Cause Of Depression In Adolescence

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Adolescence is a period where an individual undergoes numerous physical, emotional and sexual changes. It is a transitory phase during which an individual has to face new life challenges. A major threat to adolescents is depression which affects their academic, personal and social functioning to a great extent. Past researches have contributed by investigating factors that play a vital role in development of depression during adolescence. Moreover, other studies have demonstrated a major possibility of adolescent depression recurring in adult life. Unfortunately, depression in teens is under recognized by significant others which exposes them to adulthood depression. Therefore, it is vital to identify depression and its root cause in the adolescent,…show more content…
A sizable minority, however, have sustained periods of remission associated with good social adjustment. Harrington and his colleagues (1997) report that the continuity to major depression in adulthood was lower in pre pubertal onset youngsters than among those with post pubertal onset of depression. This finding is in consistent with depression with onset in adolescence as more similar to adult forms of the disorder and different from earlier onset depression. It is also noted that there is significant increase in the prevalence of depression and prevalence may reach adult levels in the late adolescence. Pine, Cohen, Gurley, Brook, Ma (1998) found that an anxiety or depressive disorder during adolescence confers a strong risk for recurrent anxiety or depressive disorders during early adulthood. Most anxiety and depressive disorders in young adults may be preceded by anxiety or depression in…show more content…
The prevalence of major depressive disorder in adolescents is about 5% (Fergusson et. al., 1993; Lewinsohn et al., 1993; Reinherz et al., 1999). There is continued risk for recurrences with persistence of depressive episodes and psychosocial morbidity into adulthood (Rao, Ryan, Birmaher, Dahl, Williamson, Kaufman, Rao, Nelson, 1995). It has been found that a depressive disorder during adolescence confers a strong risk of recurrent depressive disorder during early adulthood. Depressive disorder in young adults may be preceded by depression in adolescence (Daniel, Cohen, Gurley, Brook, Yuju, 1998). Lewinsohn, Rohde, John, Daniel, and Ian (2000) concluded that formerly depressed adolescents were at elevated risk for recurrence of major depressive disorder during young adulthood and therefore warrant continued monitoring and preventive or prophylactic treatment. A longitudinal study found that depression continued to adulthood not only in depressed adolescents but also in formerly non depressed adolescents. There is evidence that depression emerging early in life often persists, recurs, and continues into adulthood, and that early onset depression may predict more severe illness in adult

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