The Factor Associated with Adolescent Depression By Crystal Zymantas Depression in youth is viewed as a significant problem that affects approximately 30% of the adolescent population (Lewinsohn, Hops, Roberts, Seeley, & Andrew) in the journal done by (McWhirter, McWhirter, & Gat 1996). It has been noted that nearly 17 million Canadians suffer from feelings of depression and twice as many women are affected (Fairbanks Psychiatric & Neurological Clinic 1998-2000). Depression is currently ranked fourth as a leading cause of disability afflicting people in the United States and around the world. By 2020 it will move up to rank second (Hart 1998). The article done by Hart (1998), found that the lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder in adolescents is 15-20% and 2% during childhood, and found that 7-9% of children would experience an episode of major depression before the age 14 and as many as 20% before leaving school. In the United Stated it has been found that roughly up to 2.5%
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On the Threshold of Eternityof children and up to 8.3% of adolescents suffer from depression (National Institute of Mental Health 1999).
The symptoms, which are associated with depression, (which usually last anywhere from two to four weeks)(Franklin 2000) are; feelings of anxiety, loss of sleep, sleeping a lot during the day, the reluctance to leave bed, loss of appetite, loss of motivation, sadness and physical aches. These are just a few of many symptoms (Alexander 1999). The question then becomes what causes adolescents to become depressed. It is believed that the father/mother relationship and research indicates that the environment the child grows up in and as well as the genetic (chemical imbalances). In addition the factor of gender and age that influences the role of depression. It has been especially noted that the emotion a girl goes through during puberty contributes...