Causes Of Teen Depression essays

Causes Of Teen Depression essays According to Focus Adolescent Services, depressive ailment in children and teenagers is defined as an illness when the feeling of sadness, hopelessness, and despair persist and interfere with a child or an adolescents ability to function. Depression can describe a normal human emotion; it also is referred to as a mental illness. There are many factors that contribute to depression in teens such as: having and making friends, separation or divorce of parents, and death of a loved one. Peer relationships contribute significantly to social and cognitive development. In reality, the single best childhood is not receiving good grades, and not classroom behavior, but rather, the ability to get along with another child. Children that are mainly disliked, who are aggressive and disruptive, who are unable to maintain close relationships with other children, and who cannot establish a place for themselves in the peer culture are more susceptible to depression. Teens without friends tend to be more lonely and unhappy. They have lower levels of academic achievement and develop low self-esteem. As the teens get older, they are more apt to drop out and become involved in delinquent activities such as drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and rebelling against authority. Another factor, which contributes to depression, is the divorce of parents. Divorce is a difficult adjustment for adolescents and adults. For adolescents, the transition is most difficult because there are both physical and emotional changes. Adolescents struggle with what Erikson calls, Identity vs. Role confusion (puberty to adulthood). This crisis is already difficult and divorce creates an added burden. Divorce threatens the security the adolescent depends on to leave home and separate from their parents. They often have two different reactions; hey either feel they have to grow up quickly and leave home or they dont grow up at all and stay ...