Teen depression occurs all around you and people don’t take note of it as much as they should. Teen depression should be watched for and treated accordingly. We need to keep teens from getting depressed because it’s a big issue and should not be a normal thing. What causes it, and how can you handle treating and preventing it?


Depression is somewhat caused by a teens surroundings. If they have a bad social life or are having a hard time in school it is more likely for them to become depressed. When this happens and they don’t have a trustworthy adult to look up to them their condition can get worse (Helpguide 1). Only 20% of teens who are depressed seek help, which is a shame because depression can be overcome (Helpguide 1). Depression isn’t just the days that sometimes you feel depressed and other times you’re full of merriment, it’s a real illness.

A few ways you can tell if a teen is depressed are by some of the signs. No motivation or enthusiasm, not participating in activities, fidgeting or distracted easily- these are all signs that you might want to look into the teen getting help (Helpguide 1). Depression isn’t just an emotion, it’s an illness that makes you nonfunctional, and is not just a state of mind. It actually takes your body over. You can’t just push it out of your mind once you feel a deep wave of it, you then need to find help.

The result of depressed adults and bad environments can lead to teen depression because the adults and the teens surroundings are their examples of how to act (Focus 1). Teen girls especially have a high risk as well as anyone who has experienced loss or are under stress (Focus 1).

People who have teens with risks of depression, need to address this issue and act as better examples towards them, in order to stop this issue. Parents and older people need to interact with their teens and help them not get into a bad situation. If a teen does happen to get serious depression don’t just blow it off. There are ways to help them that are easy and don’t require extra money. Just ask a doctor, or friends if they have any suggestions, or call a professional for help. You can easily find one in a phone book or web sites (Focus 1).

About four out of 100 teens feel depressed and get diagnosed for it every year (Ezine 1).
Two kinds of depression are: major depression, also called dysthymia or reactive depression; which is just feeling sad. Sometimes it can also be demure, with sadness atatched. The other type is manic depression sometimes called bipolar. This deals with over excitement or deep sadness (Ezine 1). Experts found that 1 in only 8 teens experience depression and only 30% of them get help (Family 1). On Family First Aid it says the teens who are at higher risk of getting depression are abused or neglected people, those with a bad things in their life, and ones that have had previous issues. Ironically girls are more likely to form depression, and it occures twice as much in teen girls. Teen suicide is the 3rd most cause of teen death in people ages 15-24 (Family 1). The best way to help make these facts end is to catch signs and prevent depression in teens lives.

Teen depression statistics show that a depression cycle can last up to 8 months, more than half a year, and 20-40% of them can suffer from more than one cycle in two years. 70% of teens might even suffer from more than two before they are adults too. In a population of about 5.3 percent, at least 8.5 percent of the teens will get depression for no less than a year (Teen 1).

After having depression, 15% of teens will get a bipolar disorder eventually, and 2% of the teens will get it before they are grownups (Teen 1). When depression is untreated that’s when it leads to suicide and that is the biggest reason for suicides. 90% of regular suicidal people have mental illnesses, but teens who are depressed are 12 times likelier to try and kill themselves.

The facts are real and teen depression is truly severe issue among teens, It’s not just something thet they get indoctrinated on. This is why we need to watch out for any behavior that might be a clue of early on depression and get teens help. Also we need to keep our environment nice so that teens aren’t becoming depressed. If a teen does develop depression they need to seek help and get treatment so that no more suicides are committed.

As a guardian of your teen you should set good examples and be receptive to them when they’re struggling, so they have someone that makes them feel comfortable, and not isolated. Teen depression is severe, but causes are all over. Stop the causes, stop the teen depression.

Works Cited

Helpguide.org. “Teen Depression”.http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_teen.htm. Oct 26. 2010.

Focus Adolescent Services. “Teen Depression”.http://www.focusas.com/Depression.html. Oct 26. 2010.

Ezine articles. “Teen Depression”.http://ezinearticles.com/?Depressed-Teens&id=274099. Oct 27. 2010.

Family First Aid. “What is teen depression”.http://familyfirstaid.org/depression.html. Oct 27. 2010.

Teen Depression. “Teenage depression statistics”.http://www.teendepression.org/articles5.html. Oct 27. 2010.