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Understanding Adolescent Depression:

By: The Alternate Medic We will one day pass the reins of the world over to the next generation , it is therefore imperative that we understand the current realities of modern adolescent depression and make the necessary changes in our efforts to prevent its growth and proliferation amongst our youth.

The pressures of modern living are also having a detrimental effect on our adolescent youth. Take a look at the following statistics and be amazed.

In case the realities of adolescent depression are not yet clear we are sure that the following statistics will bring the extent of the problem into clear focus. It is important to gain the attention of the general public through concrete concepts that have the power to sway even the most skeptical of minds. Hopefully, even the adolescent youth will begin to understand the problem at hand.

Twenty Percent Of Teenagers Are Sufferers

The first thing that will make you sit up and take notice about statistics pertaining to adolescent depression is the news that nearly a fifth of the teenage population in the US has experienced a form of clinical depression, even before having gained full adulthood.

Not only that, but there are about ten to fifteen percents of teenagers that have shown symptoms of adolescent depression and another five percent of the teenage population will have suffered from significant depression.

Shockingly, another alarming aspect to adolescent depression is the fact that there is little or no social acceptance when it concerns teenagers with such a condition, it is as if we consider it to be only the pains of growing up. What's worse is the fact that as many as eight percent of teenagers will have experienced the re-occurrence of depression. This is alarming because when considering that only a mere five percent of the total national population suffer from depression.

Frighteningly, statistics suggest that when a teenager suffers a bout of adolescent depression it will generally last for about eight months. These same teenagers are also at risk that a subsequent attack of adolescent depression will strike them within a mere two years and the chances of this happening are about twenty to forty percent, on top of that there is a seventy percent chance that they will experience another attack of adolescent depression before they have even reached full adulthood.

Another form of adolescent depression will affect quite a few teenagers from attacks. Known as Seasonal depression it is most likely to strike during the winter, it is also found in places of high altitude. The weather can play a significant part in the onset of seasonal depression, Both teenagers and their parents need to be aware of the affects of weather on the adolescent's state of mind.

There are two other stats related to adolescent depression which reveal that dysthymia or a mild form of depression which cant last for a long time will affect about two percent of teenagers and a further two percent of teenagers are also likely to suffer from bipolar depression when they grow older. In fact, it is believed that up to fifteen percent of teenagers that have suffered from major depression will later on be at risk of developing bipolar depression.

Thus, it is safe to say that adolescent depression will affect teenagers no matter their social background, income level, gender as well as race or even their achievements and that adolescent depression is very common mental health problem affecting teenagers in the US.