Depressive behaviors among adolescents as a public health problem

Abstract

Depression is a mental disorder characterized by a number of basic symptoms like low mood, biological rhythm disorders, psychomotor slowdown, anxiety and somatic symptoms and also other unspecific symptoms. The number of world’s research studies connected with depression grows continually because it affects the society more and more and in a couple of years it may become the main cause of disability. Currently it is emphasized that depressive behaviors among young people are very common and it is extremely hard to diagnose the adolescent depression because of the typical changes for the puberty period. Permanent malaise, pugnacity, mood swings, insomnia, lack of concentration, appetite changes or somatic disorders do not always seem to be the effects of the maturing period but often they are the first, discreet symptoms of depression that soon may contribute to self-destructive thoughts and even suicidal tendencies. Particularly sensitive are girls, not stress resistant, especially from pathological families with a lot of problems at home or among peers. To react to those situations a lot of teenagers try the stimulants that intensify the disease. Even though within a couple of years the adolescent self-esteem has improved, very worrying is the fact that the morbidity still increases and moreover most of young people do not look for any help and the course of the disease is usually chronic, recurrent and very often it terminates tragically.