A recent study in JAMA Network Open examined the risk of persistence of adolescent depressive symptoms into young adulthood. Study: Depressive Symptoms in Adolescence and Young Adulthood . Image Credit: Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock.
com The American adolescent mental health crisis Since 2010, the prevalence of depressive symptoms among American teenagers has surged. In 2009, approximately 8% of teenagers experienced major depression; by 2019, this rate had doubled to 16%, with females bearing a disproportionate burden. In 2021, around 25% of teenage girls reported suicidal thoughts or plans, a significant increase from 14% and 11% in 2009, respectively.
Additionally, there was a notable rise in hospitalizations and fatalities related to suicide attempts. While the COVID-19 pandemic years saw a stabilization of this trend, mental health issues among adolescents continued to escalate. “ Together, these patterns have been labeled as a teen mental health crisis in the US .
” Depressive symptoms often extend into later stages of life. Yet, it remains uncertain whether the recent surge in teenage depression will lead to a corresponding rise in self-resolution, potentially reducing the incidence of depression among young adults. Alternatively, this trend might indicate an escalating prevalence of depressive symptoms into young adulthood, possibly precipitating a comparable mental health crisis within this demographic.
About the study The current study included 36,552 people.