The Latest in Teen Mental Health and Substance Abuse (Part 4): Adolescents and Depression
THE LATEST (Part 4): Adolescents and Depression
Resource: Teen Depression, A Guide for Parents and Teenagers
Click on any of the following links to jump to a specific spot in this Help Guide Article:
- Understanding teen depression
- Signs and symptoms
- Effects of teen depression
- Suicide warning signs in teenagers
- Helping a depressed teenager
- Risks of teenage antidepressant use
- Supporting a teen through treatment
- Taking care of the whole family
- Related links
Video Games and the Depressed Teenager
“There’s been a lot of buzz about whether video games are habit-forming, and whether parents are exaggerating when they say their teenagers are “addicted” to game playing. Now new research on children who are heavy gamers suggests parents may have something else to worry about: depression.” Click here to read the rest of this article from the New York Times.
Teen Optimism Beats Back Health Risks
“Older children who have an optimistic viewpoint are less likely to suffer health risks including emotional problems, substance abuse and antisocial behaviors, according to new research from Australia. Optimism was especially protective against depression, according to the study in the journal of Pediatrics.” Click here to read the rest of this CNN article.
Study Links Internet Use to Teen Depression
“Spending too much or too little time online may increase depression in young people, according to a Swiss study. Research at the University of Lausanne has found young people aged 16 to 20 who spend more than two hours per day online are at an increased risk of depression symptoms. But so are teens who don’t log on at all.” Click here to read more about the findings of this study in an article by the Toronto Sun.
What Causes a Young Person to Snap?
“This weekend’s Tucson shooting spree, which killed six people and wounded 14 others, has left many people wondering what was going on in the mind of the suspected gunman. It is too early to know if Jared Lee Loughner, 22, is struggling with mental health, but experts say it is not uncommon for people in his age group to experience their first serious episode of mental illness.” Click here to read the rest of this USA Today article.