Teenagers and the Problem of Depression

It is a well-known fact that this industrialized era is the era of work, stress and tension. People of all ages, more especially, the teenagers are trapped poorly in this era. Teenage is the product of both biological and social forces i. e. it is a phase of life beginning in biology and ending in society. Teenage may be defined as the period within the life span when most of a person’s biological, cognitive, psychological, and social characteristics are changing from what is typically considered child-like to what is considered adult-like. No doubt, these changes are universal. But the problem occurs when teenagers are expected to give up childish ways and take on greater responsibility. There is a lot of confusion, hesitation and a search for one’s real identity because parents and elders treat him at one time as a grown up and at other time as a child. This causes problem in identity-as to “Who am I?” and “What am I?” etc. Sometimes the tension occurs due to conflicts and disputes between parents and children. The power of reasoning in teenagers may also contribute to a rise in family tension. Teenage is the time when all of a sudden the world starts looking different. The sheer innocence of friendship is lost. For the teenagers, this period is a dramatic challenge, one requiring adjustment to changes in the self, in the family and in the peer group. They prefer to spend more time with their peers and give all the credit to them. Teenager is trying to carve out his or her own identity that is completely separate from his parents. No doubt teenagers love their parents, but they do not follow in the footsteps of the parents. They try to challenge their parents’ authority in every possible way and also pay no attention to suggestions given by the parents. On the whole, they become disheartened about social expectations, parents’ desire, health issues, economic circumstances, problem regarding identification, biological changes, parent-child relationship. If they are given proper guidance they might face the problem of depression and ironically this depression may take form of delinquency.