ACADEMIC WRITING

CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF DEPRESSION AMONG TEENAGERS

Depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days. Most
teenagers nowadays go through periods of feeling down, but when you're depressed you
feel persistently sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days. Some people think
depression is trivial and not a genuine health condition. Actually it is a real illness with real
symptoms. It affects a person’s mood, thoughts, feelings, behaviours, and physical health.
The prevalence of depression among teenagers is an issue to be discussed by everyone.
There are several causes and effects of depression among teenagers nowadays.

Depression happens among teenagers due to academic stress. There is a clear

relationship between adolescent depression and how well a teen does in school. In fact,
lower grades might be the first noticeable sign of depression. Research indicates that
adolescents who suffer from depression are less likely to graduate. Unfortunately, it is easy
for parents and other family members to miss signs of this mental illness. However, a drop in
grades can provide clear evidence that they are having a hard time in their studies which
lead to depression. In addition, parents often expect their child to do well in school and put a
lot of pressure on their child to obtain higher grades because they want them to excel in
school. Having high expectations for their child is fine however, a child may be doing their
best in school and still finds studies to be difficult. Parents need to be aware of difficulties
faced by children. Sometimes, they will be depressed just by seeing their friends’ great
result. They will feel stress as they cannot be as good as their friends. Their confidence level
will decrease from time to time till finally it will cause them to doubt their ability to complete
any task that have been resigned for them.

Furthermore, depression can also be triggered by some environmental factors such

as the loss of a loved one. The people who are very close to our heart and we love the most
such as our parents, siblings, lovers, kids and grandparents are the ones with who we used
to spend a lot of time together. When suddenly we lost any one of them in some incidents
like accidents, divorce and breakup it will cause a severe pain to us. That pain will make us
undergo depression. Not only loss, but also fights and misunderstandings between partners
will also cause depression for teenagers. Besides, loss of a job will also environmentally
cause someone undergo depression. Being jobless makes them think a lot on how to run the
family and how to survive. It causes stress and depression which is very dangerous when it
comes to making decision. Spending too much time in social networks such as Facebook,
Instagram, Whatsapp, Wechat and Snapchat will also cause depression particularly among
teenagers. As we know, social medias have their both advantages and disadvantages.

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When a student spends time in chatting and exploring social medias, the focus will be more
on social medias. Finally when exam arrives, they will face depression in handling their
studies.

Genetic factor is also one of the causes that will lead to depression. Usually,
depression is experienced by adolescents because they are lack in experience to handle
things that are physically and mentally related to themselves. Parents and siblings are the
example of genetics. As we know, usually a family consists of a father, mother, brother, and
sister. So, they directly tend to socialize with them a lot within a certain period of time
compared to others like friends or teachers. Teenagers do not have matured judgement due
to the lack of experience and it makes them to be in dilemma. When there are problems in
family such as divorce of parents, death of a family member and diseases among family
members, it will cause depression to the teenagers. Nowadays, they have lots of friend from
different background. They tend to get jealous of what their friends have. Teenagers with
poor background probably will go to school by bus or walking. It is not too terrible for the
teenagers who lost their parents but seeing their friends being fetched by their fathers or
drivers makes them feel jealous. The fact is parents cannot afford them with luxurious car or
big house. So, they get depressed by their own family members.

Depression has several harmful effects to the teenagers. Difficulties in making

decisions is one the effect. As we know, teenagers are too young to face problems and
difficulties because they have no experience to refer. Friends are the most important thing to
afraid of because they can influence among themselves to do something. Good friends are
very hard to find and of course it is a worry because they tend to be influenced by bad
behaviour of friends compared to a good one. Usually when a problem strikes, teenagers
used to think a lot to solve the problem. There will be a situation where they have to make
the right decision to solve a problem. As they are in depression of thinking a lot about the
problem, they face troubles in making decisions. They tend to make wrong decisions due to
the depression because their mind will not be in a normal state. They will struggle to get
what others get in life even though they are not capable of it. That is why they have problem
in making decisions and end up with terrible decisions.

Untreated depression can result in health problems. Depression is technically a

mental disorder, but it also affects our physical health and well-being. Teenagers who are
facing depression will feel tired all the time or have trouble sleeping at night which is called
as imsomnia. Imsomnia will affect teenagers’ focus in class as they are feeling too tired to
give full attention in the class due to the lack of stress. Depression also can cause
headaches, chronic body aches, and pain that may not respond to medication. It’s also

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sometimes an effect of certain neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy,
and multiple sclerosis. Besides that, depression also plays a heavy role in affecting appetite
and nutrition. They may even lose their appetite entirely, or fail to eat the right amount of
nutritious food. A sudden loss of interest in eating in can lead to a condition called geriatric
anorexia. Eating problems can lead to symptoms that include stomachaches, cramps,
constipation, malnutrition. This shows that teenagers who are having depression cannot take
a good care of their health as they do not even care about their body.

Suicide is one of the bad impacts of depression to someone. Severe depression can
cause the suicidal thoughts in teenagers. Teenagers used to think a lot about their problems
and all they want is immediate solution. They tend to forget that they need experiences in life
to learn about everything. Feelings of anger and resentment combined with exaggerated
guilt can lead to impulsive, self-destructive acts. If a problem arises, they will try to find a
solution for that. When they are unable to do so, they find that suicide is the only option.
People who take their lives do not want to die actually, they just want to end their pain of
suffering from depression. Most people who are still alive even after attempting suicide say
that they are glad they did not die because they realise the value of life. Recent death case
of a 13-year old school girl in Malaysia is relatable to this context. The young Indian school
girl hanged herself in the fan because she was blamed that she stole her teacher’s iPhone.
She was humiliated by the teacher in front of everyone in the school and brought to the
police station to lodge a report. It causes depression to the student until she attempts
suicide. And finally she dies. This proves how depression can lead to suicide among
teenagers.

In short, depression can lead to significant impairment in a teenager’s ability to enjoy

life. All parties including parents, teachers and peers should always help those who are
facing depression by giving moral supports to them. Encouraging them to always stay
positive and be proud of who they are can be the ways to remedy depression cases among
teenagers.

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