Why Teen Depression Should Be Treated More Seriously Than Adults

Have you ever experienced that feeling of uselessness, being easily agitated by your surroundings, taunted by the feeling of guilt, which haunts you and forbids you to rest at night? And then before you know it, you are trapped in this merciless nightmare, which you wish you were never born into. If you have, you might want to visit your family physician for a depression screening in your immediate future.

Major depression occurs amongst every one of all ages, but what differs the symptoms and effects between a teenager and an adult? In my own personal opinion along with some research guidance that I was able to pick up, it seems that teenagers tend to be more drastic and aggressive with depression while adults are rather passive, making it more difficult to identify. The key distinguisher of the 2 identities being: that of what goes on in the mind, aka your brain. In a teens mind, it’s less developed, and less experienced, causing the teenager to become more dependent to his or her surroundings when encountered with such a problem. This causes the teen to become more aggressive to his/her surroundings, which could lead to drastic measures such as:

• ·      Self-mutilation
• ·      Violence/hostility caused by agitation
• ·      Withdrawal from friends and family
• ·      Suicide

And why are such measures taken when encountered with depression you ask? The prime answer to this riddle is attention. The attention one seeks during depression can be seen like the nicotine for smokers, it’s a temporary solution. It reinforces the victim’s self-worth in his/her world. Teenagers are not like adults, they can’t seek for help themselves and their minds are more fragile. So I strongly advise that if you are an adolescent in your life, remember that you are not alone in this world and that everyone has their own unique worth in our lives. 

- K.P