Depression in adolescence has many interwoven causes. Genetic predisposition, early life experiences, current home life and difficulties at school can all contribute to the emergence of depression. Depression can impact all aspects of development, including academic achievement. It also places teens at a high risk of suicide.
Home Life
Depression is often a consequence of long-standing neglect or abuse that starts in early childhood. Abuse can be emotional, physical or sexual. Unstable family units with ever-changing stepparents and parents who themselves have psychological problems, substance abuse or financial difficulties can also cause depression in children. Even the most well-intentioned parent---for example, a single mother struggling to support her family---can be too overwhelmed to be attentive and supportive and at the same time provide healthy boundaries for children. Teens require both support and boundaries. Lack of proper structure can cause depression. Teens who were removed from home and live in foster care or residential facilities may feel unwanted. They feel they have no place in the world and have no support and often become depressed.
Schoolwork
Learning disabilities and lack of academic inclination are among the factors that contribute to adolescents' poor performance in school. Expectations and pressure from family may be high. If a teen can't meet these expectations, he will likely become depressed. Failure at school is often equated in the teen's mind with failure in all areas of life. Unlike an adult, who can accept that he is not good at something and switch to a different line of work or choose different hobbies, a teenager often has difficulty finding alternatives. Depression in itself can lead to poor academic performance as well.
Peer Relationships
In adolescence, social life expands beyond the family unit, and peers become an increasingly important part of life. Struggling to conform to a peer group's expectations while feeling pressure from home to remain part of the nuclear family is a normal part of adolescence. When a peer group rejects a teen or a teen's family is intolerant of normal maturation and experimentation, depression can arise. Bullying is a widespread phenomenon and is a cause of depression for both bullies and their victims.
Substance Abuse
For some teens, adolescence is a time for experimentation, and some degree of drug use is normal at this stage of development. Extensive drug use and addiction can be both a result and a significant cause of depression, however. Early trauma and neglect as well as parental example predispose a teen to turn to drugs and alcohol as a means of escape or coping. Substances can cause depression directly and indirectly, the latter by interfering with the ability to do schoolwork and to develop the skills needed to become a successful, functioning adult.
Sexual Identity
Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender, or GLBT, youths are at significant risk for mental health problems, including depression. These teens are often the subject of disapproval both at home and among peer groups. At a time when identity is forming, their identity is stigmatized. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, the rate of suicide attempts among GLBT teens is estimated to be about one-third higher than that in other youths.
References
- "Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry"; Virginia Sadock and Pedro Ruiz; 2009
- "Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry"; Bullying, Depression, and Suicidality in Adolescents; Brunstein Klomek et al; Jan 2007
- National Alliance of Mental Health: Mental Health Risk Factors Among GLBT Youth
