Teen Depression Problem Solution Essay

Have you ever felt completely and totally worthless? Like nothing you can do could ever right the wrongs that have been done? Like you’re not good at anything you do? Like everybody hates you? Like you’re completely alone? The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 121 million people worldwide have felt these emotions before due to some form of depression; however, less than 25 percent have access to effective treatment [source: WHO]. Even though many people don’t realize it, there is an abhorrent problem with depression among teens in the United States. In fact, “11% of adolescents have a depressive disorder by age 18,” according to the National Institute of Mental Health’s website. This statistic may not seem like a lot, but it means that 11% of teens have a serious problem; they feel like this frequently, yet still go on, in most cases without treatment. Although feeling depressed happens to everybody, according to Medical News Today, most people don’t get it as badly as these 11% do, and also not as often. But if you’ve ever experienced this feeling, imagine it happening all the time or reoccurring at unpredictable intervals. Also, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s website, “Depression rates triple between the ages of 12 and 15 (from 5.1% to 15.2%).” This shows the massive increase in depression among teens, but so what? Well, this disorder changes people’s lives, and sometimes it even ends them. According to Suicide.org, “Over 90 percent of people who die by suicide have a mental illness at the time of their death. And the most common mental illness is depression.” Imagine teens ending their lives, because of a disease many people don’t even recognize as a disease. Many others tell them, “Snap out of it!”, but those people have no idea how crushing and consuming the feelings can be. Too many people are uneducated, and this can lead to worsened effects of depression. Another lasting effect of depression