Mental health articles

Characteristics and harmfulness of emotional disorders

Although for many years depression was considered a problem that afflicted only adults, in the

last 30 years there has been increasing recognition that this disorder can and does occur in children, particularly in adolescents. Fifty years ago, its mean age of onset was near 30, but now it is closer to 15. As mentioned previously and reviewed in the chapters on mood disorders, major depressive disorder is now seen as not uncommon in adolescents. When it occurs, it often has a severe impact on school performance and interpersonal relationships of afflicted youth.

Since depression is a recurring disorder, its onset in puberty predicts an increase in the incidence of major depressive disorder. This constellation of facts about depression suggests that the adolescent years are key to understanding the etiology and course of depressive disorders.

Although bipolar disorder occurs at a markedly lower prevalence than that of major depressive disorder, it often has an onset during adolescence and can progress into an extremely disabling condition during adulthood. Moreover, bipolar disorder is associated with high rates of suicide in adolescence. Identification and treatment of major depression and bipolar disorder in adolescence may be the key to preventing the insidious progression of these illnesses and thereby reducing the burden of the illness on the individual and society.

Tags: emotional disorders