Overview:
Depression is when you “feel blue”, have a loss of interest or pleasure in what you use to love for more than two weeks. This shift from your normal mood can affect your social life, your work life, and your school performance. Teenagers who are under stress, who experience a loss or trauma, or who have attentional, learning, conduct, or anxiety disorders are at an increased risk for developing depression. In addition, having a family history puts a teen at a higher risk for depression.
How common is depression in teens?
While you’re feeling depressed, it might feel as if no one else understands what you’re going through. However, depression in teens is more common than you might think -- on any given day, approximately 8% of teens meet the criteria for major depression. 1 out of 5 teens has experienced depression at some point in their lives. By age 18, about 11% of adolescents have a depressive disorder according to the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-AS)
In 2011, about 8% of teens aged 12-17 had experienced a major depressive episode during the past year. This percent was lower than the 9% reported in 2004, showing a slight decrease in the rate of teenage depression. Meanwhile, the rate of teens who were receiving treatment as depression (defined as seeing/talking to a professional about the depression and/or using prescription medication for depression within the past year) had declined from 40% in 2004 to 38% in 2011.
While you’re feeling depressed, it might feel as if no one else understands what you’re going through. However, depression in teens is more common than you might think -- on any given day, approximately 8% of teens meet the criteria for major depression. 1 out of 5 teens has experienced depression at some point in their lives. By age 18, about 11% of adolescents have a depressive disorder according to the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-AS)
In 2011, about 8% of teens aged 12-17 had experienced a major depressive episode during the past year. This percent was lower than the 9% reported in 2004, showing a slight decrease in the rate of teenage depression. Meanwhile, the rate of teens who were receiving treatment as depression (defined as seeing/talking to a professional about the depression and/or using prescription medication for depression within the past year) had declined from 40% in 2004 to 38% in 2011.
Signs and Symptoms:
How depression might be affecting your life:
Warning signs of depression in a friend may include:
- You feel sad all the time or you feel numb.
- You've lost interest in activities you used to enjoy and nothing seems fun anymore.
- You don’t want to spend time with your friends or family.
- You've had changes in your appetite and a loss or gain in weight.
- You've been sleeping too much or not enough.
- Your grades and performance in school has dropped.
- You've been feeling hopeless and that life has no meaning.
- You've been feeling guilty, worthless, or as if others would be better off without you.
- You've been thinking about death and dying.
Warning signs of depression in a friend may include:
- He/she no longer wants to do the things you guys used to enjoy doing together.
- He/she starts using alcohol or drugs or begins to hang out with a bad crowd.
- He/she stops going to classes and doesn't participate in after-school activities anymore.
- He/she expresses negative thoughts, such as being ugly or stupid, or that life is meaningless.
- He/she expresses a loss of confidence and feels poorly about him/herself and the future.
- He/she starts talking about death or suicide. This might be passive, such as stating "I don't care if I live or die," or more active, such as "I just want to drive off a bridge."