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Essay Depression in Teens

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Today’s teenagers are faced with the ever changing world around them and the biological changes of their bodies. Many teens are also faced with depression. Approximately half of teenagers with untreated depression may attempt suicide, which remains the third leading cause of death in this age group. (Bostic). This depression affects their school, family lives, and robs them of their self image. Depression affects many teens and often goes by unnoticed and untreated. What is depression? Depression is the most common of all psychological disorders, affecting 100 million people worldwide. The depression ranges from mild feelings of uneasiness, sadness, and apathy to intense suicidal despair. (Kasschau) If left untreated, it could lead the …show more content…

What causes depression? The main cause of depression is stress. Some teens stress over trying to achieve academic success, while others might stress about their family and home life. Bullying can also be a major cause of depression. Being bullied or teased will cause their self-esteem to lower and inflict a feeling of being inferior to others. Other causes or depression could be problems in their personal life such as break ups or fights with friends. The maximum amount of mental, physical, and emotional distress one can experiences to become depressed can vary from person to person. How does it affect their school performance? Two of the more common symptoms of depression are lack of focus, and an inability to concentrate for extended periods of time (Martin). This can cause a drop in ones grades and decrease participation in group projects or presentations. For some, their depression could be bad enough to where it is hard for them to get out of bed to go to school, causing more absences. Some may get themselves in to trouble more often. Depression can also make them isolate themselves from other students and teachers. As a teen said in an interview, “I used to be an excellent student, always got 100’s. I got depression, and they all went down. I was so distracted. I was so confused. I wanted to rebel. I felt horrible.”

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