The Contrast Between Depression Now and In the Earlier Generations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v12i1.3995Keywords:
Depression, persistent depressive disorder, mood disorder, major depressive disorder, seasonal affective disorder, Children's Depression Inventory, mental disorders, social media, play time, pandemicAbstract
Depression is a mood disorder in which one experiences sadness, hopelessness, a loss of desire to live or to enjoy simple activities. It is a prevalent mental disorder that has historically been seen in all age groups. However, depression rates among adolescents have increased in the past few decades. Given this increase, researchers have increasingly studied this topic. According to some of the studies conducted in the past 20 years the increase in adolescent depression has been found to be associated with factors, including increased use of social media among adolescents, decreased free play among children, and more recent COVID-19-related impacts (e.g., staying locked up in their homes for more than a year, doing everything online, not being able to see their close friends.). This article reviews the aforementioned factors in relation to the significant increase in adolescent depression in recent years.
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