In recent decades, there has been an uptick in the percentage of teenagers having episodes of depression. Now, a newly released study shows that the number of young girls suffering from mental health issues in particular soared over the last ten years.
Study: More Young Girls Suffer from Depression, Mental Health Issues
1. Study: More Young Girls
Suffer from Depression,
Mental Health Issues
Heritage Treatment Center
http://www.heritagertc.org
2. In recent decades, there has been an uptick in the percentage of teenagers having episodes of
depression. Now, a newly released study shows that the number of young girls suffering from mental
health issues in particular soared over the last ten years.
One in three of them are suffering from psychological distress.
Sensible Methodology
Conducted by the Department for Education, the study, one of the largest of its kind, looked at data
from the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. In the survey, 30,000 adolescents between the
ages 12 and 17 in the United States were asked about their mental state and drug usage.
They focused on questions about depression-related symptoms the teens have experienced in the past
year.
3. Additional Findings
The researchers found that psychological distress among teenage girls was worsening, as there is a
3% increase in the number of girls suffering from poor mental health from 2005 (34%) to 2014
(37%).
Apart from the soaring numbers, the researchers also found that girls are twice as likely as boys to
report symptoms. Teens from more affluent backgrounds are more likely to suffer from depression
than the less well off as well.
Experts are blaming social media for the phenomenon; kids cannot switch off from school and
social pressures once they get home.
This was proven by a separate study by The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The
researchers cited that ‘Facebook depression’ is a risk factor, and it results from teens spending
most of their time of the social network site and feeling unaccepted among peers online.
4. It is unclear whether the recent findings mean the rates will still increase in the coming years. The
findings, however, are in line with what experts would expect: there is a slow-growing mental
health epidemic among teenagers.
SOURCES:
http://www.heritagertc.org/
http://www.parenting.com/blogs/screen-play/jeana-lee-tahnk/social-networking-among-teens-
can-lead-facebook-depression
http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/report_2385/ShortReport-2385.html