DEPRESSION IN TEENAGERS

Amongst so many mental and physical issues that have bedeviled our teenagers today, such as anxiety disorders, mood disorder, dementia. Etc. Teenage depression is becoming the most rampant in the society today.

Teen depression is a serious mental health problem that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities. It affects how a teenager thinks, feels and behaves, and it can cause emotional, functional and physical problems.

Depression in teenagers is often undiagnosed and untreated because they are passed off as normal emotional and psychological changes. Having depression is more than being sad. Depression affects   the way we think, how we see ourselves and our future. Depression can stop children and young people enjoying the things they like doing and interferes with normal social activities, interests, school work and family life. 

Research has shown that nearly 20 per cent of teen’s age 13 to 18 suffering from depression will attempt suicide. The teen age is a period when negative influences are experienced, thus the need for guidance and counseling. Some experts say that we have raised our children with unrealistic expectations which   led them (teenagers) to feel like they have let down their parents expectations of them.

Some say that parents haven’t taught them real life coping skills that they need in today’s turbulent world.

In my opinion, it’s all of the above and more.

In this paragraph we focus on another cause of depression among high school students. Academic stress: Researchers have found that the main sources of stress in the academic environment are exams, homework, and work outside school,  presentations, competition with classmates, and academic overload.. Academic environment can be highly competitive, so there is a need to be better than their peers and must also rely on their coping abilities to handle school related stress successfully.

 It has been researched that when high school students are prevented from having an open and honest discussion about the things that interest them, they simply take that discussion elsewhere – usually out of adult earshot. It also sets them up for recurrences of depression later in life. When students have depression that goes unnoticed their mental health is at risk, which can lead to social and behavioral problems, poor performances and learning and low self-esteem.

Teens are under constant pressure to perform well academically, to become their own person independent of their parents. On top of all that, teens are also under constant scrutiny from their classmates, and are often subject to mounting pressure to fit in or do things that earn them approval from their peers. Everyone feels the need to fit in and be admired among their peers, but for teenagers, this pressure to conform and get approval is especially acute. High school is notorious for being filled with different cliques and groups that often define themselves through certain behaviors and by assigning social statuses to different people.

In order to fit in with these cliques, teens often feel pressured to change things about themselves. Because teenagers are already struggling to define and discover who they are as a person, this additional pressure to act a certain way can lead them to feeling confused and at odd with themselves.

Teen depression isn’t a weakness or something that can be overcome with willpower. It can have serious consequences and requires long term treatment. For most teens, depression symptoms ease with treatment such as medication and psychological counseling.

Education and care services have a duty of care to address to address any school based triggers that may be impacting on teenager’s mental health and wellbeing.

NSOFOR JOHNROSS NWACHUKWU                                                                                                 Mass Communication Department                                                                                                               Babcock University