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Carolina Mull

Prof Johnson

English 1201

July 31 2020

Teenage Depression

Have you ever wondered why so many people look back on their high school years and

strongly express how they would never want to relive it? Well, one of the reasons why could

be due to the strong emotions they felt throughout their four high school years. The stress of

schoolwork constantly being assigned and always being surrounded by peers who seem like

people worth trying to impress creates a lot of things to deal with especially for young adults

still developing and figuring out who they are and who they want to be which can oftentimes

lead to depression or some form of depression or anxiety. It is common that many teens

struggle in high school due to depression but it appears that over time different forms of

teenage depression have spiked in today’s youth especially. High school students and young

adults suffer from depression more than other age groups due to the added stress from peers,

school, and other outside factors creating a mass epidemic of teenage suicide and an unhappy

younger generation. Figuring out the root of this worldwide illness seen in kids could provide

a much better understanding of depression and help many who struggle with it while in high

school.

Depression can be caused by many different factors such as trauma, living in a toxic

home life, bullying online or in person, having a chemical imbalance in the brain, and many

other causes. Depression stemmed from bullying is often one of the most talked-about causes
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of depression in teens in high school, but not enough attention is brought to the other causes.

Many do not even know that being born with a chemical imbalance in the brain can cause

depression for some struggling teens who feel that they have no reason to feel sad and are

frustrated and confused as to why they feel the way they do. Not having a known reason for

being upset all the time due to the chemical imbalance can make the young adult even more

upset because they feel they should not feel the way they do but cannot help the fact that they

still feel sad. Disrupting the balanced chemicals in the brain by the use of drugs and self-

medicating can also create an unbalance, and teens could develop depression from that as

well. In a Government analysis published by the Office of National Drug Control Policy,

titled “Teen Marijuana Use Worsens Depression: An Analysis of Recent Data Shows “Self-

Medicating” Could Actually Make Things Worse”, published in 2008, claims that “using

marijuana can cause depression and other mental illnesses” (Office of National Drug Control

Policy 2). This document claims that depression can be caused or even worsened in teens

from drug use. Marilyn Gemino also wrote in her article titled “Early Warning Signs of

Depression and Anxiety in Children”, “To cope with these symptoms, children and teens may

sometimes develop substance abuse issues as a form of coping mechanism, reports the

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration” (Gemino). Too many teens go

down this path and end up struggling all alone because many adults or caretakers overlook the

signs of depression symptoms and the importance of getting the right treatment needed for the

teen struggling with substance abuse or just depression by itself. 

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Monroe, Jamison. The Facts on Loneliness in Young People. 18 May

2020, www.newportacademy.com/resources/well-being/loneliness-in-young-people/.

This graph from the article titled “The Facts on Loneliness in Young People” written

by Jamison Monroe shows the importance of professional treatment prescribed by doctors and

how much of a significant difference it can make to those who struggle with depression,

stress, or anxiety. The use of the right medicine prescribed to the person in need has a much

more positive effect on the person than self-medication does.

Trauma also plays a large role in the cause of depression for some teens. Many teens in

China were found to have experienced at least some form of depression, along with PTSD and

anxiety in some cases, after living through traumatic earthquakes (qtd. In Chui et al.). In

Chinese published article titled, “Predictive factors of depression symptoms among

adolescents in the 18-month follow-up after Wenchuan earthquake in China”, written by

Cheryl Chui and several others, explores scientific research on PTSD and depression found in
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teens after enduring the traumatic experience of the Wenchuan earthquake that occurred in

China. “Existing studies suggest that individuals who have been exposed to a traumatic event

such as a natural disaster experience a period of intense psychological” (qtd. in Chui et al.

36). This quote from the article states the question or claim that the article is looking into and

exploring scientific data on the topic and shows that depression has a high chance of

stemming from traumatic experiences, especially in young adults. 

Although depression is very common and especially so in teens, not enough people are

aware or as informed as they should be, especially parents, peers, and all faculty and staff

working in the school environment. “From 2007 to 2017, the percentage of 12-to-17-year-olds

who had experienced a major depressive episode in the previous year shot up from 8 percent

to 13 percent—meaning that, in the span of a decade, the number of severely depressed

teenagers went from 2 million to 3.2 million” (Julian). This quote taken from an article

written by Julian and published by The Atlantic proves the major influx of depression seen in

high schoolers that have occurred over time. And the numbers are not failing to continue their

constant incline even though many new ways being found to help teens cure or cope with their

depression and mental illness.

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Tweeten, Lon, and Alice Park. “Teens Are Getting More Depressed But Using Fewer

Drugs.” Time, Time, 12 June 2017, time.com/4811761/teens-depression-drug-abuse/.

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This chart found in the article titled “Teens Are Getting More Depressed But Using

Fewer Drugs” written by Lon Tweeten and Alice Park shows the difference in the rate of

depression seen in males and female adolescents in which it shows that the female young

adults from the age range of 12-17, have a higher percentage of depression than that of the

male young adults that age from 12-17 which could be evidenced used to prove that teenage

women and girls are more open about how they actually feel deep down whereas teenage boys

may also feel that way but have not expressed those emotions to others.

All high schools should provide more support for their students and give them the

resources that so many teens need but cannot get, but also, more importantly, communities

and adults who are around teens should become more unrestrained from having open

discussions with teens about depression and make the topic easier to address for the kids who

feel uncomfortable or scared to talk about how they feel. Jamison Monroe highlights in his

article titled “The Facts About Loneliness in Young People”, how the majority of the younger

generations feel the most alone. “73 percent of Generation Z sometimes or always feel alone”

(Monroe). Often teens feel like they have no one to talk to about how they feel causing them

to feel like they are all on their own. That feeling of isolation from everyone including friends

and family is what causes so many young adults to feel hopeless and utterly alone all while

trying to cope with a mental illness that they have almost no control over and is something

that could ultimately take full control over their lives and in the way they live day to day and

interact with others.

Without adult attention and support for the young adults struggling with depression,

these teens feel they have no way out of the sadness or numbness that they feel that is caused

by their depression, which can cause them to resort to self-harm and suicide. Many people
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who do not know how it feels like to be in the situation that young adults or really any person

who is struggling with suicidal; thoughts or thoughts of self-harm sometimes never

understand why they would even consider such things which can lead to the teens going

through that to feel even more alone. Suicide, especially teenage or young adult suicide is far

worse than most people would have believed, and the number of suicides for the younger

generation is seen to be continuing to have a steady incline. In the article titled Teen

Depression”, written by Amita Shroff, the author states that “adolescent suicide is the second

leading cause of death, following accidents, among youth and young adults in the U.S. It is

estimated that 500,000 teens attempt suicide every year with 5,000 succeeding” (Shroff). The

author highlights how teen suicide is far more common than most people would think. This

article discusses and answers questions regarding teen depression, such as knowing the signs,

the effects, and causes that could be vital for some teen’s safety and well-being. Depression is

the leading cause of suicides in all age groups, but teen depression causes more suicides than

adults who experience depression and suicidal thoughts. Not enough people being informed

on the importance of making sure that teens are doing well mentally is a part of the huge

problem of teenage suicides.

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Doupnik, Stephanie. “I Treat Teens Who Attempted Suicide. Here's What They Told

Me.” Vox, Vox, 30 Oct. 2019, www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/10/30/20936636/suicide-

mental-health-suicidal-thoughts-teens.

This graph from the article titled “I Treat Teens Who Attempted Suicide” written by

Stephanie Doupnik, published by Vox, shows the major increase in young adult suicides due

to depression that has increased drastically over the years. In 2017 this graph shows the peak

of the sharp incline of young adult suicides, proving the point that depression causes more and

more deaths, especially over the years, than most people would even take into consideration.

Making this fact, shown above in the graph that the teen suicide rates are still continuing to

skyrocket, a more publicized topic would increase the amount of attention and urgency of

action that this topic of depression would receive and decrease the numbers of deaths because

more people could reach out to others, such as family, friends, or other adults, to help them to

get the right treatment needed to prevent any more deaths from depression in the younger

generation and the older generation that deals with depression as well.

Depression can be caused in many different ways and comes with many different

symptoms but teens and adults alike who are struggling with it all deserve to receive help and

treatment for their depression. The school system and the adults in teenager’s lives should

become more aware of depression as a mental illness and not just them feeling down so their

school systems and work life rules and regulations can adapt and change to better things for

the young adults having to cope with their depression or anxiety so the number of teen suicide

cases do not continue to rise. With more and more people becoming fully aware or as much

aware as they can of the symptoms and causes, this new awareness could create a much safer
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and healthier environment for the young adults battling depression in today’s society and

social norms.
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Works Cited

Chui, Cheryl H. K., et al. “Predictive Factors of Depression Symptoms among Adolescents in the
18-Month Follow-up after Wenchuan Earthquake in China.” Journal of Mental Health,
vol. 26, no. 1, Feb. 2017, pp. 36–42. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1080/09638237.2016.1276542.

Doupnik, Stephanie. “I Treat Teens Who Attempted Suicide. Here's What They Told
Me.” Vox, Vox, 30 Oct. 2019, www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/10/30/20936636/suicide-
mental-health-suicidal-thoughts-teens.

Gemino, Marilyn. Early Warning Signs of Depression and Anxiety in Children. 1 May 2019,
www.gardenoflife.com/content/early-warning-signs-depression-anxiety-children/?
mc_cid=2614657b69.

Monroe, Jamison. The Facts on Loneliness in Young People. 18 May 2020,

www.newportacademy.com/resources/well-being/loneliness-in-young-people/.

Shroff, Amita. “Teen Depression: Causes, Symptoms, Heredity, and Treatments.” WebMD,

WebMD, 23 Apr. 2018, www.webmd.com/depression/guide/teen-depression.

Teen Marijuana Use Worsens Depression [Electronic Resource] : An Analysis of Recent Data
Shows “Self-Medicating” Could Actually Make Things Worse. Washington, D.C. : Office
of National Drug Control Policy, 2008, 2008. EBSCOhost,
search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=edsgpr&AN=edsgpr.ocn469694837&site=eds-live.

Tweeten, Lon, and Alice Park. “Teens Are Getting More Depressed But Using Fewer
Drugs.” Time, Time, 12 June 2017, time.com/4811761/teens-depression-drug-abuse/.