According to the National Institute of Mental Health, a number of epidemiological studies, up to an 8.3 percent increase in adolescents in the U.S., suffer from depression. In addition, research indicates that depression onset is occurring earlier in life today than in past decades.
A recently published longitudinal prospective study found that early-onset depression often persists, recurs, and continues into adulthood, and indicates that depression in youth may also predict more severe illness in adult life. Depression in young people often co-occurs with other mental disorders, most commonly anxiety, disruptive behavior, or substance abuse disorders, and with physical illnesses, such as diabetes.
An article released in the Minneapolis Star Tribune shared that “overdoses and suicide-related calls have jumped in metro-area counties, leading to increased crisis training for police officers.” The article also shared that “…two counties have seen their mental health 911 calls, including suicides and attempts, increase by more than 25 percent in the past two years, to more than 2,000 in Anoka and about 1,730 in Dakota county, Minnesota.
Due to the increase, many parents are searching for parenting programs to handle the onslaught of behaviors that comes with teen depression. Those behaviors may include anger, manipulation and disobedience at home. Parents need to seek medical attention from their medical doctor when they begin to see the symptom of depression begin to develop in their teen,
