Depression in Australian Teenagers

8/30/2019
Running Head: Depression in Australian Teenagers
Depression in
Australian Teenagers
Essay

Depression in Australian Teenagers 1
Introduction
Depression in teenagers is a common health issue. Most of the teenagers are facing
extreme pressure of study and career-building pressure that creates depression among them.
Australia is one of the countries where a large number of teenagers are facing mental health
issues like depression, anxiety, and mental stress, etc. However, the teenager population in the
country is more than 1.3 million. The pressure of depression in Australian teenagers is so
common as they are facing strong pressure of study and some of them facing tough family
conditions. The major causes of depression in teenagers include study pressure, poverty, and
poor relationship with parents. The purpose of this essay is to show the situation of Australian
teenagers who are facing depression and compare it to the rest of Australian population. This
essay also shows the situation of teenagers in some major cities of the country.
Depression in Australian Teenagers (Between 15 to 19 years Age group)
Australian teenagers are more than 1.3 million in the country and it is well known that
teenagers play a significant role in nation-building because they are future of the country
(Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2016). There are number of people facing depression in the
country but depression in teenagers is a serious problem for the country. There are several
reasons for depression in teenagers such as mental pressure of study, the stress of building a
career, the stress of study, parental expectations, poor relationship with friends or family
members, etc. There are a many types of depression such as melancholia, psychotic depression,
Seasonal affective disorder, Dysthymic disorder, antenatal and postnatal depression, Bipolar
depression, etc. (Perich, Hadzi‐Pavlovic, Frankland, Breakspear, Loo, Roberts, & Mitchell,
2016).
According to a research of Black Dog Institute, every 1 out of four teenagers between the
age of 15 years to 19 years are facing extreme mental illness. It means 25% of Australian youths
are facing extreme pressure of depression and these statistics is increasing from 18.7% (in 2012)
to 22.8% in 2016. The likelihood of depression in teenagers is increasing by 20.8% in 15 years
old age teenagers to 27.4% in 18/19 years old age people. Apart from this, according to a data
collected by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, one in every three Australian teenager is facing a
sever stage of depression in their life (Australia Bureau of Statistics, 2015). However, according
to a research conducted by Mental Health and Wellbeing on teenagers, it has been found that

Depression in Australian Teenagers 2
14.4% young people and teenagers between the age 12 years to 17 years are facing mental
depression in last one year and among them, more than 23.1% young people had severe
depression issue.
(Source: Beyond Blue, 2018)
The number of depressed teenagers is so high in the Aboriginal and Torres Staite Islander
teenagers and the stats show that they are facing an extreme situation of depression. Every three
out of ten (almost 31%) of Aboriginal and Torres Staite Islander teenagers are suffering from
serious depression issues while these stats are 22.2% in the non-Aboriginal Torres Staite Islander
teenagers. However, in the next five years, the chances of increasing the number of depressed
Australian teenagers in Torres Staite Islander is too high. The severe issue of depression in
teenagers is really serious and it is found in 17% among the people who are facing depression
(Beyond Blue, 2018). Depression is a major cause of suicide attempts in teenagers who are
facing stress in study or failure in their relationships. It has been found that one in every thirteen
children have seriously considered that suicide attempt can resolve their mental health issue. It is
a serious issue in front of the Australian government (Rahman, Todd, John, Tan, Kerr, Potter, &
Brophy, 2018).
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, people who live in Urban areas like
Melbourne, Sydney, and Victoria, etc. are facing higher depression. As per the stats of the
government, there are 16% of teenagers are facing strong mental health issues like depression in