Title: Why Are Teen Depression Rates Increasing? - Polaris Teen Center
Headings: Why Have Teen Depression Rates Been Increasing?
Why Have Teen Depression Rates Been Increasing?
First, what is the modern definition of depression?
Why are teenagers particularly likely to experience symptoms of depression?
Why have teenage depression rates been rising?
What can be done to combat teenage depression?
What should I do if I believe that my teenager is suffering from depression?
Polaris Teen Center

Content: Changes in technology and methods of socialization
The increased potential risk of pharmaceutical over-prescription (this is not to say that all prescriptions are bad, but some can be dangerous)
Global terror, climate change, political turmoil, and other world events that can promote a generally negative outlook of the future (exacerbated by increased media pressures)
Stagnating standards of living in the United States
Increased external factors that can potentially trigger feelings of hopelessness and isolation
Numerous others
Just as there is no single variable that can be isolated as the sole cause of depression, there is not a single variable that can be isolated as the sole reason depression rates have been increasing among today’s teenagers. But, when all of these unique variables—who perhaps in a vacuum may have a more minimal effect—are combined together, the outcome can be rather grim. The numbers don’t lie. Teenage depression rates have been demonstrably on the rise in recent decades, and because of these, it seems we ought to collectively commit ourselves to finding a real solution. What can be done to combat teenage depression? Combating adolescent depression is no simple task, but there indeed several things that can be done to make things better for our troubled teens. When addressing teenagers as a collective group, it seems increasing access to depression treatment centers for teens and increasing education on the topic are both real and viable solutions. The better educated teenagers can become on the formal definition, symptoms, and potential causes of depression, the more likely the will be able to seek appropriate treatment when necessary. One of the problems with treating depression is that many individuals do not even realize they are formally depressed. These individuals assume their constant feelings of low energy and existential dread are completely normal parts of life, and that they would be burdening their loved ones if they were to say anything about it.