What Causes Adolescent Depression

All children are happy, right? Adolescents are often told to believe that they should be the happiest people on earth, because in most cases they are not required to have jobs, pay bills, or carry a significant amount of stress. The truth is that the years of adolescents can be damaging and dangerous. Children between the ages of 12-18 face many difficulties trying to figure out this crazy journey called, “life” that can lead to depression or even death. Approximately, “7 in 100,000 youth ages 15 to 19 die by suicide each year”,according to the National Alliance on Mental Health; this means that approximately 318 teens die as a result of suicide each year in the United States alone. Adolescent depression is often not taken seriously, and unfortunately a lot of the teen suicides are a result of this. The three most common causes of adolescent depression are peer pressure/social issues, body image, and genetics.
One of the biggest issues that adolescents face is peer pressure. Peer pressure is influence from a peer group, observers, or an individual exerts that encourages others to change their attitudes, values, or behaviors to conform to those of the influencing group or individual. There is an extreme desire to fit in or be “cool” as a teen. This means deciding whether to smoke, drink, or do drugs. Drug addictions are prevalent in young adults because of …show more content…
Adolescent depression is often overlooked by parents and family because it is believed that adolescents should have a carefree life, but depression should always be taken very seriously. Depression can originate from a variety of different things, but the three most common causes of adolescent depression are peer pressure/social issues, body image, and genetics. If you know a teen that may be suffering from depression, there is help. Please contact the national help line for individuals that are depressed or suicidal