Psychological disorders are widely known for their difficulty to detect and diagnose. In recent years, the awkward aspect of diagnosing mental disorders has slowly been torn down as health care professionals and school administrations across the U.S. attempt to teach parents and students about the strenuous process of recognizing and curing mental ailments. Despite heavy publicity by health organizations and government programs, many of the statistics about depression and its causes in teens can surprise one and reveal the relevance of the disease is still very high.

    Many people across the American public would consider depression to be a rare occurrence; however,  roughly one in four American youths will suffer from an episode of depression (two weeks of depressed mood or five of the clinical signs or symptoms of depression) before the age of 24. Also, suicide, which depression can lead to, is the third leading cause of death in youth aging from 10-24 years old in the United States. More than 8% of American adolescents will suffer from depression at any given time (dosomething.org).

    With a steady increase of population, the number of depressed people across the United States continues to climb. Depression is the leading medical cause of disability in people ages five and up (MedicineNet.com). Since depression can be caused by a number of biological, environmental and psychological factors, there’s also lots of different ways depression can be treated. About one half of teens who take antidepressants feel better. Positive results can sometimes take up to six weeks to be noticed. Health care professionals also can experiment with varieties of therapy ranging from lifestyle adjustments to psychotherapy.