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Adolescents Who Feel Sad or Hopeless
Headline In 2005, over one-quarter (29 percent) of all students in grades 9 through 12 reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for an extended period (two or more weeks in a row) in the last year. (See Figure 1) Persisting sadness and hopelessness are criteria for and predictors of clinical depression, though by themselves they are not sufficient for a diagnosis of depression.1,2 Youth who are depressed are at a higher risk for being depressed as adults.3 In addition, depression in youth is linked with increases in anxiety disorders, 4 suicidal behavior,5 obesity,6 and deficits in social functioning. Depressed youth are also much more likely to use drugs or alcohol, drop out of school, or engage in promiscuous sexual activities than a young person who is not depressed.7 Feelings of sadness or loneliness not only affect teens but those around them, often causing problems in relationships with peers and family members.8 In 2005, 29 percent of students in grades 9 through 12 reported feeling sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in the previous year. This percentage did not change significantly between 1999 and 2005. (See Figure 1 and Table 1) Differences by Gender Females are more likely than males to report feeling sad or hopeless. In 2005, over one-third of females report having been sad or hopeless while one-fifth of males report having felt the same way. Rates are highest among Hispanic female students (47 percent). (See Figure 2) Differences by Race and Ethnicity Hispanic youth are more likely than non-Hispanic white youth and non-Hispanic black youth to report feeling sad or hopeless for extended periods of time (36 percent for Hispanics versus 28 percent for non-Hispanic blacks and 26 percent for non-Hispanic whites in 2005). (See Figure 1) 2005 estimates are available for high school students for selected states and cities from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5302a1.htm#tab17 International Estimates International estimates are available at http://www.hbsc.org/downloads/Int_Report_00.pdf (See Figure 3.1) Though there are no national goals specifically focused on feelings of sadness and hopelessness, Healthy People 2010 has adopted a developmental goal to increase the proportion of children with mental health problems who receive treatment. Its designation as a "developmental" goal indicates that there are presently no adequate data sources that can be used to set baselines and track progress. For additional information: http://www.health.gov/healthypeople/document/HTML/Volume2/18Mental.htm#_Toc486932699 (See Goal 18-7) Report of the Surgeon General's Conference on Children's Mental Health: A National Action Agenda lays out a number of national goals related to improving children's mental health. One goal, for example, is to improve the assessment and recognition of mental health needs in children. For additional information: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/cmh/childreport.htm What Works: Programs and Interventions that May Influence this Indicator Click here to view examples of programs and interventions that research has evaluated for this indicator. View programs
1Harter, S. & Whitesell, N.R. (1996). "Multiple Pathways to Self-Reported Depression and Psychological Adjustment Among Adolescents." Development and Psychopathology, 8, 761-777; Joiner, T.E. & Wagner, K.D. (1995). "Attribution Style and Depression in Children and Adolescents: A Meta-Analytic Review." Clinical Psychology Review, 15, 777-798; Young, M.A., Fogg, L.F., Scheftner, W., Fawcett, J., Akiskal, H., & Maser, J. (1996). "Stable Trait Components of Hopelessness: Baseline and Sensitivity to Depression." Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 105, 155-165. 2Surgeon General. (1999) "Children and Mental Health," Chapter 3 in Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Washington, D.C.: U.S.GPO. http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter3/sec1.html 3Bardone, A.M., Moffitt, T., Caspi, A., & Dickson, N. (1996). "Adult Mental Health and Social Outcomes of Adolescent Girls with Depression and Conduct Disorder." Development and Psychopathology, 8, 811-829; Harrington, R.C. (1996). "Adult Outcomes of Childhood and Adolescent Depression: Influences on the Risk for Adult Depression." Psychiatric Annals, 26, 320-325. 4 Bryson, S.J., and Wendt, C. (2005). "Depression in Children and Adolescents." BCHealth Guide. Online: Available:http://www.bchealthguide.org/kbase/topic/major/ty4640/credits.htm 5Miller, K.E. (2005). "Psychotherapy effective for depressed adolescents." American Academy of Family Physicians. Online. Available: http://www.aafp.org/afp/20050401/tips/17.html 6 Pine, D.S., Goldstein, R.B., Wolk, S., and Weissman, M.M. (2001) . "The Association between Childhood Depression and Adult Body Mass Index." Pediatrics, 107, 1049-1056 7"NMHA MHIC Factsheet: Adolescent Depression- Helping Depressed Teens." (2006). National Mental Health Association. Online: Available: http://www.nmha.org/infoctr/factsheets/24.cfm 8Brent, D.A. and Birmaher, B. (2002). "Adolescent Depression." The New England Journal of Medicine, 347:9, 667-671. Survey participants were asked to respond to the following question: "During the past 12 months, did you ever feel so sad or hopeless almost every day for two weeks or more in a row that you stopped doing some usual activities?" Data Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Surveillance Summaries : Raw Data Source Youth Risk Behavior Survey http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/index.htm Approximate Date of Next Update Summer 2008
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