Depression Hurts

According to hopeline.com, “more than 90% of people who commit suicide have depression or another diagnosable mental or substance abuse disorder.” One who feels depressed or has suicidal thoughts should urgently see a mental health service or doctor.

Sadly, one out of 12 teenagers suffers with depression before the age of 18. Even worse, once girls reach puberty, they are two times as likely as boys to become depressed. According to Jeff Bostic, director of school psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital, and Michael Miller, editor in chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter, “approximately half of the teenagers with untreated depression may attempt suicide, the third leading cause of death in this age group.” Neuroscientists say the adolescent brain is made for emotional instability and confusion, and retreat from family which help teenagers reach out to their peers instead of his/her parents. However, those same trends make is hard to tell when merely growing up turns into depression.

Adolescents may suffer from depression due to other reasons than an adult. A painful breakup, rejection by peers, or a bad grade can cause unhappiness for days, maybe even weeks. Depression can attack an individual with no apparent reason and may take over ones daily life for months at a time; possibly even years. Bostic and Miller said, “Depressed kids who may be biologically more vulnerable than others to environmental stress, feel almost constantly miserable and enjoy very little. But depression isn’t always expressed as sadness.” Depression isn’t always expressed in sadness; teens may be irritable, have headaches and suffer with stomach pains instead of describing the bad feelings as a mood. Depression affects the energy, sleep patterns, and appetite of its victims. School-aged children who suffer with depression often perform very poorly in school and may withdraw from family and friends – suicidal thoughts shouldn’t be something children think about, let alone at such a young age.