Depression Rates Rise for Girls During Teen Years

July 31st, 2012

FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda

TUESDAY, July 31 (HealthDay News) — Rates of major depression
skyrocket among young girls as they move through the already vulnerable
period of adolescence.

According to new research, about 5 percent of 12-year-old girls
experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, compared with 15
percent of 15-year-old girls, a threefold increase.

Some 1.4 million girls aged 12 to 17 experienced a major depressive
episode in the past year.

The information “is important for both prevention and treatment,” said
Richard McKeon, chief of the suicide prevention branch at the U.S.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the
government agency that released the report last week.

“Girls are experiencing major depressive episodes early, around the
time of puberty, and this really points to the need for treatment,” added
Dr. Elizabeth Miller, chief of the division of adolescent medicine at
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh.

The report, based on a large national survey conducted annually to
assess drug use and mental health, found that girls aged 12 to 17 were at
triple the risk of experiencing a major depressive episode when compared
to boys (12 percent vs. 4.5 percent).

It’s unclear why these gender disparities exist, but they’re probably
due to multiple factors including biological vulnerability and, perhaps,
the higher rates of sexual abuse among girls, Miller said.

“It’s likely a number of different factors, including psychological,
biological and social factors that may all contribute to some degree,”
McKeon said. “It is a time of great transition, a time of biological
transition, a time of social change, so there are likely a number of
different reasons.”

And adolescent boys do experience depression, although not “at the same
rate as adolescent girls,” McKeon pointed out.

The report also revealed disparities in treatment according to age,
with fewer girls aged 12 to 14 receiving treatment for major depression
than girls aged 15 to 17.

This may be because major depression in younger girls may be mistaken
for the typical mood swings of puberty, Miller said. When the symptoms
persist, parents and teachers may start referring older girls for
treatment.

A major depressive episode as defined in this report includes losing
“interest and pleasure for two weeks or longer and other symptoms such as
problems sleeping, eating, lower energy, difficulty concentrating,” McKeon
said.

The question then, is how to differentiate typical teenage turbulence
from something more serious?

“You don’t want parents to overreact. On the other hand, it’s important
they do not dismiss those signs,” McKeon said. “If a mood persists and
there are other associated signs like difficulty concentrating, difficulty
functioning, loss of appetite or energy, that teenager may require
additional help.”

Miller believes that even initial signs of moodiness should be taken
seriously and referred for early intervention.

“Early intervention may not mean medication,” she stressed. “It may
mean counseling, making sure the kid has more social support, offering
more activities within the school that are promoting health and
wellness.”

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Mental Health has more on
depression in adolescent girls.