Depression that increases above the extent of conformity with diagnostic criteria may be generally understood as depression that is extreme enough to interfere with a person's capacity to function in any way.
It is very widespread in any age group, affecting more than 16% of the population of the United States at some point in their lifetime. Depression occurs at around 2 percent in infancy and 4 percent-7 percent in puberty. This mental condition is a leading cause of poor health (morbidity) and death (mortality).
Depression is widespread in teenagers, affecting around 20% of teenagers by the time they enter adulthood. Other figures on teen depression include that more than 8 percent of teenagers suffer from depression that lasts a year or more.
Like in most mental health conditions, adolescent depression does not have a clear conclusive cause. People with this disease appear to have a variety of biological , psychological and environmental risk factors that contribute to their development. Biologically, depression is associated with a decreased level of neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain and a deficiency in the neurotransmitter norepinephrine.
This emotional disorder is associated with a reduction in the size of some regions of the brain, as well as greater activation in other areas of the brain. Females are more likely to have depression than males, although this is believed to be the result, among other factors, of a mixture of gender-based biological disparities, as well as disparities in how girls and women are encouraged to perceive and react to their surroundings and how they articulate themselves relative to men and boys. At least part of the genetic contribution to the occurrence of depression is believed to be due to the fact that infants and teenagers with a depressive parent are up to four times more likely to have the disorder themselves.
Teens who experience depression are much more likely to have other biological problems, such as low birth weight, difficulties sleeping, and having a mother less than 18 years of age at the time of birth.
Psychological risk factors for depression include low self-esteem, poor body image, a propensity to be overly self-critical, and a sense of helplessness when faced with negative events. Teen depression and other mood disturbances are somewhat correlated with the tension of body changes, including fluctuating puberty hormones, as well as teen ambivalence towards greater independence, and changes in their interaction with parents, friends, and others.
Teenagers who have personality disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD), psychological anxiety, or developmental and learning disabilities, as well as issues linked to others, are also at greater risk of experiencing depression.
Depression may be a response to environmental stress, including violence such as verbal, physical , or sexual assault, the loss of a loved one, school issues, or the target of harassment or peer pressure. Gay, bisexual , and transgender teenagers are at greater risk of depression, believed to be due to social abuse and possible alienation from family members. Teens in military households have also been found at risk for depression.
These environmental risk factors appear to directly predispose people to depression. Other risk factors tend to predispose individuals to depression and to position them at risk for other issues. These non-specific risk factors for depression include income, exposure to crime, an antisocial peer group or social alienation, harassment victimization, parental tension, and family breakdown. Teens with insufficient physical activity, poor academic success, or a relationship failure are at increased risk of depression.
Analysis is gradually finding that exposure to pollution or other environmental pollutants is often considered to have a detrimental effect on mood.
