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Spencer Maldonado

Mrs. Thomas
UWRT 1104
19 Mar 2020

In my inquiry process on the causes of teen depression in recent years, cell

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

University, believes a decrease in face-to-face communication is the root of modern

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

symptoms resorting to more time spent on social media, as a means to escape.

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

academic pressure and didn't receive proper guidance or support.

It can be difficult to properly diagnose depression. It is common for people to feel

depressed for a period of time, especially following a traumatic or life-changing event.

However, when the depression does not go away with time or if it occurs without being

triggered by an event, it may be clinical depression. Clinical depression affects a patient

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

more than just willpower to overcome.

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

are. According to teendepression.org, 80 percent of teens with depression could be

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

depressed teens have proven they can be life-saving.

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