Depression “When you think of a person being depressed, you often think they look like they are really sad, but often the happiest looking person you know can have problems, including depression
and insecurities.” Ines, 11 years old
The word ‘depression’ is used in several different ways. Everyone can feel sad when bad things happen. However, sadness is not depression. Young Minds define depression as “where you feel very down ALL or most of the time.” (180) Depression has no single cause and often involves the interaction of many diverse biological, psychological, and social factors. Sometimes there is a clear reason as to why a young person may be experiencing depression, such as a bereavement, bullying, discrimination, or a very difficult life event. Sometimes, there is no obvious cause and this in turn can lead to a young person being judged feeling that they are being judged. Young people may become depressed when something very distressing has happened to them and they cannot do anything to control the situation. However, while some young people will develop depression in a distressing situation, others in the same situation will not. Any young person can experience depression. It affects young people of all ages, ethnicities, and social backgrounds. Despite this, it is more common in older adolescents, particularly teenage girls (181). Some symptoms of depression are thought to be caused by changes in brain chemicals. These chemicals send messages from one nerve cell to another in the brain. When a young person becomes depressed, the brain can have less of some of these chemical messengers, such as the mood regulating chemical serotonin.
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