Depression and Anxiety Rates Growing Among Females

Girls are increasingly experiencing more major depressive episodes compared to boys – and it’s a trend that’s been on the rise since 2010.

Depression and anxiety are common in both genders, but by the teenage years, girls are much more at risk than boys. Before puberty, the prevalence of mood disorders is about the same in boys and girls, about 3% to 5% percent. By adolescence, girls are more than twice as likely to be diagnosed with a mood disorder than boys. Often, parents and friends don’t know this is happening.

According to the Pew Research Center, the rate at which US teens experience depression has risen by 59% between 2007 to 2017.
Teen girls are three times more likely to fall into a state of depression than the teenage boys.
The American Freshman annual survey from 2012 found the fewest numbers of freshmen describing themselves as emotionally healthy – and that women reporting this was at its highest point of 40.5% since the question was first asked in 1985, when the levels were less than half of the current numbers.

Researchers say what is driving the rise in depression and anxiety is unclear, particularly among girls.

Studies have shown that some factors causing young adults to suffer from mental health issues can vary. For example, genetics and family-of-origin patterns predispose many to mental health disorders more than others, as well as social and peer pressure, academic performance pressure, and self-worth issues, among others.

Some say adolescent girls may have been exposed to a greater degree of depression risk factors in recent years. Cyberbullying, for example, may have increased more in girls, as studies have shown that they use smartphones more frequently and intensively than boys and problematic smartphone use has been linked to depression. There are also differences in the way girls and boys process emotional stimuli. Girls mature, in terms of their emotional recognition, faster than boys, which could make them more vulnerable to depression and anxiety.

Whatever the cause, they can be serious and debilitating issues – especially when left untreated.

With depression, friends and family usually first notice withdrawal, as well as other changes in mood, appetite, energy level, sleep patterns, and academic performance. By the time family members and other people notice her lack of interest in most things, she’s usually been depressed for a long time.

Anxiety is a problem when it’s out of proportion to a given situation. A teen who has been anxious since childhood may have built a lifestyle around anxieties: the activities, environments, and friends she is comfortable with, and also the expectations and limitations she has trained her family, friends, and teachers to accept.

That’s why it’s more challenging to treat anxiety the longer someone has lived with it and has developed unhealthy coping behaviors to manage it.

Teens and young adults who feel more connected to others are less likely to experience mental health issues later in life. The best way is for her to work this out with a professional who is trained to handle with depression and anxiety, and when also involved in a real-world social and academic environment.

At The Arise Society, trained professionals are experienced in the issues facing today’s female (and male) young adult populations, which include depression, anxiety, trauma and abuse, screen and gaming issues, ADHD, personality disorders, family discord, and more.

We combine the therapeutic setting with independent college life to form an integrated living experience. Group therapy as well as individual therapy, mentor-student work, study hall, activities, and other experiences within the student’s living space provides our professionals with maximum exposure to their daily life and challenges. Positive, healthy relationships have the greatest opportunity to be developed naturally in this type of environment. Our method is not to control our students, but to maintain a deep level involvement and influence, knowing as much information about their lives as possible in order to understand and overcome obstacles as they present themselves.

Sources:

https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2016/depression-rates-growing-among-adolescents-particularly-girls.html

https://www.businessinsider.com/depression-increasing-among-teens-gen-z-2019-7

https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/adolescent-girls-and-anxiety

https://childmind.org/article/mood-disorders-and-teenage-girls/