Depression Among the Young

In the past 12 months, 20.3% of the boys and 30.3% of the girls have been saddened or dejected enough to stop their daily lives for a period of two weeks. 9.4% of boys and 15.0% of girls thought seriously of suicide. These words begin an article in the Catholic Times reviewing a survey made over the past year of our young people by the Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency conducted on 60,000 middle and high school students nationwide.
 
Depression that predominantly appeared in adults in the past now also occurs in children and adolescents.This is especially true in April and May after the start of the new semester because they can't adjust to the new school environment. Stress increases because of study or bullying.
 
Depression also called the 'cold of the mind' is a chronic illness of all generations in the modern world. In adolescents, it is easy to overlook their symptoms because of puberty. They need special attention as it can lead to suicide if the cognitive development does not proceed and the depression not treated.
 
Experts say that adolescent depression has multiple causes: family history, school, friends, social culture and economic situation and developmental problems. Many symptoms are not understood and not recognized as depression. It's important to understand the psychological state of the young people and to look at their behavior.
 
When a child says " I don't want to go to school," most parents just take this as ordinary child's talk and take little notice of the malaise the child feels. They need to concern themselves with the change of behavior at this time.  

A Salesian priest in his doctrinal dissertation identified the mutual relationship between stress, spirituality and life satisfaction in institutional youth. He stressed that spirituality or religion affects the stress and depression of adolescents. The greater the spirituality of the young the less the depression and stress. The young people should be helped to meet with others and to resolve their desires with sharing and activities. In his doctoral dissertation, he also identified the mutual relationship between stress, spirituality, and life satisfaction in children in student establishments.
 
Mild symptoms of depression may be resolved by parental care but counseling and medication may be needed in serious situations. There are many counseling centers available that provide help with family conflict, problems with friendship, interruption of schooling, runaways, internet addiction, career and academic problems. The internet is a valuable asset if you press '1388' you can consult at any time.