One Half Of Adult Depression Cases Originate In Adolescence

One Half Of Adult Depression Cases Originate In Adolescence

Researchers at Bangor and Oxford Universities have discovered that almost 50 percent of adults suffering from clinical depression have had their first encounter with this particular problem in adolescence, noting that lately depression is more commonly found between the ages of 13 and 15. Professor Mark Williams from the Oxford University says that depression cases are increasingly found in teenage patients, unlike several decades ago when depression was mostly observed in middle-aged patients. The appearance of depression in younger patients has turned depression into an important health problem in the past few years.

Depression

The current study was conducted on 275 patients who were experiencing recurring episodes of depression. Researchers tried to discover a correlation between the age of patients when they first became affected by depression and the appearance of mental health problems later in life. The article published in The Journal of Affective Disorders shows that almost 48 percent of the patients who suffered from depression before they reached the age of 18 have later suffered from these recurring depression episodes. After a thorough assessment, scientists also found that patients between the ages of 13 and 15 are the ones who suffer from depression more often than others.

Researchers say that depression is known for its recurrence. Patients that once suffered from depression have almost a 50 percent chance to become depressed again later in life. Scientists also add that the risk of a recurring depression episode increases with the number of depression episodes that a patient goes through.

However, depression can be avoided. MBCT (Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy) and simple Cognitive Therapy have a large impact on the progression of recurring depression episodes. Scientists are still trying to find out the best methods to avoid the recurrence of depression and to prevent it from becoming a problem.

“The Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course offers people who are vulnerable to recurrent depression the opportunity to engage in a raining process which builds skills in recognizing and responding wisely to the first signs of depression”, says Rebecca Crane of the Center for Mindfulness Research at Bangor University. She also adds that these therapies can help patients recognize and respond to bad habits and unconstructive behavior.