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Teen Girls More Likely to Get Depressed

The condition has a lower incidence in other female age groups

Aug 1, 2012 15:10 GMT  ·  By
Major depression is most common in teenage women, less so later on
   Major depression is most common in teenage women, less so later on

According to the chief of the suicide prevention branch at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), teen girls are more likely to become depressed than other, younger or older females.

The conclusions shown by recent statistics are very worrying, especially when considering that authorities focused on the incidence of major depression in this age group, not that of mild or moderate depressive symptoms, PsychCentral reports.

Girls between the ages of 12 to 17 were found to be most at risk. After the age of 17, the risk dropped down somewhat, reaching the population-wide average. Scientists believe that a large number of factors contribute to this link.

“Psychological, biological and social factors may all contribute to some degree,” SAMHSA chief Richard McKeon, PhD, explains. Teenage boys do not experience major depression “at the same rate as adolescent girls,” he concludes.