In a study published in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, it was demonstrated that approximately one fourth of children and adolescents experienced a mental disorder during the past year, and about one third across their lifetimes. The World Health Organization reported last year that depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability for both boys and girls aged 10 to 19 years.
Here are some research-supported reasons as to why depression among our youth may be on the rise:
The decline in unstructured play has been linked to an increase in mental disorders among young people. Play allows your brain to breathe and form the neurons that fend off negative intrusive thoughts. Peter Gray, PhD, connects the rise of depression and anxiety among children and adolescents with the deterioration of relaxed play in our society. Free play and exploration allows children to solve their own problems and develop their own interests.
British psychiatric researcher Malcolm Peet conducted a cross-cultural analysis where he found a strong link between high sugar consumption and both depression and schizophrenia. It is believed that refined sugar effects our mood because it creates inflammation in our body and brain that has been linked to depression. Sugar also suppresses activity of a key growth hormone in the brain called BDNF, and those levels are low in both depression and schizophrenia.
Increased time behind television and hand-held screens might also have implications on adolescent depression. A 2013 British study found that children who spent more than four hours a day in front of computer screens or television had lower self-esteem and greater emotional problems, such as anxiety and depression. Other studies have shown deterioration in certain brain areas in adolescents who engage in more than 20 hours a week of screen activity.
Lastly, there is growing awareness to the fact that kids might be far too stressed. Documentaries such as, Race To Nowhere, illustrate how kids are inundated with homework and extracurricular activities in the race to build the perfect college application. Time to just be a “kid” is disappearing when every minute of the day is scheduled. Stress compromises almost every biological system in your body, wearing out important organs so that you are vulnerable to mood disruptions.