St. Louis, MO – Depression Becoming More Common Among US Teens

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    St. Louis, MO – The number of U.S. adolescents and young adults with untreated depression may be on the rise, a recent study suggests.

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    For youth ages 12 to 17, the prevalence of depression increased from 8.7 percent in 2005 to 11.3 percent in 2014, the study found. Among adults aged 18 to 25, the prevalence climbed from 8.8 percent to 9.6 percent during the study period.

    But there hasn’t been much change in the proportion of teens and young adults seeking mental health treatment, the study also found.

    “We already know that teens have much more depression than is currently being recognized or treated,” said Dr. Anne Glowinski, a child psychiatry researcher at Washington University in St. Louis who wrote an editorial accompanying the study.

    “What this study adds is that rates of youth depression have significantly increased in the last decade and that the proportion of recognized/treated young people appears unchanged despite efforts to encourage pediatricians to focus on suicide prevention which includes more recognition and treatment of youth depression,” Glowinski added by email.

    Each year, about 1 in 11 teens and young adults suffers at least one episode of major depression, researchers report in Pediatrics.

    To examine trends over time in the prevalence of depression and mental health treatment, researchers examined nationally representative survey data from more than 172,000 teens and almost 179,000 young adults.

    Among other things, researchers asked participants if they had experienced a variety of symptoms that can point to depression, whether they had experienced an episode of major depression in the past year, and if they had seen a doctor or other health professional about these symptoms.

    They also assessed whether the participants received treatments such as counseling or prescription medication.

    Compared to teens who didn’t report a major depressive episode, those who did were more likely to be older, not in school, unemployed, in households with single parents or no parents, and have substance abuse issues.

    Among young adults, those with depression were more likely to be female, black and have a substance abuse issue.

    One limitation of the study is that researchers relied on young people to accurately recall and report any symptoms of depression or treatments for the condition, the authors note. The study didn’t include medical records and researchers couldn’t verify whether clinicians diagnosed depression in individual participants who reported symptoms or said they received treatment.

    Even so, the findings suggest a growing number of teens and young adults have depression and don’t receive treatment, the authors conclude.

    This suggests there’s room for parents, pediatricians and school and college counseling services to step up efforts to identify and help youth with mental health problems, the authors argue.

    “Many children do not tell their parents about their depressive symptoms, they may not even recognize them as such,” said lead study author Dr. Ramin Mojtabai, a public health researcher at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

    “Parents should be alert to changes in academic or social functioning of their children and to other manifestations of depression such as social withdrawal, long periods of sadness, frequent crying spells, anger outbursts and irritability, suicidal ideations or gestures, significant changes in appetite and weight, and significant changes in energy level,” Mojtabai added by email.


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    18 Comments
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    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    This is nonsense! Only a liberal would think that depression is a real disease.

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    With all due respect, one has nothing to do with the other.

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    This is a made-up liberal conspiracy. Ignore it. Depression is not real, except the “depression” Hillary’s supporters got when Trump won! but they deserve it for being evil.

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    Depression is the natural state of mankind.

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    I think Donald Trump is causing a depression epidemic.

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    This is fake news. Liberals like the APA get to define everything. Maybe now with Trump as prez things will change.
    Signed formerly TrumpForPrez

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    They’re just getting better at diagnosing depression.

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    Back in the day, we were depressed all the time, and we liked it!

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    Nobody could possibly like being depressed.

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    If people don’t like it, why do they do it?

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    Why does anyone choose to get cancer? Depression is also an illness.

    RebelSheep
    RebelSheep
    7 years ago

    “Mental health” is made up by liberals.

    Realist77
    Realist77
    7 years ago

    As a mental health professional, I am appalled by the comments in this thread and complete lack of knowledge of those commenting that this is not a disease. Depression is not the same as feeling sad. Depression is a feeling of despair, hopelessness that does not go away like sadness does. People do not choose to be depressed. For many they are predisposed to depression, just like they can be predisposed to other conditions. Thank G-d there is treatment from those suffering from depression.
    I am curious as to how many readers in the group smoke or drink on a regular basis to make themselves feel better throughout the day. If you do, you are masking the signs and symptoms of anxiety or depression.
    People do not choose to be depressed. Just like people do not choose to be diabetic.

    hashomer
    hashomer
    7 years ago

    Wow guys, with 1 or 2 exceptions, the comments on this article are some of the dumbest things I’ve ever seen on VIN. Maybe it’s due to the medieval gedolim brainwashing against psychiatry since Freud? But over the past 30 years medical science has absolutely determined that brain chemistry and neurological anomalies cause many depressions. If you wanna put cups on or leeches, continue to do so, but any frum Yidden w depression is running around seeking a 21st century cure.

    Normal
    Normal
    7 years ago

    Wow, so many stupid comments. B’H they don’t know anything about depression and mental illness.

    abilenetx
    abilenetx
    7 years ago

    I would be depressed also with the state of education now. The government is making education a joke and only one sided. If I was going to school now a days I would also be depressed, but luckily I went to school when there was a education and all sides where heard and we learned about all peoples. This core education teaches children nothing but frustration and makes they feel stupid.

    Butterfly
    Butterfly
    7 years ago

    To #13 I agree 101% with you. Where are these people getting their ideas from. People do not choose to be depressed. It is a state of mind. It can be worked out if you do not ignore it.