8
February 2017
depression
Dawson Johns
Photo Illustration
blueprints
Less sleep, increased screen time contribute to teen depression
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8
depression
February 2017
blueprints
Less sleep, increased screen time contribute to teen depression
McKenna Hackett
staff reporter
T
he first time Callie cut herself, she was in eighth grade.
It was 2:00 in the morning, and as her parents slept, she
sat on the edge of the tub, with a metal clip from a pen in her
hand. Then she sliced into the soft skin near her ribs. There was
blood--and a sense of deep relief.
"It makes the world very quiet for a few seconds," Callie said.
"For a while I didn't want to stop, because it was my only coping mechanism. I hadn't learned any other way."
The pain of the superficial cut Callie was constantly fighting about grades, about her future, about relationships, about
everything. Many days she felt sick before school. Sometimes
she'd throw up, other times she'd stay home. "It was like asking
me to climb Mount Everest in high heels," she said.
For Callie, cutting was a secret, compulsive manifestation of
the depression and anxiety that she and millions of teenagers in
the U.S. are struggling with every day. Self-harm, which some
experts say is on the rise, is perhaps the most disturbing symptom of a broader problem, a spectrum of angst that plagues
twenty-first century teens.
Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Depression affects how a
person feels, how she acts and how she thinks. Depression can
lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems.
Allison Price is a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and a
Certified Professional Counselor at Inspirit Counseling in Alliance. According to Price, teenage depression is a prevalent and
serious issue with a high risk of suicide with this age group.
In 2015, about 3 million teens ages 12 to 17 had had at
least one major depressive episode in the past year, according
to the Department of Health and Human Services. More than
2 million teens reported experiencing depression that impaired
their daily function.
“Current data from the National Institute of Mental Health
shows us that about 30% of girls and 20% of boys--totaling 6.3
million teens--have had an anxiety disorder,” Price said. “Per-
sistent depressive disorder affects 6.7% (15 million), of the
American population over the age of 18. This statistic does not
include the children, teenagers, populations in other countries,
people that are not formally diagnosed, or depression that lasts
under two years.”
While some teens will cut, harm themselves, or act out,
for the majority of teens that suffer from depression it simply
a feeling of deep sadness. Price
says that people will react or
describe their emotions in different ways and it ranges from
not feeling any emotions to
feeling numb all over.
“Depression can feel different to different individuals.
Some people experiencing
symptoms of depression may
also experience a numbness of
feelings and emotions. Others
often report intense feelings
of sadness and extreme pain,”
Price said. “Some individuals will describe depression
as having a cap on happiness,
such as they will not feel the
extreme happiness when something exciting happens.
Callie agrees that sometimes she just feels numb, or out of
touch with her own emotions.
“Something will happen and I know I should be happy, and
I want to be happy, but I just can’t because there’s just a looming
feeling,” she said. “It’s more of feeling nothing.”
Teenage depression can relate to school on both a social level
as well as a performance level Price says. A risk of depression
is poor concentration that can lead to issues with school work
performance. It can also be related to attendance at school due
to an increase in isolation. Issues at school such as bullying and
peer pressure can contribute to depression as well.
“Clinical depression is related to chemical imbalances in the
brain,” Price said. “People with symptoms of clinical depression demonstrate issues with emotion regulation and issues
with judgement. Some will also experience issues with sleep
patterns.
It is important to note there is a difference between clinical depression when there is a chemical imbalance in the brain
that can be treated with medication and counseling and
situational depression when
there is more of a lack of coping skills to deal with changes in life Price says.
Changes in hormones
are often more of an issue
that can lead to depression
with teenagers. Price explains there are many triggers for teenage depression
such as academic issues,
peer pressure, bullying, low
self-esteem, being a victim
of verbal, physical, or sexual
abuse, disabilities, relationship issues, family conflicts,
divorce, and the use of drugs or
alcohol.
Symptoms of depression in teenager include changes in sleep
patterns, feelings of sadness, low self-esteem, fatigue,thoughts
of wanting to die, self harm, crying, isolation, loss of interest
and pleasure, irritability, weight changes, lack of concentration,
and, substance use.
“It is recommended that teenagers experiencing depression
be treated with counseling and exploring options of medication such as antidepressants,” Price said. “In addition to seeking
treatment, counselors can help teens in creating coping skills
which can be beneficial for those experiencing depression.”
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