Are You Depressed?

Depression is very common but in varying degrees. It's hard especially in an Asian perspective that makes it difficult to deal with emotions. But look around you, 1 in 5 adolescents have depression even if they look happy and seem to have everything going for them.

"Clinical depression affects between 1-3% of young people at any one time. Prevalence of depression in adolescence increases with increasing age and by age 18 up to 24% of adolescents will have had a major depression. Females have a higher prevalence than males.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-IV), a major depressive disorder is indicated if at least five of the following symptoms are present during the same 2-week period most of the day, nearly every day; and at least one of the symptoms is either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in activities; or in the case of adolescents, irritability:
• Depressed or irritable mood; persistent sadness
• Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in most activities
• Significant change in weight or appetite
• Sleeping too little or too much
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
• Impaired ability to think, concentrate or make decisions, deterioration in usual level of functioning (eg., school grades, sports, social activities);
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempt

(Wakefield, T. (2001) The status of adolescent mental health in Australia, in The Missing Link - Adolescent mental health in general practice. Alpha Biomedical Communications. Darlinghurst. NSW.)(Martin, G. (2001) Management of depression and suicide in general practice, in The Missing Link - Adolescent mental health in general practice. Alpha Biomedical Communications. Darlinghurst. NSW.)(NHMRC (1997) 'Depression in Young People. A Guide for General Practitioner's' March. p.3) "

So it's very common and if you worry too much it's good to seek some help, nothing to be ashamed about as it is part of being human.