Depression and Suicide in Adolescents: Causes, Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies

Running head: DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IN ADOLESCENTS
DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IN ADOLESCENTS
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1DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IN ADOLESCENTS
PART- 1
Life span expansion is influenced by different factors such as psychological well-being,
sickness, and health. There are four major stages of life-span development namely infancy,
juvenile, adolescence and old age according to Warwick.ac.uk 2019. These life cycles reflect
the various stages that a human being will go through. The phase of development divides the
life cycle in nine distinct stages namely prenatal progress, toddlerhood and infancy, initial
infantile, middle juvenile, early maturity, mid adulthood, old age and death (Warwick.ac.uk
2019). This essay will focus on the adolescence life span. Adolescence is that phase of the
life cycle where a child undergoes dramatic mental and physical change with sexual
development termed as puberty, which include growth in height, body hair development,
breast development in girls and development of testis and enlargement of penis in boys
(Bbc.co.uk 2019). Adolescents are very vulnerable in nature as they are not matured enough
to differentiate between situations and often end up taking a wrong decision. This vulnerable
behaviour is triggered due to a biological cause. In adolescent brain the decision-making
ability is not fully developed, and often develops during, which initial adulthood leads to
wrong choices (ABC News 2019). This essay will discuss a health issue faced by this age
group (adolescence) which is depression and suicide (Kroning and Kroning 2016).
Adolescence is also termed as the teenager phase of life where a child goes through a
drastic change in both physical and mental aspect (Who.int 2019). Parents can also face a
stressful time while handling adolescent’s as they have to deal with their many new emotions
and feelings and adjust to these. Divorce and separation of parents, major health issue or
illness, harm to any family members or close ones, demise of any family member, and
disorders faced by the child themselves are all major life events, which can also effect the
health and well-being of the adolescents (Cumbria.gov.uk 2019). These events leads to a high
degree of stress and difficulties among the adolescence often making them appear stubborn

2DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IN ADOLESCENTS
and as they find it difficult to communicate these problems. In adolescence, the child
becomes more desirable and the danger for behavioural and emotional fluctuation due to their
immaturity and undeveloped brain. Adolescents cannot always handle such mental pressure
and stress and thus can result in substance abuse and misuse, alcoholism, and other different
means of harming themselves and destroying their life, which often lead to death.
This essay will discuss on a major health problem faced by the adolescence namely
depression and suicide. As adolescence is the most vulnerable age of the life cycle and they
tend to undergo mental stress very often. 75% of the adolescents are suffering from
depression under which few are still untreated and unrecognized according to (Rodway et al.
2016). Untreated depression can be due to many reasons such as educational stress, poor
health condition which leads to a negative future outcome like bad health and unemployment.
Some adolescence who may be depressed can attempt suicide as they may not discuss with
any one or have anyone to talk to and take the decision themselves. The major reason of
depression in adolescence according to Who.int 2019 are environmental stressors, which
includes parental stress for educational success, family flexibility, drugs availability, and peer
stress results to depression and suicide. Some adolescents commit suicide due to peer stress,
mental immaturity and due to lack of emotive bonding and interaction and social media
influence, which is very common in this age of lifespan (Who.int 2019).
Thousands are people are affected in UK and end their lives by comitting suicide. In
2017, there was more than 6000 cases of suicide in UK which means that in every two hours
one person commits suicide. The Millennium Cohort Study conducted a survey test-using
questionnaire, for the age group of 14 years suffering with metal stress or depression (Mental
Health Foundation 2019). The result interpreted that acute anxiety and depression were the
leading cause of death in both boys and girls of age group 14, which is considered as the
adolescent’s life span. 12% and 18% of boys and girls respectively died due to emotional

3DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IN ADOLESCENTS
stress and depression. Various risk factors are underlined for adolescents to commit suicide
due to mental stress and depression such as social isolation, drug abuse, history of trauma and
family breakdown. In a survey, it was observed that 32% of adolescents who were suffering
from depression had felt suicidal stress and self-harm with 2% of the population committing
suicide on second attempt (nhs.uk 2019). A cohort study was conducted in UK where
children and parents both were involved in the survey using questionnaires approach to find
out the main reason of suicide in the population. Emotional symptoms were the major reason
including 12% of boys and 18% of girls hence, concluding that high level of depressive
symptoms were the major cause of death including boys and girls (Cumbria.gov.uk 2019).
Depression is considered as the most communal practice of psychopathology. The
nature and nurture have a crucial impact on depression and suicide. Nature is considered as
the inherited impact, which is influenced by biological factors and genetic inheritance. While
nurture is considered as, the external or acquired factors (Sasaki and Kim 2017). Diathesis-
strain theory of depression states that genetic problem interrelates with negative lifespan
experiences leading to depression (Sigfusdottir et al. 2016). Dopamine neurotransmitter play
an important role in risk of depression among adolescent. Neurotransmitter in the brain
controls the communication power of an individual and a slight imbalance in this chemicals
result in effects of depression and other emotional stress. Nurture or external environmental
problems such as experiences, learning and outcomes play an important role in depression.
The heredity and environmental factors do not function individually instead, both the factors
are required to trigger the health issue of depression and suicide. An adolescent with single
father or rejecting mother as the nurture factor and a specific form of dopamine transporter
gene as the nature factor are the major risk for depression and suicidal ideation (Sigfusdottir
et al. 2016). The adolescent suffering from these two factors are at a high risk of depression
and eventually commit suicide as the only option. A journal published in Psychological