Depression In Women, Teens And Children

Here, we discuss depression in three specific groups of people – women; teenagers or adolescents; as well as children.

Depression in Women

In general, women are more at risk of depression than men. It is possible that the more frequent and intense hormonal fluctuations in women may be a cause of this pattern.

One statistic supporting this theory is that the rate of depression in males and females are roughly similar before puberty, but females begin to experience markedly higher rates of depression once puberty is hit. After giving birth, a time of significant hormonal changes, depression is rampant, while the condition tails off after menopause.

But while hormonal fluctuations take place in all women, not all women become depressed. While researchers are still not sure of the exact reasons why women tend to become depressed more often than men, it would seem that hormonal changes is at least a contributing factor to this mental ailment.

Other possible reasons for women being more susceptible to depression include a higher propensity for them to be victims of abuse, whether sexual, physical or even mental, as well as their lower position in various cultures throughout history, which, for example, would restrict their opportunities and make them more likely to be suppressed.

Could it also be possible that women are more likely to become depressed simply because they are more emotional creatures than men?

Depression in Teenagers or Adolescents

Depression in teens or adolescents is not that different from depression in adults. The main difference, though, is that while adults tend to lapse into a period of sadness or lowness, teens tend to become restless and irritable. They become cranky, cannot concentrate, lose their temper, etc. Further, teenage depression also tends to last for a shorter period of time, as compared to depression in adults.

Quite a significant proportion of high school age teenagers may actually have undergone depression, either previously or at the present time. And one big cause of concern for experts is the issue of relapse – almost half the kids who were depressed as teens would get the condition again as young adults in their college years. And situations like having conflicts with their parents or caregivers would worsen their risk.

The truth is that teenagers are facing multiple issues in a period of great change during their lives. There are issues of self esteem, discovering self identity, making friends, social acceptance, boy girl relationships, relationships with parents, physical changes to their body, etc, and some adolescents even get involved with alcohol and substances such as drugs. Often, teens who are depressed also face anxiety issues, more so than for adults.

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