According to new data recently released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, teenage girls suffer from depression at a rate that is nearly three times that of boys their age. As if that weren’t bad enough- between the ages of 12 and 15 the percentage of girls struggling with depression triples.
1. Experience the onset of their periods
First, many girls have by the age of 12 begun to experience the onset of their periods. Along with this comes increased sensitivity, sometimes unpredictable mood fluctuations, and accompanying bodily changes. Boys,too, experience puberty and hormonal upheaval but they do not experience monthly bouts of sensitivity, irritability, and sometimes even physical discomfort and pain. I am not minimizing the effects of puberty on teen boys. Instead, I am highlighting why girls may be hit especially hard by puberty.
2. The pressures on their appearance
As girls approach the early teen years they begin to understand from various sources including media and peers how much their appearance is judged and valued by others.When they were younger there was clearly less emphasis on their attractiveness,appearance,and sexuality. Now, in their teen years, there is pressure for them not only to do well socially and academically but also to meet societal standards of what is considered both sexy and attractive. They experience all of these pressures within the context of monthly hormonal upheavals which may occur at regular or irregular intervals. Now the combination of these factors would seem to put our blossoming teen girls at risk for both increased stress and depression.
Different temperamental styles
Every individual behaved differently from birth in general. We are all born with different temperamental styles. Some babies are calm, flexible, and easy to soothe from birth. Others dislike being cuddled and are very fussy. Although, individuals may retain some characteristics of their early temperamental style, people do change and temperaments may be modified based on the environment in which the individual is raised as well as by a host of other factors.
Tips for parents
Watch her carefully. Ask yourself if you have noticed any significant changes in her appetite, sleeping habits, energy level, and academic, and/or social functioning. If you have then you should speak to her with empathy and calmly and ask her what she is feeling. Validate her feelings. Please don’t tell her that she has nothing to be distressed about. She will experience that as invalidating.
If you are concerned that she may be depressed because she meets the criteria described above then get her to a therapist soon. The less entrenched the depression gets the easier it will be to treat. In therapy, she should learn coping skills and strategies that she will benefit from all throughout her life.
Source:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-teen-doctor/201207/why-are-so-many-teen-girls-depressed