Cause : teen depression - Research Paper Example

In terms of family relationships, these relationships refer to the bond that exist between the teen and their family, in terms of how close the teen is both geographically and emotionally to his/her family, whether there are family issues such as mental illness, and other factors. Another possible cause is a breakdown in social belongingness: this refers to the teen’s degree of self-efficacy regarding their social capacity, their ability to make friends, and their feeling that they are part of a larger social group or groups.

Suicide among teens is often linked to depression as well as social factors of membership and norms in society, as well as being linked with other factors such as childhood abuse and victimization. Literature on the subject of teen suicide shows a great clinical interest in adolescent and youth age groups including college age individuals, because of the statistical relevance of this population in particular in relation to the issue of suicide. As one source notes, “The rate at which young people kill themselves has risen unabated for three decades, from 3.

3 per 100,000 population in 1959 to 10.9 in 1993, an increase of over 200 percent. From 1973 to 1993, the very young (less than 20 years) and the very old (greater than 75 years) were the only groups recording higher suicide rates” (Freeman, 1998, p. 20). There is a great deal more research being done on the young side of this presented scale than on the old side. The main question addressed in this research involves finding out why teens get depressed, as well as looking at what answers to this question can tell us about successful prevention.

In terms of causes and motivations, clinical depression is often linked to suicidal ideation and behavior. Depression is defined as an emotional state that encourages the individual to feel emotions of sadness that are often extreme and overwhelming. This sadness can range in