Teenage Depression and Suicide - 1246 Words

â€Å"A dark brooding cloud was slowly casting a shadow across my mind.† â€Å"I felt weighed down, oppressed by the burden of having to face a new day.† â€Å"A crushing sense of hopelessness that was unlike anything I had ever experienced before† â€Å"It was as if something else had seized control of my mind.† â€Å"The darkness was spreading inside me like a cancer.† — These descriptions are how Cait Irwin, who suffered from depression as a teenager, described it. Teenage depression is a common but serious illness that can ultimately send some on a downward spiral towards suicide that can be averted if recognized and given the proper treatment. Countless teenagers experience some type of depression in their lifetime, but what exactly is depression and just†¦show more content†¦Two main types of psychotherapies—cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal therapy (IPT)—are effective in treating depression. Th e goal of CBT is to change habitual patterns of thinking and acting that may be contributing to a person’s problems. In IPT, a person learns to help identify the problem that triggered a bout of depression, then learns the necessary social and communication skills to resolve that problem successfully. While both medication and psychotherapy are proved to help depression, a combination of the two appears to be the best method. In a recent study of 439 depressed adolescents, 71% improved by the combination treatment of medication and psychotherapy, better than the 61% who responded to medication alone and 43% for psychotherapy alone. (Irwin, Evans, and Wasmer 80). Somehow or other, treatment for depression seems to work at least partly by correcting imbalances in brain chemicals. However, many people with a depressive disorder never seek treatment even though the majority, even those with the most severe depression, can get better with treatment (â€Å"National Institute of Me ntal Health†). According to the NDSUH, only 34.7% of teens who had major depression this past year received treatment. This means nearly 2/3 of the teens who had major depression did not receive any treatment (â€Å"Major Depressive Episode and Treatment Among Adolescents: 2009†). It is crucial that teens suffering from depression receive treatment before theyShow MoreRelatedTeenage Depression - Teen Suicide1399 Words   |  6 Pages Teen Suicide Over the past few years’ teenage depression has drastically increased due to multiple factors such as peer pressure and bullying. According to Linda Lamb’s article Young People Can Suffer From Depression, Too,† The suicide rate among teenagers [today] is about 10 per 100,000†. A handout from the Health and Human Services Department and National Institute of Mental Health stated,† in the last 25 years, the rate of suicide among teenagers and young adults has increased dramatically.†Read MoreTeenage Depression and Suicide Essays1790 Words   |  8 Pagesof how Cait Irwin, who suffered from depression as a teenager, described it. They show how awful and frightening depression during the teenage years can be. Depression and suicide are closely linked. â€Å"In fact, about two-thirds of all people who die by suicide have some type of depressive disorder† (Irwin 47). Teenage depression is a common but serious illness that can ultimately send s ome teenagers on a downward spiral towards suicide, but depression and suicide both can be averted if the symptomsRead MoreTeen Depression : The Problem Of Teenage Depression, And Teen Suicide721 Words   |  3 PagesTeen depression is a definite topic most people are unaware of and depression is a worldwide issue and is the leading disability. Depression can lead to many things, from anxiety to thoughts of suicide. Things like social media is a big cause of depression. Everyone has those days where they are feeling sad or maybe even just having a bad day. Sometimes, it goes even more downhill. When it turns into something major, it becomes a real problem. Some people ignore the issue, brushing it off as a â€Å"phaseRead MoreTeenage Suicide1064 Words   |  5 PagesTeenage Suicide Suicide is intentional self-inflicted acts that end in death(Suicide, Comptons). After a series of traumatic events, normal coping abilities can be pushed over the edge; the result may be suicide. In each year, an average of 30,000 suicide deaths occur in the United States. It is estimated that 5,000 of those suicides are committed by teenagers(SA\VE, 2). One major reason that the suicide rate among teenagers is so high, is that the teenage years are a period of commotionRead MoreDepression Is The First Leading Cause Of Suicide1496 Words   |  6 PagesToday in America, depression is the first leading cause of suicide. Reported in recent statistics, every year, thousands of people succeed in taking their lives and even more have attempted suicide at some point (Hyde and Held 8). Although it is an afflicting concern today, depression dates back to centuries ago, but wasn t fully recognized as a clinical illness until the 1960 s. At this point, depression treatment was only available to adults because it was so unlikely for adolescents to experienceRead MoreTeenage Depression And Teen Depression792 Words   |  4 Pages Teen depression, which is also known as adolescent depression, is a growing problem in today’s society. Depression among teenagers is overlooked by many and is often mistaken for â€Å"normal† teenage behavior. This mental illness is one of the most common psychiatric disorders. Depression is predominantly seen amongst young women who are transitioning into adulthood. Teenagers are at a point in their lives where they come face to face with the reality of peer pressure and a milestone in becomingRead MoreSuicide Among Teenagers1095 Words   |  5 Pages Suicide is the third-leading cause of death among 15 to 24-year-old (Green, Paragraph 1) Teenage suicide is the intentional act made by teenagers usually below the age of 19 to take their lives. Suicide is not thought of in a day. It is a series of processes that goes on in the mind before manifesting. Although, during these processes there are visible signs that shows a prospective suicidal person. There are factor s that trigger and cause the act of suicide in a teenager. Most of these factorsRead MoreTeenage Suicide : A Devastating Event1509 Words   |  7 PagesTeenage Suicide When I was undergoing my journey through high school, there was a devastating event that affected the entire school from that point on; one of my fellow classmates had committed suicide. It was heart breaking to hear what had happened to someone at such a young age. A teenage boy drove to a spot in North Carolina where his dad had committed suicide just a few years ago. In that same exact place where his dad committed suicide, he decided to take his own life. According to WorldRead MoreRisk Factors of Teenage Suicide1217 Words   |  5 PagesTeenage suicide is a major national public health concern facing America today. Thousands of teenagers commit suicide each year. Many experts believe that teenage suicide is often due to unpredictable circumstances and can be contributed to hormonal impulses. However, recent case findings and statistics prove that this is not necessarily true. Although some teenage suicides may be the result of youthful and impulsive actions, certain risk factors, signs, and symptoms can contribute to self-inflictedRead More Teenage Suicide Essay1404 Words   |  6 PagesTeenage Suicide Each day 86 Americans take their own lives and another 1,500 attempts to do so. Even more disturbing is that suicide among a young people nation wide have increased dramatically in recent years. In fact thousands of teenagers each year commit suicide. It is the third leading cause of death among young adults aged 15-24. With the first two leading causes being unintentional injury and homicide. There are many reasons why teenagers feel the need to take their own life. They are at