Oasis Team
Have you ever been told that you are too young to be depressed?
Unfortunately, this is something that young people often hear when they try to open up about their feelings of depression.
Some people will tell you that it is just your hormones and feeling this way is normal for teenagers. Others may say that you haven’t experienced enough to be truly depressed.
However, adolescents and teens can experience depression and it is on the rise.
Youth Depression Statistics
3.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 have had at least one major depressive episode (National Institute of Mental Health).
1 in 6 children aged 2 – 8 years (17.4%) had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
2.4 million teenage girls and 854,000 teenage boys have experienced at least one major depressive episode over the past year (Pew Research Center).
The total number of teenagers who recently experienced depression increased 59% between 2007 and 2017 (Pew Research Center).
70% of teens said anxiety and depression is a major problem among people their age (Pew Research Center).
Half of all mental health conditions start by 14 years of age but most cases are undetected and untreated (World Health Organization).
Globally, depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents (World Health Organization).
Signs of Youth Depression
- Feeling hopeless, worthless, or empty.
- Feeling sad
- Feeling irritable or angry
- Less interest in activities that you typically enjoy
- Feeling alone or isolating more
- Academic difficulties
- Difficulties in relationships with friends or family
- Difficulties falling or staying asleep
- Changes in your diet
- Having physical pain such as stomach aches, headaches, aches, and pains, cramps, or nausea that you can’t explain.
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering things.
