a Pure Life and Seeking Professional Help

Keeping life pure devoid of social pressure can eradicate depression among teenagers. The advent of social media and the internet has created a possibility for people to share different issues in life. In most cases, people share what is right in life while shunning what is harmful and unpleasant in private life (Ophir et al. 99). The youths get attracted to such lives that social media platforms portray from celebrities. In real life, the life depicted in social media becomes hard to implement. Due to the urge to create a certain way of life as presented in the social media platforms pushes teenagers to depression.

Physiotherapy through qualified mental health professionals either at home or in school can help curb the effects of depression among teenagers. The therapy sessions in school can take the form of talk therapy; the therapists can talk to the teenagers' one on one. Cognitive-behavioral therapy can also be employed; the sessions will seek to replace the negative emotions and thoughts with positive feelings and thoughts (Delgadillo et al. 19). Compulsory exercise sessions through sports can enhance the production of feel-good moments that can reduce the extent of depression. Teenagers can also be offered a balanced diet both in school and at home; junk foods high in sugar and fat can make a teenage sluggish. Instead, foods that are nutritious are best suited for teenagers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, teenagers are vulnerable to depression than any other stage in life. Approximately 20 % of the people experience depression in their teenage. Depression has deep-reaching effects on youths. Depression among teenagers is caused by factors such as divorce among parents, medical conditions, inherited traits, unachievable targets, and social pressure. Depression leads to lack of concentration, suicidal tendencies, reduced academic performance, and a break don of the communication channels. Teenage depression has far-reaching consequences in a teenager's future, and it has to be dealt with on time.

Works Cited

Bifulco, Antonia, et al. "Problem Parental Care and Teenage Deliberate Self-Harm In Young Community Adults." Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic 78.2 (2014): 95-114.

Cardamone-Breen, Mairead C., et al. "The Parenting Tt Reduce Adolescent Depression and Anxiety Scale: Assessing Parental Concordance with Parenting Guidelines for the Prevention of Adolescent Depression and Anxiety Disorders." Peer J 5 (2017): e3825.

Delgadillo, Jaime, Omar Moreea, and Wolfgang Lutz. "Different People Respond Differently To Therapy: A Demonstration Using Patient Profiling and Risk Stratification." Behaviour Research and Therapy 79 (2016): 15-22.

Foland-Ross, Lara C., et al. "Cortical Thickness Predicts the First Onset Of Major Depression in Adolescence." International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience 46 (2015): 125-131.

Huang, Cindy Y., et al. "Parenting Stress, Social Support, and Depression for Ethnic Minority Adolescent Mothers: Impact on Child Development." Journal of Child And Family Studies 23.2 (2014): 255-262.

Kroning, Maureen, and Kayla Kroning. "Teen Depression and Suicide: A Silent Crisis." Journal of Christian Nursing 33.2 (2016): 78-86.

Lewis, Andrew J., et al. "Gender Differences in Adolescent Depression: Differential Female Susceptibility to Stressors Affecting Family Functioning." Australian Journal of Psychology67.3 (2015): 131-139.

McLeod, G. F. H., L. J. Horwood, and D. M. Fergusson. "Adolescent Depression, Adult Mental Health and Psychosocial Outcomes at 30 And 35 Years." Psychological Medicine 46.7 (2016): 1401-1412.

Ophir, Yaakov, Christa SC Asterhan, and Baruch B. Schwarz. "Unfolding the Notes from the Walls: Adolescents' Depression Manifestations on Facebook." Computers in Human Behavior72 (2017): 96-107.

Stapley, Emily, Nick Midgley, and Mary Target. "The Experience of Being the Parent of an Adolescent with a Diagnosis of Depression." Journal of Child and Family Studies25.2 (2016): 618-630.