Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104
19 Mar 2020
phones and social media were an obvious place to start. In fact, some psychologists
say there's no need to look any further. Dr. Jean Twenge, a professor at San Diego
teen depression. Statistically, it is difficult to prove whether or not cell phones make a
difference. It is true that the numbers for social media use and teen depression went up
around the same time, but it's difficult to know which is the cause and which is the
effect. A study published in Clinical Psychological Science shows teens with depressive
But if cellphones aren't entirely to blame, what else is? Sandee LaMotte says one
factor could be a diet with too many processed foods. Teens who live in poverty are
more likely to be depressed than those who don’t, and their diet often consists of more
fast food. When you eat processed foods, your body doesn't get all the nutrients it
needs, and you won’t have the energy you need to get through the day. Another
possibility is sleep deprivation. SleepFoundation.org found that only 15% of teens get
the recommended 8.5 hours of sleep every night. Sleep is necessary for many obvious
reasons, but it also helps you eat better and manage stress.
Managing stress is another challenge all teenagers face. Diana Divecha writes
for Developmental Science that teens today are more stressed than any other
generation. When teens were asked why they were stressed, many were concerned
about world issues. Climate change and mass shootings were some of the most popular
answers. Stress management, like many things in life, is something teens learn from
their parents or at school. However, some teens are faced with neglectful parents or
unreliable school boards. Megan Shinnick, a social activist with clinical depression, says
supportive programs at her school saved her life. She also emphasizes that many teens
do not have similar programs available to them, and instead spend long periods of time
in psychiatric wards. Megan believes many depressed teens were stressed about
However, when the depression does not go away with time or if it occurs without being
for their entire life. Clinical depression is also referred to as “Major Depressive
Disorder”. We call depression that goes away with time Situational depression. You may
have heard of someone going through a depressive episode. Depressive episodes are
another name for situational depression. Generally, situational depression does not
require any sort of medication or serious treatment. As long as the affected person
continues living their life and is able to properly heal, this depression will fade in a
matter of time. Although clinical depression is considered more severe, both require
Therese Borchard writes for World of Psychology that many teens were not
taught effective coping mechanisms as a child. Many grow up unprepared for things in
life to be out of their control. Teens are used to feeling invincible, so emotional pain or
trauma often deals a devastating blow. According to studies done by suicide.org, a teen
takes their own life every 100 minutes. Suicide is the third-leading cause of death for
young people ages 15 to 24. This is made more tragic by how preventable these deaths
successfully treated if they sought proper help. As many articles have already
emphasized, teens most at risk of having their depression worsen are those without
help or guidance.
Clearly, there are many factors, but they’re all tied together in some way. For
example, an unhealthy diet or lack of sleep could be due to poor stress management.
The rise in depression in teens is the result of many contributing factors, but educating
people on the warning signs and how to help would make a huge difference. Many
parents want to help and don’t know how, and schools that have programs for