Study

2 million US Youth Depressed

More than two million US teenagers have suffered a serious bout of depression in the past year, including nearly 13 per cent of girls, according to a federal government survey.

On average, 8.5 per cent of adolescents aged 12 to 17 described having had a major depressive episode in the previous year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported. But there were striking differences by sex, with 12.7 per cent of girls and 4.6 per cent of boys affected. Depression is the leading cause of suicide, which in turn is the third-leading cause of death for 15 to 24 year-olds in the US. Combined 2004 to 2006 data show that rates of past year major depressive episode among youths aged 12 to 17 generally increased with increasing age, the researchers wrote.

Reuters