Name: Jemila Lewis Lecturer: Miss Marilyn Ricketts Broad Topic: Mental Health Issues Narrowed Topic: The

Impact of Depression on Teenagers Thesis Statement: Poor parenting and failure to perform at school are the principal causes for teenage depression; which can be prevented by healthy living, good parenting and less school hours. Depression, defined by Dr. Lisa Johnson, Clinical Psychologist is defined by nine (9) symptoms which occurs almost everyday; these include: a depressed mood during most of the day, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, impaired concentration, indecisiveness, insomnia, loss in pleasure in activities that once loved, frequent thoughts of death or suicide , a sense of restlessness, significant weight loss or gain. Depression is frequently caused by environment and life events, and an increasing amount of adolescents are becoming depressed, though it is preventable. Though poor parenting and failure to perform at school are the principal causes of depression, it can be prevented with healthy living, good parenting and less school hours.

Prevention is key to most if not all disorders. Three (3) preventative measures that are relevant to depression are: having a healthy lifestyle, enquiring good parenting skills and spending fewer hours at school. Healthy living includes a proper diet, engaging in regular exercise and taking enough sleep. A proper diet is very important in a teenagers life. Teens are

often left to be independent and are often left unattended; this gives them the freedom to eat what they want at anytime. This is dangerous as they are opted to eat what they want, which in most situations are unhealthy food, this may cause nutritional deficiencies which is a further risk factor for depression. Too much sweets, fats and late night eating may cause one to become overweight; another cause of teen depression. A daily routine of exercise can help to handle most causes of depression. Dunn and Weintraub (2008) showed that 2141 people tried exercise, 647 did venalafaixe and 1221 tried Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). On a scale of 0-3 with 3 being most effective, the results showed that the effectiveness score of exercise was 1.70, 1.73 was the effectiveness of venalafaixe; the second most widely used treatment, CBT had an effectiveness of 1.63. This data reveals that exercise is more frequently used and is more suitable to the depressed as a treatment and a preventative measure and is apparently most effective. Exercise can be done without a cost and does not require any professional help. It is also regarded by many as a means to preserve good health. Gangwisch and Babiss aim was to determine the relationship between parental set bedtimes and sleep duration and the impact it has on depression. The chosen bedtime an adolescent chooses can have an effect on depression. However, a parents chosen set bedtime is less likely to be affected; that can create a relatively steady limit that can directly affect sleep duration. The results showed that parents that set their bedtimes at midnight or later were 24% more likely to suffer from ideation than adolescents with parental set bedtimes of 10pm or earlier. These results provide new evidence to strengthen the argument that short sleep duration could play a role in depression. Further results showed that there is a relationship between sleep duration and depression, in that the lengthening of sleep is very important in the prevention of depression.

Good parenting skills should be on the agenda of most parents if not all; this part is very crucial and effective in the development of a child and thus is one of those methods that are essential in the prevention of teenage depression. One of the ways to do this is to become aware of the events in your childs life. Simple events such as changes in mood, eating habits, sudden change in friends, lack of interest in events that he/she used to attend and even changes in criminal activities. Though teenagers often acquire freedom, too much is not good. Following the child everywhere is not an ideal way to go and it may also seem unhealthy, but one should know there limits. If one can spot an early warning sign it would be easier to prevent a slip to serious depression (Vaux, 2009). Another preventative measure that parents should take in hand is to encourage positive activities. Though not seen by many, parents are role models and can be the most effective person in a teens life. Allowing one to participate in events, encourage writing and cultural events such as dancing and poetry. Instead of bottling up emotions, parents should encourage expressiveness says Robert Vaux. He continues to say that the intrusion of a healthy diet, avoidance of drugs and alcohol can further cement an optimistic mind. Therefore, the earlier these habits are cemented, the more effective they can prevent depression. One should know that depression does not only come from the home but also the stress levels at school and teens performances possibly a cause of depression. Thus, attending fewer hours at school may seem as being off but perhaps one of the smartest ideas for preventing depression. At school, a teen is plague with a number of stresses such as class and schoolwork, and probably the greatest of all trying to fit within a peer group. The continuous demand and pressure that teachers place on their students for the completion of assignments causes one to feel as though all load is placed upon him. Sally Chia recommends that teachers and parents

alike should advise that these students attend less school hours so as to reduce the workload and thus the stress level. She went on to say that after-school activities teaches a mix of social and academic skills and activities such as non-competitive sports, special interest clubs or skills enhancement programs should be on their agenda as a preventative measure for depression. Depression attacks teenagers at all walks of life, and is one of the growing disorder that teenagers face. If detected and prevented early the causes of depression in teens may be less and a healthy environment

References Chia, S. (April 2, 2010). How depression affects school performance. Retrieved October 13, 2010 from http://EzineArticles.com/861169 Dunn, A.L., Weintraub, P., (2008, August 22). Exercise in the prevention and treatment of adolescent depression: A promising but little research intervention. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. vol. 2, no.6. pages 507-518. Retrieved October 27, 2011 from http://ajl.sagepub.com/content/2/6/507.abstract
Gangwisch, E.J., Babiss, L. A., Malaspina, D., Turner, B., Zammit, G., Posner, K. (2010). Parental set bedtimes and adolescent depression. Sleep. Vol. 33, No.1. pages 97-106. Retrieved October 27, 2011 from http://www.journalsleep.org/viewabstract.aspx?pid=27679

Vaux, R. (November 18, 2009). 4 ways to prevent teen depression. Retrieved October 27, 2011 from http://www.livestrong.com/article/12844-prevent-teen-depression/