Social Determinants of Mental Health Among Adolescents

In recent years, depression in childhood has increased attention for awareness among adolescence.^1- 3 Although it was believed that depression did not occur in children before the 1970s, recent studies ^1,4- 7  have proven that about 2%-8% of young adults experience their first symptoms at the age of 16.

For example, Hankin et al⁵ discovered that approximately, 6% of young adults in  the Dunedin study cohort met DSM-III⁸ diagnostic criteria for depression on at least one occasion by age 15. A similar rate was reported by Fergusson et al,⁴ who found that almost7% of 15-year-olds met DSM-III-R diagnostic criteria for depression.

The increase in the presence of depression among adolescences has led to a growing interest in the etiology, comorbities, and consequences of early-onset depression. For example; there has been evidence suggesting that young people showing signs of early depression or depressive symptoms are at high risk for several adverse outcomes, including further depressive episode,^9- 11 impaired social functioning,^9,12- 16 low academic achievement,^{9,10,12,15,17,18} and a range of other mental health problems, such as anxiety disorders, substance abuse, and suicidal behaviors.^{12,15,19- 21} These linkages between early depression and later outcomes are thought to reflect the effects of early-onset depression on normal development and the continuities of depressed mood across time.⁹

REFERENCES

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/206141