When Depression Strikes Teenagers

It can be difficult to imagine that those in the carefree days of youth can be hit by such a somber illness. However, the numbers don’t lie: a significant number of young people suffer from depression and this figure is on the rise. Our contributing psychiatrist reveals the facts about teenage depression and how to spot the signs.

- Dr Gurdeep Grewal

AJ is a 15-year-old girl who attends a premier private school in the Klang Valley. She is a bright and enthusiastic student, and active in various non-academic activities in school as well. However, over a span of six months, she has become increasingly moody and easily irritable, with bouts of tearfulness. She locks herself in her room for hours on end. Her grades have been falling. Of late, she has also been playing truant from school and, unknown to her parents, has been sneaking out of the house late at night. She has become argumentative with her parents and friends. Her parents found alcohol and marijuana in her room, for which she was severely reprimanded and punished. She was also not eating and sleeping well and had lost a significant amount of weight. One evening, her parents found her in her room, heavily sedated, with a note stating her intention to take her own life. She was rushed to the Emergency Department and resuscitated.

The case vignette above is a common occurrence in emergency departments on a nearly daily basis. Adolescents and young adults attempting suicide is a silent epidemic, one that is on the rise and needs to be addressed urgently. This year’s theme for World Mental Health Day, which was on October 10, is “Young People and Mental Health in A Changing World”. On that note, I figured it would be a good idea to examine how depression manifests in teens and young adults, which, I must emphasize, is usually very different from adults and can masquerade in a slew of disguises.