Being a teenager in the 21st century is not easy. Teen years are both the best and interesting but at the same time the hardest times. Teenagers have a lot of different issues they have to deal with in their everyday life and these issues can cause different mental problems. One of the most common and dangerous ones is depression. Some of the stressors that can cause depression are: academic stress, social status, private relationships, friendships, family problems, genetics, financial problems, not enough attention, low self-esteem, not enough freedom. I interviewed a psychologist, Nino Toronjadze (a member of the Institute of Gestalt Therapy and Family Psychotherapy), who told me everything there is to know about depression. Now I will share the knowledge I gathered from our interview.
First, let's discuss all of these stressors. Academic stress-while studying, students are under a lot of pressure. They feel like they cannot disappoint the teachers which cause stress. At home, they’re pressured by their homework and most of the time teens put their homework above their mental health. The grades at school also bring teenagers’ motivation down. All of these issues will bring the teens’ emotional state down and cause problems. Social status-popularity nowadays is a really important part of being a teenager. To gain that status teens go to great lengths. They bring each other down, have arguments and all of this causes great stress. Peers not accepting others just because they aren’t popular enough can be very saddening and cause depression. Social status also is a source of bullying. Private, romantic relationships-teen years are the years when kids start developing real feelings for each other. These feelings aren’t always mutual which might cause depression. Sometimes when teens are in relationships, these relationships don’t last long because teenagers aren’t mature enough or ready for real commitment. All relationships have their ups and downs and not all teens are ready to deal with them. Friendships-when people grow up their personalities undergo changes. Their perspectives on different topics change and might differ from their friends’ perspectives. These differences might cause arguments that can later result in the end of a friendship. Losing friends is never easy and might have a worse effect on some kids. Family problems-a lot of marriages end up with a divorce. As hard as the divorce can be for the parents, it’s now easier for the kids, especially teens. Seeing their parents split up teens might think that this type of disappointment will follow them everywhere. They also might think that they’re the reason for their parents’ divorce which will make them feel bad about themselves. Besides divorce, there are other family problems that might be the root of the teens’ depression. Unhealthy relationships with their parents, their parents' addiction, and so on. Genetics-a lot of people struggle with depression and it can be passed on in the family which will increase the chances of a teenager having depression. Not enough attention-as kids grow up, the parents pay less attention to them, especially if they’re the oldest child in the family. Teens might blame themselves for parents not feeling the need to be so attentive towards their kids. Teens think that they aren’t their parents’ favorites anymore, that they don’t love them as much as they used to and that may lead to the need for reassurance from other people that they are worthy of their love and attention. Low self esteem-every little critical commentary about a teen’s appearance or personality will make them feel bad about themselves, no matter who the criticism is coming from. Also, teen years are when the bodies start developing, and sometimes they might not be so attractive for teens’ peers which will bring down their self-esteem. Not enough freedom-teenagers have to talk out everything in their life, their life’s every decision with their parents and if not they might get punished. This makes them feel like they’re not in control of their own life and they don’t have their freedom and will make them feel like their opinion doesn’t really matter.
As I already mentioned depression is one of the most important problems among teenagers. If a teenager has depression, he/she is most of the time sad, loses interest in everything, and loses motivation. Depression changes their emotions, behavior, and feelings.
The main difference between depression among teenagers and adults is the symptoms but in both cases, it has to be treated, whether by medication or therapy.
The symptoms are usually noticeable by a teen’s normal behavior. It changes at school, home, everywhere. These are some of the symptoms:
Emotional changes:
Being sad for no apparent reason, crying for no apparent reason
Anger and getting mad over minorities
Feeling empty and hopeless
Losing interest in things that used to interest teens
Conflicts with parents/friends or losing interest in maintaining relationships with them
Low self-esteem
Feeling of guilt
Being overly sad over not succeeding in something
Problems with focusing, memory, making decisions
Always feeling like the future is dark and sad or just doesn’t exist
Thinking about death or suicide
Reasons:
Nobody knows the exact reason for depression but there are many factors included, for example:
Brain’s chemistry
Hormones
Genetics
Childhood trauma (or trauma in general)
Being sure that they’re unable to do something
By the research made in Britain, it was proven that by 2017 mental health problems among kids occurred in 1 out of 10 kids. After quarantine, it became 1 out of 6. Among boys, the number increased from 11% to 16% and in girls from 10% to 15%.
This research states that kids were most upset about not being able to go to school and see their friends and also were worried about their loved ones getting the virus. Most of these kids were teenagers. 70% of the people who were interviewed said that during quarantine they couldn’t fulfill their wishes, or do something they wanted to. By Mina Fazer’s (psychiatrist) research, one-third of the people who were interviewed said that quarantine was pretty comfortable for them.
Scientists think that teenagers were the most sensitive ones on this topic because teenage years are when people start developing in different ways.
As Steven Risher (psychiatrist) said, isolation has an effect on physical health. It’s equal to smoking 15 cigarettes in a day.
We shouldn’t forget that one-third feels more comfortable during the quarantine. A lot of people get bullied in school, schools’ have regimes that might not be appropriate for all the kids, some children aren’t comfortable around a lot of people and all of this can cause anxiety, which is why quarantine was better for them.
For teens with depression, quarantine didn’t make a huge difference. This is because these kids already feel alone and isolate themselves from other people.
Being a teen is difficult. Quarantine made most of the teenagers sad because it felt like the best days of their lives were being taken away from them. They couldn’t participate in school activities and spend time with their friends, they had to isolate themselves. That would cause depression, anxiety, and the feeling of loneliness.
During quarantine, a confidential group of teenagers was formed, where they would share their feelings, and here is a list of how they felt and you will notice that these are symptoms of depression.
Not feeling free
Feeling afraid
Loneliness
Less communication with the outside world and people
Feeling confused
Being unmotivated
Panic attacks
Physical pain caused by mental problems
Anxiety
Difficulties studying
Irrational behavior
A lot of negative thoughts
Feeling numb
This is all we know about depression for now. If you or your loved one is feeling hopeless or showing signs of depression, address someone, don’t be scared to speak up before it’s too late. Address a psychotherapist or if not then there are different websites and mental health hotlines you can address. Remember, you are not alone!
- Drawings by Mariam Begiashvili and Natalia Gvindadze
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