Depression

Every 100 minutes a teenager takes their own life (DISCOVERY). That means 5,256 teens lose their battle to depression every year. Recently the world has been unified through our confrontation with the COVID 19 pandemic. However, most people don’t pay attention to the pandemic we have been facing for a much longer time. Depression.

As society moves forward, pressure on teens from their schools and homes increases. Teen suicide rates have been on an incline due to this pressure.

As you can see in the image above, the amount of teens experiencing depression has increased with time, but only a small amount of these suffering teens actually receive help. Why is this? Well, one explanation may be the lack of support these adolescents get from their families.

So many cultures around the world turn a blind eye towards mental health issues for a variety of reasons. Psychiatrist, Dr. Richards shares one experience he had where a girl came to him and confessed her suicide attempt. Concerned for her safety, Dr. Richards tried to communicate with her dad, only to be shut down: “‘No, I don’t believe it. We are Christians, we don’t do things like that.’”

Though there is nothing wrong in seeking solace through prayer, a lot of people like to believe that faith in God is an automatic escape from any mental health issues. This attitude has caused so many teens to hide and feel even more alone.

A few weeks ago, Dr. Sith Riantawan came to my church to share his own battle with depression halfway through medical school. He shared that he was afraid to open up to his parents and to even accept he needed help because the culture he was raised in associated poor mental health with shame.

Coming from a Christian Indian household myself, I definitely have to agree that mental health awareness has never been a topic my parents jumped at. The communities my parents were raised in back in India have made them believe that depression is a cry for attention and a symbol of weakness and laziness.

These cultural biases are so harmful and cause so many people to ignore their symptoms. According to the Mayo Clinic, depression can be diagnosed from a variety of symptoms including:

• Extreme sadness, hopelessness, and loneliness

• Outbursts of frustration or anger over simple matters

• Restlessness, lack of energy, and loss of motivation to do activities you usually enjoy

• Suicidal thoughts or an obsession with death

• Extreme weight gain/loss or physical pain with an unknown cause

Fortunately, depression has a lot of effective treatments that will work with cooperation from the patient and their family and friends:

• Medications

  • Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)

  • Atypical and Tricyclic Antidepressants

  • Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs)

However these medications are only used in extreme situations because they have a lot of unpleasant and dangerous side effects (Mayo Clinic). Instead, therapeutic treatments are used more often:

• Therapy

  • One on OneTherapy

  • Psychotherapy

  • Family/Group Therapy

  • Hospital and Residential Treatment

Therapy, medication, or a mix of both has proven to be helpful when diagnosed. Unfortunately, like I mentioned before, a lot of people suffering cannot get a diagnosis due to cultural bias and this can pose difficulty to me as a pediatrician in the future. If parents and guardians refuse to help their child, I could share my own experience and how it hurt me. This establishes trust between me and the parent which would allow me to better help their child.

With all that being said, if you or anybody you know are displaying symptoms or needs someone to talk to, please use one of the resources listed:

• SAMHSA’s National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

  • 24/7 and in English + Spanish

• Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

  • 24/7 Helpline; Text and Call services available

• CRISIS TextLine: Text "HOME" to 741741

  • UK: Text 85258

Till next time,

Nancy

Works Cited

“Depression (Major Depressive Disorder).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 3 Feb. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20356013.

“Depression (Major Depressive Disorder).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 3 Feb. 2018, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/symptoms-causes/syc-20356007.

“Depression Symptoms in Teens: Why Today's Teens Are More Depressed than Ever.” Discovery Mood & Anxiety Program, 28 July 2021, discoverymood.com/blog/todays-teens-depressed-ever/.

Stiles, Katie. “Depression Hotline Numbers.” Psych Central, Psych Central, 23 Apr. 2021, psychcentral.com/depression/depression-hotline-numbers#when-to-call.

Torey C. Richards, LMHC. “Parents Denial of Their Child's Mental Health Issues Doesn't Make It Go Away.” Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 3 Aug. 2019, licensedmentalhealthcounselor.org/2012/05/03/parents-denial-of-their-childs-mental-health-issues-doesnt-make-it-go-away/.

**cover art by Robert Carter