Arcadia Calimano

Professor Taheri

Rhetoric and Civic Life

November 4th 2019

The Enemy Within a Teenager

When you consider the beliefs of society today, many aspects of our media portray

depression as a common health condition. We will often see TV shows and posts on social media

about depression as well as a day known as National Depression Screening Day where hospitals,

clinics, colleges, and community groups conduct an education and screening event nationwide.

Though if you consider the media relating to depression in the past, it is completely different

from how it is portrayed today. During the times of the 20th century depression was barely

discussed and when it was portrayed in the media it mostly had this connotation of being odd or

abnormal. So what created this shift in the beliefs of depression? This most likely is due to the

increased concern within mental issues, including depression. Since the first recording of mental

disorders there has been this stigma surrounding these disorders, though it wasn't until the late

1900’s that people began to shift their worldview of the disorders from a sign of weakness or

insanity to a need for assistance and support. In this day and age, depression is considered the

leading cause of disability worldwide (WHO). And this does not seem to be a surprise as much

of the awareness and concern that our society has put into depression, has lead to a significant

amount of research related to depression including depression in adolescents. With this growing

research of depression the world is now trying to understand what the root cause of depression.

Results have led many explanations that factors of depression are due to environmental factors
more so than biological. As more adolescents are becoming diagnosed with depression, research

has concluded that circumstances such as social media, academic pressure, as well as bullying

are some of the leading factors to this disorder.

As mentioned before, awareness played a significant role in the rising numbers in

depression. Depression is a topic that has raised the attention of the public throughout the past

decades, especially within the 2000’s. According to Pediatrics, “Among girls, the prevalence of

12-month MDE (Major Depressive Episodes) increased from 13.1% (2004) to 17.3% (2014);

whereas, among boys the prevalence increased from 4.5% (2004) to 5.7% (2014).” Not only was

depression not a concerning topic of the past but as well as most mental disorders. There was

often a large stigma of depression during the 18th and 19th centuries in which depression was

believed by many to be a weakness in temperament which is derived genetically and

unchangeable. This belief resulted in the idea that people with this condition should be

discriminated against and confined(VeryWellMind). It took until the early 1900’s for a turning

point to occur and for experts to try and understand why people behaved in erratic ways. This

stigma of depression along with other mental illnesses lasted for a while until the late 1900’s

when it gradually began to fade. As the stigma faded people started to understand how important

it is for depression and other disorders to come to awareness. With this awareness, the idea of

depression has become normalized, making it easier for those who have the disorder more

willing to receive treatment.

So what is depression considered to be today? According to the Merriam-Webster

Dictionary depression is, “a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty in
thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping,

feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal tendencies.” Depression causes

severe symptoms that impact how you feel, think, and handle activities on the daily, such as

sleeping, eating, or working. Depression even has different forms in which they include different

symptoms and are evolved through distinct circumstances such as Seasonal affective disorder,

Postpartum depression, Psychotic depression, and Bipolar Disorder.

Seasonal affective disorder is when one develops depression over the winter months due

to the reduced amount of sunlight in the winter. Postpartum Depression is this feeling of

hopelessness, extreme sadness, and anxiety that women can experience after giving birth.

Psychotic depression is when an individual has a severe depressive illness including some

form of psychosis. The psychosis could be considered hallucinations (such as hearing a voice

telling you that you are no good or worthless), or delusions (such as, intense feelings of

worthlessness, failure, or having committed a sin) or some other break with reality.

Bipolar disorder is not considered one of these different forms but due to episodes of

extremely low moods, the disorder meets the criteria of major depression. Bipolar Disorder

causes extreme mood swings that include emotional highs (mania or hypomania) and lows

(depression). (NIMH)

To be diagnosed with depression, the symptoms must be constant for at least two weeks

and can range from mild, temporary episodes of sadness to severe, persistent depression that

seems as if it will never end. The National Institute of Mental Health describes some of these

symptoms of depression as, Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” mood, irritability, loss of

interest or pleasure in hobbies and activities, moving or talking more slowly, feeling restless,
difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions, weight changes, and thoughts of

death or suicide.

Within teenagers, the symptoms of depression are the same as those of any adult who has

been diagnosed with depression. Teenagers also tend to have changes in their behavior such as,

tiredness and loss of energy, insomnia or sleeping too much, changes in appetite, Social

isolation, poor school or work performance or frequent absences from school or work, as well as

self harm. (Mayo Clinic)

A big difference between the lives of today's teenagers and young adults,

compared to earlier generations, is that they spend more time connecting electronically

through social media, which is considered to be one of the leading causes.​As social media

and new media are becoming increasingly important in the lives of preteens and teens, there

seems to be a correlation with teenagers rates of depression. A study done by Antoine

Jeri-Yabar, Alejandra Sanchez-Carbonel, Karen Tito, Jimena Ramirez-delCastillo, Alessandra

Torres-Alcantara, Daniela Denegri and Yhuri Carreazo, determines the association between

social media dependence and depressive symptoms and also, to characterize the level of

dependence. In this study 212 students from a private university that used Facebook, Instagram

and/or Twitter were used as well as the Beck Depression Inventory and Social Media Addiction

Test to measure the dependence to social media in teens. They also used STATA12 to analyze

their collected data. Throughout their study they found out that, “There is an association

between social media dependence and depressive symptoms. Out of the 82 students surveyed

that presented social media dependence, 69.5% had depressive symptoms.” This clearly displays

the correlation between social media and teenage depression. Use of social media can detract
from face-to face relationships, reduce investment in meaningful activities, increase sedentary

behavior by encouraging more screen time, lead to Internet addiction, and erode self-esteem

through unfavorable social comparisons. These factors of social media could also be a

contributing factor of why depression is so prevalent in teens.

Academic pressure in school is another reason for the rise in teenage depression.

Although School education is a very important part in an individual’s life, the academic pressure

put on students can be very unhealthy for an individual’s mental state. This can be seen in a

study done by Andrew S. Quach, Norman B. Epstein, Pamela J. Riley, Mariana K. Falconier, and

Xiaoyi Fang in which they use 997 students in four Beijing high schools to examine

relationships of Chinese parents’ warmth and parental pressure regarding students’ academic

work with the adolescents’ levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. From their study they

found out that “Overall, parental academic pressure was positively associated with adolescents’

depression and anxiety, as hypothesized...Regardless of positive connotations associated with the

Chinese concept of “training” children to be high achievers, parental pressure for academic

performance is associated with adolescents’ psychological distress.” The study clearly suggests

that too much academic pressure can increase an adolescents stress levels. And these excessive

levels of stress can result in an increased depression, which in turn can negatively affect their

academic results.

Bullying has also been considered to be a significant cause of the rise in depression. In a

study done by Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry,

Approximately 9% of the sample reported being victimized frequently, and 13% reported

bullying others frequently. Frequent exposure to victimization or bullying others was related to
high risks of depression, ideation, and suicide attempts compared with adolescents not involved

in bullying behavior. This clearly displays the correlation between bullying and depression. The

effects of bullying can have a lasting effect on the victims. In another study done by Dieter

Wolke and Suzet Tanya Lereya, results found that “victims were at increased risk for displaying

psychotic experiences at age 18 and having suicidal ideation, attempts and completed suicides.

Victims were also reported to have poor general health, including more bodily pain, headaches

and slower recovery from illnesses.”

In our society today, depression is constantly being brought into discussion, especially in

relation to those who are teenagers. The topic of depression is often seen in tv shows and other

sources of media in which the idea of depression is being established and promoted. Magazine

ads are being used to promote prescription drugs for depression. Prozac is one of the many drugs

that are being published as ads in magazines to promote treatment for depression. The Netflix

Original, 13 Reasons Why is one of these shows that display the causes such as bullying and rape

as well as the effects such as suiside and of depression through the life of teenagers. These are

some of the many examples in which the media displays the normalizing of depression. Media

gradually published depression within society, this brought awareness to the disorder and

eventually it became more discussed in which the public became used to the idea of depression.

The rise of depression in teenagers is astronomical which makes it a topic worth talking

about. The shift throughout the years has created such a breakthrough for the mental health

community. This shift has diminished the stigma that those who have depression seem to be

unattractive, weak, and unreliable. Today depression is not considered any of these attributes but

is merely a medical condition that affects your thoughts and behaviors. Because of this shift
people will now be able to understand the illness clearly, helping more people who are

undiagnosed with the disorder get diagnosed without feeling shame and negative thoughts about

themselves.

Furthermore, those with depression will be able to get treated for their diagnoses and

prevent the negative outcomes that result from depression including. These results can be so

harmful to not only those suffering with depression but they also have a large effect on family

and friends of the individual with depression. But even the most severe cases of depression can

be treated through the use of medication, psychotherapies, and brain stimulation therapies.

Antidepressants are the type of medication used to treat depression and may help improve the

way your brain uses certain chemicals that control mood or stress. If the symptoms of depression

are not reduced through the use of antidepressants, electroconvulsive therapy can help some

individuals. Though antidepressants and ECT might help some with their symptoms of

depression, these types of treatments can have some side effects on the individual. Others might

work better with psychotherapy. Some examples of psychotherapies used specifically to treat

depression include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT), and

problem-solving therapy. These types of treatment considered to be talk treatment.(NIMH)

Although the constant rise in depression indicates an increase in awareness and decreased

stigma around depression, these numbers will continue to rise until we take the next step in

finding a way to resolve the factors that cause depression. With the pressures involved with

social media, school, and bullying, there needs to be a solution in which these increasing

numbers can be brought down. We need to compose a solution that could resolve all of these

factors along with the use of newfound treatments and support from friends and family, this can
hopefully result in a decline. There is no single treatment that will work in tending to every

individual diagnosed with depression, everyone is different.

Works Cited

“Depression in the Media.” ​EverydayHealth.com,​ 3 May 2010,

www.everydayhealth.com/depression/depression-in-the-media.aspx.

“Depression.” ​Merriam-Webster​, Merriam-Webster,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depression.

“Depression.” ​National Institute of Mental Health​, U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml.

Klomek, et al. “Bullying, Depression, and Suicidality in Adolescents.” ​Journal of the American

Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry​, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. P.O. Box

1600, Hagerstown, MD 21741. Tel: 800-638-3030; Tel: 301-223-2300; Fax:

301-223-2400; Web Site: Http://Www.lww.com/Product/?0890-8567, 31 Dec. 2006,

eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ754688.

“Major Depression.” ​National Institute of Mental Health,​ U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services, www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml#part_155032.

Mojtabai, Ramin, et al. “National Trends in the Prevalence and Treatment of Depression in

Adolescents and Young Adults.” ​American Academy of Pediatrics,​ American Academy

of Pediatrics, 1 Dec. 2016, pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/6/e20161878.

“New 2FA Prompt Now Live on WebAccess.” ​Penn State WebAccess Secure Login:

journals-sagepub-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/doi/pdf/10.1177/0020764018814270.

Quach, Andrew S., et al. “New 2FA Prompt Now Live on WebAccess.” ​Penn State WebAccess

Secure Login:

link-springer-com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/article/10.1007%2Fs10826-013-9818-y.

Schimelpfening, Nancy. “When Were the Earliest Accounts of Depression?” ​Verywell Mind​,

Verywell Mind, 5 Oct. 2019,

www.verywellmind.com/who-discovered-depression-1066770.

“Teen Depression.” ​Mayo Clinic​, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 16

Nov. 2018,

www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/teen-depression/symptoms-causes/syc-2035098

5.

Wolke, Dieter, and Suzet Tanya Lereya. “Long-Term Effects of Bullying.” ​Archives of Disease

in Childhood​, BMJ Publishing Group, Sept. 2015,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4552909/.

“Depression.” ​World Health Organization​, World Health Organization,

www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression.