Depression among teenagers is a growing problem! Teenage is a tough stage of life that one can pass through. Some teenagers face this period of their life strongly and positively, while others face it with many obstacles and problems. It all depends on the environment they live in, by whom they were raised, their friends, their education systems, and many other factors. But one of the biggest problems that is growing rapidly in our society today is depression among teenagers, which is neglected by many and often mistaken for typical teenage behavior. This problem is very well known as one of the most common psychiatric disorders. I think being a teenager can be really hard and it is perfectly normal to feel sad or irritable every now and then, it is just moody changes. But the big problem is what should teenagers do if these feelings and sensitive emotions do not go away or become more instance. Depression among adolescents is a serious mental problem that causes a constant feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities. It affects the way a teenager thinks, feels, and behaves, and can cause emotional, functional, and even self-harm, and even can lead to suicidal thoughts.
A person has more than one sense of what is positive and what is negative, but in certain cases, the feeling of a particular feeling may last and is likely to be negative, such as depression. Depression is very different from sadness, sadness is a natural feeling for anyone in their life, while depression is a psychological condition that negatively affects people's daily activities. Feeling sad is a normal reaction to stressful situations in life. For example, being sick, losing someone we love, having problems at school or home, and loneliness, these are all situations that lead to the feeling of sadness which causes depression. Some teenagers overcome these negative feelings, while others are not able to cope well. Their sadness may become overwhelming, and this is a sign of depression. It occurs when a person feels sorrowful all the time. Their feelings may interfere with family life, school, or work. “Maryann, who is a thin girl, described herself as 'a skinny little thing'. She had no appetite, wasn't able to sleep, and felt really sad down below like there was nothing fun, nothing worth doing. 'Sometimes you feel like a maniac. You do very, very stupid and crazy things'”. As was stated in the New York Amsterdam News article 'Scars of Adolescent Depression Run Deep', which explains various aspects of depression in teenagers and the attributes of young adults between the ages of 13 and 18 who are suffering from depression and its terrible causes. “About one in 20 children and adolescents have serious depression or major depressive disorder (MDD), according to experts, and they have a completely different outlook on life than those who don't suffer from the illness. Nothing seems to matter to them, and they have a lot of mood swings. They don't talk to people that much and tend to withdraw from the world”. Symptoms of depression include a lack of interest in any activity, loss of desire to enjoy the world, introversion, isolation, negative thinking, pessimism and looking at things through a black lens, feelings of guilt, tendency to blame oneself, as well as lack of physical and sexual activity, lack of sleep or tendency to sleep and rest, and lack of appetite or overeating. It can be harder than that because failure to treat adolescent depression can cause many emotional, behavioral, and health problems that affect every part of a teenager's life, which may cause a person to think about some physical harm.
Teen depression is not a weakness or something that willpower can only overcome. It is a disease that can have severe consequences and requires long-term treatment. Sometimes feelings of depression become so strong that a teen may consider suicide. This mental illness affects teenagers just like adults, and the risk is that depression is accompanied by suicidal tendencies at a time when teenage suicides are increasing. That is why parents and guardians should pay attention to the signs and symptoms. They should know the treatment methods and be aware of the danger of risk that their teens might be in before it is too late.
Why bad decisions instead of seeking help? If symptoms and signs of depression persist and interfere with the life of the teenager, or cause the emergence of suicidal thoughts, as well as cause a threat to the safety of the teenager, teens should talk to a psychiatrist, because the symptoms of depression will not disappear on their own, but will increase with time and cause some problems if not treated. Depressed adolescents may be at risk of suicide, even if the symptoms do not appear severe. It was illustrated in the same article when the Autor stated: “As she described her third suicide attempt, Maryann paused often to take a deep breath. 'It felt good, you know, the blood flowing out of my body. And every single little drop, it was life flowing out of me. I wanted to die. I wanted to die”.
Why would someone choose to end up his life by committing suicide? It is actually hard to think about death, but in a situation and many other teens’ terrible cases, they think that life has become a trap. They think that it will be better to be released from life, but death is an enemy. No one is pushed to it. It seems such an easy decision to make because these teens are in a tough situation that is pushing them to choose suicide or harm themselves. Suffering from depression may seem normal to a regular person, but to the teen who is facing it is feeling the discomfort and the pain that would allow him to end his life. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2016 (the latest available data), there were nearly 45,000 Americans aged 10 or older died by suicide due to the factor of depression and anxiety. It is the 10th leading cause of death among young people and one of the leading causes that is on the rise today.
It is growing rapidly throughout the whole world. It is not an issue that we can turn our heads from and hope it can go away just by itself. We as families, brothers, sisters, parents, or guardians have to work it out to find a solution to solve this huge problem.
Unfortunately, most teenagers who suffer from depression do not get help, and they may not want to get help because they are always alone, but when not treated, it can get worse. Depression is not their fault, and they did not do anything to cause it. However, as a sister to 3 teenage brothers, I think that they do have some control over feeling better. It is so hard to get better. I feel their struggle as teenagers facing many obstacles in life because moving from one chapter in life to a new one requires strong personalities and hard.
I would suggest the first step to do is to go ask for help and talk to an adult that they trust. They are not alone, help is available everywhere if they seek help and want to get treated. There is a saying by John Heywood that I believe is true: “You can lead the horse to water, but you cannot make it drink”. With that being said, it is all about perseverance and persistence. It can seem complicated to be open-minded to talk to people about bad experiences unless the teen is brave enough to speak up.
No matter how despondent life seems right now, there are always many things that can help out to solve the problem of depression. It is very normal to feel blue occasionally or to feel down for a while after something bad happens. It is very typical. There are ups and downs in life. But when it lasts for weeks or months, it can eventually dominate teenagers’ lives. It is very important to know the symptoms. Sad or irritable mood, loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable, loss of energy, and some frequent thoughts of suicide and death. In today’s society, it is very important to ask for help and offer help to teenagers, those who are trying to recognize their identity and find their place in society. They need guidance to fight depression because it is a serious issue that negatively affects how they feel, act, and think. This is a huge problem that should never be ignored.