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Fast Facts for Parents
Youth and Depression
Depression is more than just "feeling blue" or having a bad day. And it’s different from feelings of grief or sorrow that follow a major loss, such as a death in the family. It’s not a personal weakness or a character flaw. Children and teens with clinical depression cannot simply "snap out of it."
Depression is a serious health problem that impacts feelings, thoughts and actions, and can appear as a physical illness. As many as one in eight teens and one in 33 children have clinical depression.
Fortunately, depression in youth is treatable.
Kids who say other students bully them at school are 50 percent more likely to admit they brought weapons to school during the past month than students who've never bullied or been bullied. (NICHHD, 2003)
- Nearly 4 percent of boys and more than 6 percent of girls have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder caused by violence they have endured or witnessed. (JCCP, 2003)
- Although as many as 8.1 million Americans age 12 and older have tried the illegal “club drug” Ecstasy, only 1 percent of American parents believe their children have taken the drug. (PDFA, 2002)
- Five to 9 percent of children in the United States have a serious emotional disturbance. (USSG, 1999)
- About 13 percent of children between 9 and 17 years old have an anxiety disorder. (USSG, 1999)
- Between 3 and 5 percent of school-age children have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. (USSG, 1999)
- An estimated 1 percent of teenage girls in the United States develop anorexia nervosa, and up to 10 percent of those may die as a result. (AABA, 2001)
- Nearly two-thirds of boys and three-quarters of girls in juvenile detention centers have a psychiatric disorder. (AGP, Dec. 2002)
- Only about 21 percent of children in the United States who need mental health services actually receive them. (AJP, Sept. 2002)
- About every two hours, a young person kills himself or herself. (AAS, 2002)
- Three million teenagers have considered suicide or attempted suicide in the past year.
(SAMHSA, 2002)
- Suicide is the third leading cause of death among people under 24 years old after accidents and homicide. (CDC, 2002)
- Families with children constitute the fastest-growing segment of the homeless population – 41 percent, up from 34 percent in 2000. (NCH, 2003
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