Depression is the New Teen Angst
Jalen Hendrix
Jalen Hendrix
Mental illness is something that this generation has seen a lot of over the past couple of years. The most recent celebrities and Disney channel stars to publicly battle depression are Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. Lovato had a huge scare late last summer because of an alleged suicide attempt. Lovato apparently overdosed on oxycodone and fentanyl. Depression is now becoming an epidemic and slowly becoming a problem among teens and young adults. But why are the number of teens with depression increasing? What leads these teens and young adults to suicide?
TIME” magazine released a study in 2016 that uncovered the increase in depressed teens and young adults. The study showed that over three million children aged 12-17 experienced at least one depressive episode in the last year. And some teens have claimed to have a “MDE” or Major Depressive Episode. An MDE is a depressive episode that has continued over the course of two weeks. It is very sensible to seek help if you do have an MDE. Though not all of those three million teens have reported MDE’s they can be dangerous. In some cases, MDE’s can lead to suicide.
While depression is an awful disease in its own right, its also worse for teens. Depression can affect kids behavior and their ability to learn. Depression can also cause memory loss and loss of concentration. These are some of the worst symptoms teens can have because it obviously impacts how they learn and can cause them to fall back in there studies. Teens are often encouraged to go to their counselor for any serious thoughts about suicide or depression but this opportunity is often brushed off or ignored.
Most children are told to seek advice from a trusted adult, and while some teens are brave enough to tell their parents what is going on, other teens do not, and when their parents do sense something wrong, they call a therapist. Fifteen year-old Eva Robinson says, “I think therapy can be a remedy, but it depends on the person.” That seems to be a true statement. Some people are just not meant to talk out their problems with strangers, while others do not have a choice.
Also shedding light to depression is the popular Netflix show 13 Reasons Why. This show tackles more subjects than depression though. 13 Reasons Why also covers substance abuse, underage drinking, bullying, cyber-bullying, sexual orientation, and suicide. While some people applaud the show on its real but dramatic take on the modern day teen, others find it unsettling and see it as harmful to young adult minds. Both of those statements can be true depending on how you look at them.
Some parents may also be alarmed because of the most famous cases of depression that have been making recent headlines. Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, two child stars who both have publicly struggled with depression and anxiety have both been struggling to cope with the diseases between the last four months. Gomez has publicly spoken out about her mental illness before, has recently checked herself into a mental health treatment facility, and has also talked about awareness and looking for signs of mental illness. Gomez ,who is also the executive producer of 13 Reasons Why,has been seeking help for years now for depression.
One of Gomez’s contemporaries, Demi Lovato, has also been battling depression. Lovato has spoken numerous times about her mental illness and has been battling depression for almost ten years. Most recently Lovato was hospitalized after being found in her home nearly dead from a drug overdose. There has been word from her family that she is recovering. If you or a loved one has experienced any heavy mood swings or signs of depression or anxiety contact someone you trust, call the help hotline 1-800-662-4357, or visit mental.help.net .
TIME” magazine released a study in 2016 that uncovered the increase in depressed teens and young adults. The study showed that over three million children aged 12-17 experienced at least one depressive episode in the last year. And some teens have claimed to have a “MDE” or Major Depressive Episode. An MDE is a depressive episode that has continued over the course of two weeks. It is very sensible to seek help if you do have an MDE. Though not all of those three million teens have reported MDE’s they can be dangerous. In some cases, MDE’s can lead to suicide.
While depression is an awful disease in its own right, its also worse for teens. Depression can affect kids behavior and their ability to learn. Depression can also cause memory loss and loss of concentration. These are some of the worst symptoms teens can have because it obviously impacts how they learn and can cause them to fall back in there studies. Teens are often encouraged to go to their counselor for any serious thoughts about suicide or depression but this opportunity is often brushed off or ignored.
Most children are told to seek advice from a trusted adult, and while some teens are brave enough to tell their parents what is going on, other teens do not, and when their parents do sense something wrong, they call a therapist. Fifteen year-old Eva Robinson says, “I think therapy can be a remedy, but it depends on the person.” That seems to be a true statement. Some people are just not meant to talk out their problems with strangers, while others do not have a choice.
Also shedding light to depression is the popular Netflix show 13 Reasons Why. This show tackles more subjects than depression though. 13 Reasons Why also covers substance abuse, underage drinking, bullying, cyber-bullying, sexual orientation, and suicide. While some people applaud the show on its real but dramatic take on the modern day teen, others find it unsettling and see it as harmful to young adult minds. Both of those statements can be true depending on how you look at them.
Some parents may also be alarmed because of the most famous cases of depression that have been making recent headlines. Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez, two child stars who both have publicly struggled with depression and anxiety have both been struggling to cope with the diseases between the last four months. Gomez has publicly spoken out about her mental illness before, has recently checked herself into a mental health treatment facility, and has also talked about awareness and looking for signs of mental illness. Gomez ,who is also the executive producer of 13 Reasons Why,has been seeking help for years now for depression.
One of Gomez’s contemporaries, Demi Lovato, has also been battling depression. Lovato has spoken numerous times about her mental illness and has been battling depression for almost ten years. Most recently Lovato was hospitalized after being found in her home nearly dead from a drug overdose. There has been word from her family that she is recovering. If you or a loved one has experienced any heavy mood swings or signs of depression or anxiety contact someone you trust, call the help hotline 1-800-662-4357, or visit mental.help.net .