News Flash: Depression is Real
- Amanda Omoigui
- Jan 21, 2024
- 2 min read
Photo Credit: American Behavioral Clinics
Hatred and false “ideals” have spread through social media, and youth depression rates have skyrocketed. Depression, as defined by the World Health Organization, can be defined as “persistent sadness and a lack of interest or pleasure in previously rewarding or enjoyable activities. It can also disturb sleep and appetite. Tiredness and poor concentration are common.”
Pressure from societal and gender norms often causes mental health disorders among youth. Increases in social media use allows teenagers to be exposed to the “perfect” lives of others that appear unattainable and causes teens to doubt the quality of their own lives. Children who face bullying and sexual assault often feel as though they are unwanted in their communities. Others at greater risk of mental health disorders include children with autism, pregnant teens, and teens who are subject to racism and other prejudice.
The effects of the coronavirus pandemic still linger in the younger generation. The percentage of teens facing depression nearly doubled from 2009 to 2019. And in 2019, 15.8% of adolescents had experienced depression episodes. This number is undoubtedly disturbing and outrageous. Teens should not be forced to feel hopeless about their lives and existence. Since the pandemic, the number of teens facing depression episodes has drastically increased. In 2021, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSA) recorded through the NSDUH survey that one in five of teens and adolescents living in the U.S. have experienced severe depression. If change is not prompted, these numbers are only set to increase.
Depression does not simply stop as a condition that many children are forced to live with undiagnosed, but also feeds into lifestyle. Teens with depression are more likely to partake in risky behavior and face educational difficulties. Young people with mental health disorders are often victims of social stigma, prohibiting them from reaching out to ask for help. Many teens experiencing mental health issues remain unaware because they are told to simply toughen-up and self-handle mental battles.
Depression is no joke, and it’s time that we finally acknowledge this issue. Teens expressing the want to end their life should be acknowledged. Depression should first be taken seriously and needs to stop being treated as an irrelevant matter. In many countries and cultures, mental health is socially irrelevant and in years past, society has viewed depression as a “made up condition.”
But we are now wiser. We are now stronger. It is time to universally agree that depression is life-changing and life shattering. As both individuals and as a union, we need to take actions to encourage loved ones struggling with mental health and to make the relevance of the condition known to youth and young adults. If you are battling depression, know that you are not alone. We hear you, we see you, and we are with you.
smh men have higher depression rates than women and are treated less 😡😡
This article is so true! This issue is worldwide and effects so many people, its time to spread the world and help people instead of undermining them!
This is such a good article!