Why are there more cases of teenage depression, especially among girls?

Experts note that depression affects more and more adolescents and young people. The most susceptible to the anxious symptoms of a girl is the national study in the United States of America. What is the reason for this situation? Why do teenagers face psychological problems? Scientists are trying their best to find the answer to this sinister question.

Anxious picture

Ten years ago, the probability of developing a depressive disorder in a teenage boy was estimated at four and a half percent, and in a teenage girl, thirteen percent. By 2014, the rates have increased significantly: in boys, the risk of depression has become six percent, and girls have more than seventeen percent! Such indicators are already alarming. There are occasions when adolescents experience five or more signs of a depressive disorder within two weeks or more of a long period. The situation was investigated by Dr. Ramin Mojtabay, a professor in the mental health department in Baltimore.

Situation Details

If we start to understand the data in more detail, it becomes clear that the teenage depression began to gain strength in 2012, and already then it was noticeable that teenagers are much more at risk. Mojtabay said that these data also coincide with the indicators on the number of suicides in the United States. Mojtabay and his colleagues published their research in a medical journal. The team found that among American teenagers and young people, approximately one in eleven people is experiencing a serious depressive disorder every year. Data were collected for the study from 2014 to 2015. The analysis included information on one hundred and seventy-two thousand teenagers and one hundred and seventy-nine thousand young people.

Conclusion of scientists

As a result of the analysis of all collected data, the scientists noted that overall the risk increased from less than nine percent to a level of eleven percent among adolescents, similar findings are also found in young people. Over the past ten years, it has become apparent that teenage girls are more likely than boys to have a depressive disorder. Mojtabay notes that girls are more likely to be affected by more causes of depressive disorder than boys. For example, it was noted that bullying on the Internet is often a problem for girls. In addition, girls more often use mobile phones with applications to send messages, and the use of gadgets is also associated with a depressed mood. Of course, all these data are not accurate, but the situation is in general terms understandable. Nevertheless, the exact reason for such a noticeable deterioration in the situation in recent years remains a mystery.

Stress factors

In society, there are many stress factors that affect young people and can increase the likelihood of depressive disorder in young people. These stressors are far from being limited to online communication and bullying. They have their impact and disappointing economic indicators, and life in a dysfunctional area, and many other social factors. There is even a possibility that the reason may partly be in chronic problems with sleep associated with excessive use of the Internet. The Internet in general is often in the spotlight in such situations. One way or another, there are a lot of reasons and specialists plan to do their detailed study as soon as possible. Perhaps the situation will be clarified, but for now it is just more closely monitor the status of adolescents and young people in each family.