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It seems all of my friends, including myself are seeing shrinks and using anti-depressants.
"You may have heard this awful projection: According to the the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2030, the amount of disability and life lost as a result of depression will be greater than that resulting from any other condition, including accidents, war, suicide, cancer, and stroke.
But we don’t need to wait 16 years. The depression epidemic is already at hand. Just last week, another report, prepared for the United Nations (UN) and released by the WHO, concluded that “depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability for both boys and girls aged 10 to 19 years.” Across the world in 2012, the report continued, unipolar depressive disorders took away a collective 14 million years of healthy life from youth:"
"Amazingly, suicide is the third most common cause of death in adolescents, behind traffic accidents and deaths from HIV/AIDS.
It’s an international problem, for sure, but one that hits our country particularly hard; 35 million American adults will struggle with depression at some point in their life. Depression is one of the main drivers of suicide, which takes the lives of 30,000 Americans yearly. Among those hospitalized for depression, perhaps up to 15 percent will go on to die of suicide."
"In recent decades, reported levels of anxiety and depression amongst teenagers have been steadily increasing. Now, a recent government study into the mental wellbeing of 30,000 teens shows that the number of young middle-class girls suffering with mental health issues has soared over the last 10 years, with more than a third now experiencing symptoms of 'psychological distress'.
The study – one of the largest of its kind, and undertaken by the Department for Education and first reported by The Times – suggested that girls were more than twice as likely as boys to suffer symptoms of mental ill health. The proportion of girls with anxiety or depression was found to have risen by 10% since 2005, when a similar study was conducted. It also showed that those from more affluent and better-educated families presented worse symptoms, as opposed to teens from less-advantaged backgrounds.
Research involved in-depth interviews with thousands of children aged 14 or 15, providing clear evidence of a 'slow-growing epidemic' of mental health issues within schools. Social media was put forward as a potential factor in the escalation, as it prevents young people from 'switching off' from the pressures of school and made them more insecure. It was also suggested that the global recession has put increased pressure on teenagers to achieve, while also knocking their confidence to achieve their ambitions. Nick Harrop, media and campaigns manager at the mental health charity Young Minds, said:
"Teenage girls today face a huge range of pressures. Stress at school, body image worries, early sexualisation, bullying on and offline and uncertainty about the future after school are all piling on the stress. Social media also puts pressure on girls to live their lives in the public domain, to present a personal 'brand' from a young age, and to seek reassurance in the form of likes and shares. To make matters worse, when young people are struggling, it can be difficult for them to get the support they need. The government has committed an extra £1.4bn towards children and young people's mental health, but it's crucial that this money is protected and spent where it's needed most."
"Of the people interviewed, 37% of teenage girls (compared to just 15% of boys) were judged to show three or more symptoms of psychological distress, including feelings of unhappiness and worthlessness alongside an inability to concentrate or enjoy everyday activities. However, both girls and boys from families where the parents were educated to degree level were 5% more likely to experience symptoms of psychological distress than those who were not. Researchers said that this could partially be attributed to 'pushy parents' – something that a separate survey, undertaken in Singapore and published earlier this year, showed to have a negative impact on the mental health of children. The report read:
"There may be some ways in which having a lower social status may be associated with having lower levels of expectation for school success and lower associated pressure. Another possible explanation is that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds may be more resilient in the face of [stress factors] associated with a more challenging economic and school environment."
