Is adolescent depression increasing?
Yes. Research shows that psychological distress has been increasing. • While suicide rates have decreased 57% since 1997, rates of young people experiencing high to very high psychological distress have increased by 60% since 1997 (ABS 2008; Eckersley ) • Rates of reported intentional self harm have also increased 43% from 1996 to 2006 • 26.5% of young people aged 18-24 experience an anxiety, affective or substance use disorder • 1 in 5 are likely to experience a diagnosable depressive episode • Of the one in four with a mental health problem, only 29% contact a professional service of any type. It’s hard to say why this might be. It could be that we are talking about it more, so there is less stigma and more people realising through awareness about depression that that is what they are experiencing and that it’s not normal to feel down for such an extended time. Or, it could be that there is something about modern life that is leading to increased depression in young people – somethin
