Jean M. Twenge described depression as “feeling hopelessness not enjoying life, believing they can’t do anything right.” There are many teens walking around with undiagnosed depression today. Many more than in the past. Teens during the 1950s with depression included a much smaller number and not to the extent of today. So, what happened in the last 70 years, and why is today harder on our adolescents. Various statistical studies have taken place including information on what our children do differently and how they handle it, there has also been an increase in the use of technology – technology today is very different that almost 100 years ago, finally, many teens today have depression and go untreated. The difference between those who have been treated and those who haven’t been shows.
Over the last 50-100 years, there has been an increase in teen depression. There are many different causes to this increase, but some of the main sources of increase includes the time spent in an educational setting and family life. As stated in the article, Increased Levels of Anxiety and Depression as Teenagers Experience Changes Over Time, the statistics used to read about seven per cent, or 1 in 30 boys and 1 in 10 girls, to 15 per. cent in 1999, or 2 in 30 boys and 2 in ten girls. The increase of time spent in school has changed drastically since the 1980s. At that time, “over 40 per cent of 16-19 year olds were in full time employment. By 2007, this figure was less than 20 per cent.” There has also been an increase in parental divorces before their children are at the age of 16. The stats used to read at about 10 per cent, and now the stats read at over 20%. This increase has led to children in a state of not knowing how to communicate feelings and therefore has helped increase the levels of depression in today’s adolescents.
New technology has been created to help with the treatment of depression. As stated in Rashmi Nemade’s article, Historical understandings of Depression, in the late 1890s into the 1900s, depression was thought to be a disorder related to schizophrenia. Sigmund Freud thought that depression was related to a real or symbolic loss. The treatments for depression, originally called melancholia, included a lobotomy.
“Many desperate people were treated with a lobotomy, (the surgical destruction of the frontal portion of a person’s brain which had become popular as a “calming” treatment at this time). Lobotomies were often unsuccessful, causing personality changes, inability to make decisions, and poor judgment; or worse, coma and sometimes death.” (Nemade).
There was also the use of electroconclusive therapy, which was used on those with schizophrenia. Today, scientists have come up with medications and less invasive ways of treatment to help with their patients. It has been discovered that depression has many causes; including those of a biological or psychological cause. It is not always related to a significant loss in a person’s life.
In a Time article written by Susanna Schrobsdorff, the information of an increase of teenage depression and treatment are not coherent with each other. Surveys and studies show that there is an increase of teenage depression, but not an increase in treatment. Meaning, “Researchers said this is an indication that there is a growing number of young people who or under-treated or not treated at all for their symptoms.” (Schrobsdorff). The increase of depression is not a shock to those who work with teenagers on a day to day basis, but the numbers are extremely large to one who does not.
“The number of kids who are struggling with these issues is staggering. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more that three million adolescents aged 12-17 reported at least on major depressive episode in the past year, and more than two million reported severe depression that impeded their daily functioning.” (Schrobsdorff).
Some schools are trying to have more professionally trained staff members to be able to identify depression, so the students can function better. If there is an increase in anxiety and depression, more students may have a result of failure or dropping out.
There is also information of females being more susceptible to depression than male. A studied showed that girls use cell phones more frequently that boys do. The use of phones has been proven to be related to a depression or depressive mood.
“According to the department of Health and Human Services, rates of depression among girls ages 12-17 in 2015 were more than double that of boys. (In the U.S., 19.5% of girls experienced at least on major depressive episode in the last year, while only 5.8% of boys did.)” (Schrobsdorff).
In Ron J. Steingard, MD, article, he explained more about why girls are more likely to have depression at such a young age.
“It’s plausible that that these gender differences around the time of puberty can be traced to evolutionary advantages: Girls may be wired to tune in earlier to emotional stimuli because it was advantageous for nurturing babies; for young men, given their roles as hunters and tribe protectors, emotional responsiveness might have been an important attribute not to have.” (Steeingard).
By stating this, the author was giving information about why females may be more likely to have depression. He then went into this:
“The argument that the differences in emotional sensitivity are hard-wired is underscored by the fact that even as women’s lives have clearly changed—with many more women living professional, competitive, Type-A lives—the rate of depression hasn’t dropped. Even the participation of far more girls in sports and other intense physical activities hasn’t reduced the rate of depression, though physical activity is important to emotional wellbeing, and one effective way to help jumpstart recovery in someone who’s depressed.” (Stiengard).
The author was trying to show in these two paragraphs that girls are starting to work as much as guys do. There are not as many restrictions in today’s society that girls cannot do something.
The difference between adult and teenage depression pretty large as well. In adults, their mood may come off as being sad or just unhappy, in teenagers, it comes of as angry, frustration, or even hostile. Teenagers may also have unexplained internal pains, like headaches or an upset stomach. Friendships are also perceived differently. Adults isolate themselves completely while teens keep a few close friends around. Knowing the difference between the ages can change the future. Some outcomes that can come from teen depression include substance abuse, eating disorders, self-harm, or even violence towards others or oneself.
Depression is a feeling of “lifeless and empty,” as stated in the Teen Depression article from ineedalighthouse.org. The information that describes teenage depression through history, treatment, statistics, gender, and age show how different the symptoms can be for every person. To know this information is what can help someone in the future and what can help oneself in the future. Depression does not mean that someone is not caring or does love others, it just means that that person feels that those emotions are pushed onto them and cannot find the happiness to overcome those feelings.