DHS SENIOR PAPER 2018

Why does depression seem to be contagious among

teenagers in America?

Dec. 19, 2018

Senior Seminar
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Introduction

For many decades, depression trends have been following some worrisome patterns, but

these trends have taken an even more troubling turn beginning somewhere between the years

2000 and 2010, as depression rates have gone from steadily increasing to generously spiking. A

lot of this statistic of depressed persons within the United States is made up of teenagers and

young adults, and it has gotten to a point where teenage adolescence is not the main cause to

blame. There is a wide variety of factors that are looming over young people currently that

contribute to what is causing this increase, and these factors have only begun to show up. This

means that previous generations did not have to deal with these same factors, and their sudden

appearance may be the cause of the apparent depression spike. So many young people have

reported feeling depressed or anxious that it almost appears as if these mental illnesses are

spreading from person to person.

The purpose of this project and study is to discover what factors are leading to the

declining mental health of this generation, understand what may be contributing to the

development of depression in teenagers and young adults, and discuss what the outcome may be

should depression rates continue to worsen over time if these contributing factors are not reduced

or dealt with accordingly.

It is important to learn about the factors that have been leading to the development of

depression in so many teenagers. Without this knowledge, it is impossible to determine what

steps can be taken to prevent any further increase in depression rates. Future generations could

benefit from preemptive changes being made to secure the mental health of teenagers so that

depression does not appear across such large groups. The point of this study is to discuss what is

actually going on behind the scenes which makes depression seem to spread across our youth.
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The research question for this study will be: Why does depression seem to be contagious

among teenagers in America?

Results

Depression has not just begun to appear in teenagers within the past decade. It has always

existed, but it was not always understood by doctors. With depression there are things that

support its development. These factors do not cause it, but they increase the risk of it

manifesting. Some of these factors have existed for years, while others have become more

apparent over time, caused by things that simply were not problems for previous generations.

Before the answer as to why depression seems contagious can be addressed, the factors that

increase the risk of depression must be considered.

One factor that can influence the development of depression in teenagers is the pressure

that comes with being a student. Many students have a lot of homework and not so much time to

do it. There are many things that could take time away from a teenager besides school, things

that are not an option for them to stop, and some things that technically they could stop doing,

but which hold value or importance to them. Among this list of things that take time are

housework, working a job, practicing an instrument, competing in a sport, and other

extracurriculars. Students are expected to balance all of this throughout middle school and high

school, and it can be difficult to find the hours of free time to do the homework that is expected

of them by teachers. As a result, many students sacrifice the time they would otherwise spend

asleep. Studies have shown that the average teenager needs nine hours of sleep every night, but

the average number of hours teenagers actually get is seven, two hours less than suggested

(Sleep). Sleep deprivation, even when observed in small amounts, can be linked with anxiety and

depression as it is can affect the irritability and ability to focus of teenagers and even cause them
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to exhibit symptoms that are commonly associated with depression (The Complex).

Additionally, a teenager can become stressed if they have no time to relax.

High expectations from parents can also cause a feeling of inadequacy in teenagers when

they do not receive expected grades. When a student is labelled as a gifted student early in life,

their best efforts may fall short once they begin to receive harder coursework. They are unable to

understand why they are suddenly not as smart as they used to be, and they can begin to feel like

they are failing. On the opposite end, teenagers who are labelled as “dumb” and “troublemakers”

will be treated as lesser individuals for it, and the labels can follow them for years. They are

confined to their bad grades being predictable rather than something that can be improved.

Teenagers who are consistently told they are a certain thing will only begin to believe it over

time, so it is important to offer encouragement from the beginning, and not hold standards that

are too high because of a few good scores early on. Teenagers who deal with interfering issues

that can cause them to lose focus during school may receive poor grades, and without a proper

support system they are unable to overcome whatever it is that they are facing. There have been

connections found between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as well as anxiety

and other mental illnesses with depression, which is why education about mental health is so

important (Sherman).

Besides the stressors which include a student’s workload and expectations from adult

figures in a teenager’s life, there is also the factor of whether a teenager has a troubled home life

or is dealing with something at home. This could mean a variety of things, including abusive

family members, a toxic home environment, money troubles, alcohol or substance abuse within

the family, a divorce between parents, a serious illness, and a death in the family. Any of these

things could negatively impact the mental health of teenagers dealing with them, and often times
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the effects go unnoticed or underestimated. On another note, if a parent is dealing with

depression, it can increase the likelihood that their child will also develop depression, not only in

the hereditary sense but also because of the impact a mental illness can have on a group of

people or home environment. If family members tend to be extremely negative, then it can affect

the outlook of others in the environment. The point is not to say that family members with

depression or other mental illnesses become burdens, but rather highlight the significance of how

they influence teenagers in the household (Entin).

One more factor that can affect teenagers at school is how they are negatively treated by

their peers. Bullying within the environment can be a major issue in some schools, but its effects

often are ignored or underestimated. The term “bullying” alone has over time developed an

entirely new meaning. Bullying is now seen as something that only happens to a certain type of

person, but it can in fact happen to anyone and everyone, albeit in varying amounts. Adults who

should be providing a support system for their students or children instead tell them that bullying

happens to everyone and that they should toughen up. This closes off any discussion of the

matter between adults and teenagers and causes teens to shelter the burden alone without adult

guidance. Many teenagers would scoff at the notion of “telling an adult” when they are being

bullied or even harassed by other students, because they assume nothing will be done or that it

will only make matters worse for themselves should their bullies find out. Entire groups of

teenagers can be ostracized from their peers, and seek friendship in other outcasts. The common

negative factor that unites them could provide an explanation as to why depression affects

multiple people from that group, appearing to spread throughout and seem contagious. A phrase

that is often repeated mentions that our differences are what make each of us unique and that we

should embrace them, but conformity in society is valued above anything else, and it is the
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differences that lead to teenagers becoming targets, and targets becoming victims. Some of those

differences are things that are controllable, or at least changeable in some way, but many have to

do with things that are beyond a person’s control to change, including their sex, race, physical

appearance, and identity (Reasons).

Teenagers and the expectations of society in general have an extremely unhealthy

relationship. There is a certain pressure put on teens by their friends, peers, families, and by the

media to look, dress, and act a certain way, and a desired perfection that is impossible to obtain.

The beauty industry for one has a particularly damaging effect on women and teenage girls.

Makeup, which should be worn because a girl wants to wear it and used to empower her, is

instead used in order to fit in and try to get one step closer to that desired perfection. If a girl

chooses to not wear makeup, she may be thought of as careless about her appearance, and if she

does wear it, she is ridiculed for trying to cover up or made fun of for being “ugly” without it. It

is a vicious cycle in which no one can win. Society also has a major effect on the way that

teenage girls perceive themselves in the sense of their body image. This causes the feelings of

inadequacy and even self-hatred that can be so damaging to their mental health.

Societal standards also affect men and teenage boys. Toxic masculinity refers to the

“stereotypically masculine gender roles that restrict the kinds of emotions allowable for boys and

men to express, including social expectations that men seek to be dominant...and limit their

emotional range primarily to expressions of anger” (Hegemonic). In short, toxic masculinity

restricts males from expressing sadness or behaving in a way that is considered feminine. One of

the primary examples of this is the saying that men do not and should not cry. Suppressing these

negative emotions can be especially toxic and contribute to declining mental health in teenage

boys who feel they must hide their feelings and act a certain way in order to seem “macho”.
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Toxic masculinity also expands beyond emotional repression to demanding that males present

themselves in that certain way that is considered to be more dominant or masculine. This extends

from clothing and appearance to actions as insignificant as hand gestures, and also affects the

way that teenage boys interact with each other. While a teen girl may be able to confide in a

friend during an emotional low, a boy may be afraid to express himself to a friend and be forced

to deal with his problems on his own, essentially trapping himself within his own mind. A

gesture as insignificant as a hug between two boys cannot be executed without a big deal being

made of it, which has led to the creation of the “man-hug”. This is a good example of how toxic

masculinity stems from internalized homophobia and misogynistic roots (Montero).

So far, the factors that lead to a negative self-image and other symptoms of depression

include a heavy workload from school, high or low expectations from adults, stressors in the

home environment, peer bullying and harassment, and societal pressures that affect our actions

and thoughts. However, there is one more factor that is often overlooked by those trying to

pinpoint what is causing teens to feel depressed. That would be music. Certain types of music

can negatively affect the mental health of teenagers, one of these being “emotional hardcore”

music, or “emocore”. Emo music is a “rock music genre characterized by an emphasis on

emotional expression, sometimes through confessional lyrics” (Emo). Emo music is

characterized by lyrics with a dark meaning that often express feelings of hopelessness or a

negative view of self. Within the past decade, many new pop bands and singers have emerged

with lyrics of a similar caliber, including singer Melanie Martinez and the band Twenty One

Pilots. Twenty One Pilots actually is considered to be controversial due to the fact that the band

supposedly capitalizes off of depressed teenagers by trying to appeal to them with emo lyrics

rather than lyrics speaking from their own experiences, some of these lyrics including themes of
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death which could encourage suicidal ideologies in listeners. Although listening to sad or emo

music can actually help some listeners to feel better, teenagers with tendencies towards clinical

depression respond to the music differently, causing them to feel even more depressed after

listening to the music (Garrido). Music also happens to be something that peers can easily bond

over and thus provides the framework for certain friendships. Since groups of teenagers typically

share interests, emo music could be one of those shared interests and—besides a general negative

attitude—is something that a love for can be passed on between teenagers.

It goes without saying that teenagers process things differently than adults. They are still

growing, learning, and changing at incredible speeds, and at that age teenagers are dealing with

many other emotional and hormonal changes. It is a time of high emotion, and so every matter at

hand seems extremely important. Every problem that a teenager is facing is amplified, and while

an adult may handle something with reason, for a teenager it is the end of the very world as they

know it. It is also a time of great immaturity, and many young teens lack the life experience

needed to deal with certain things. It is because of this that depression can go unnoticed in

teenagers, as it is often mistaken for an emotional low caused by hormones (Parker). There are

many reasons that depression in teens is often overlooked, and some of those will now be

expanded on.

To begin, a lack of education about mental health can easily cause parents to overlook

some major red flags of teenage depression. Isolation, changes in appetite, heightened irritability,

poor performance in school, and other symptoms can be mistaken for normal teenage behaviors,

and in many cases they are, but sometimes they are a sign of the declining mental health of those

teenagers. Teens who are depressed without realizing or are unable to describe the difficulties

they are facing may engage in toxic blocking wherein they ignore or push back their problems
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instead of dealing with them, because they do not consider them to be serious or may not want to

accept that they are abnormal. Depressed teenagers may press on through their distress, unaware

that things are not meant to be that way, and feel an overwhelming sense of loneliness should

they not understand that others have faced the same struggles. Some teens may cope by

associating their stress with a physical illness, essentially feeling depressed but describing it as

“feeling unwell” (Parker).

Teenagers themselves can utterly disregard their own symptoms, and go years without

realizing that what they are facing is not normal, and is not something that is their fault or that

they have to deal with alone. They may believe that the way they are feeling is something

everyone feels from time to time, or that the feeling will go away after a while. It can be difficult

for a teenager to come to terms with having depression because of reasons such as fear. Teens

may avoid getting professional help because they feel that doing so is the same as admitting that

there is something wrong with them, or that by doing so their condition will become worse with

therapy rather than better. Treatment for depression may be avoided due to neither teen nor

parent recognizing the symptoms of depression, since the way that it expresses itself varies from

person to person, or because of a lack of awareness of the mental illness. Treatment may also be

pushed away as the mental illness is “waited out” by the teen, which only allows it to fester and

possibly worsen with time, due to the fear of the unknown. Essentially, they are asking

themselves many questions, such as how much treatment will cost and what it will be like.

Adolescents can be defensive when it comes to opening up about their mental health, which is

why it can be difficult for them to seek treatment. For some, the cost of treatment including

medication and therapy can be out of budget for their family (Edgette). After diagnosis, teens can

feel intense grief as if they had just lost someone close to them, but who they actually feel they
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are losing is themselves. However, a proper diagnosis may take away some of the self-blame that

a depressed person feels, knowing that it is not their fault they are feeling the way they do

(Parker).

Parental support is extremely important when helping a teenager with depression,

however in some family dynamics the relationship between parent and child simply is not a

positive one, and it can result in the teen not telling an adult when they are feeling depressed due

to a distrust towards adults or a fear that parents finding out about their mental illness could in

some way have backlash. In some cases a parent may even disregard their child’s ask for help by

telling them they are fine or are just seeking attention. Without parental support teenagers have

no way of getting help for their depression, which only allows it to worsen over time. Due to this

it is important for parents and teenagers to both learn about mental health in order to spot the

unhealthy patterns early on that may eventually lead to depression or so they know what to do in

the event that the teen is already depressed (Adolescent).

There are many unhealthy coping mechanisms that can appear in teenagers who go a long

time without being diagnosed or treated for their depression. Teenagers who tend to feel isolated

from friends and family are at further risk of developing the mental illness, and as they feel

depressed they isolate themselves even more, which leads to an unhealthy cycle of asocial

behavior. Depression also appears alongside other mental illnesses such as eating disorders,

including anorexia, and can result in coping mechanisms that are extremely dangerous, such as

drug addiction, self-destructive tendencies and self-harm, and dealing with thoughts of suicide.

Self-destructive tendencies include activities that could potentially put a teenager at risk, such as

carelessly engaging in sexual activities or reckless driving. The reason that teenagers engage in

self-harm to cope is because the physical pain can serve as a distraction from their own negative
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thoughts, and because in some cases wherein the teen has feelings of self-hatred or

worthlessness, they feel that they deserve the pain (Understanding).

To answer the question this study poses, the reasons that depression has been increasing

over time should be addressed first. All of the aforementioned factors that lead to the

development of depression in teenagers are still present today, but now there are many new

factors that have begun to present themselves. For one, society puts a lot of pressure on teenagers

about going to college. If someone does not go to college for whatever reason, they are treated as

if their entire life is basically ruined because of their inability to get a “good job”. While college

used to seem more like a choice, now the idea of not going is treated as if it is unthinkable.

However, the price of attending a university is too much for a majority of families to pay without

going into debt. This debt can follow graduates for years, with no guarantee that the degree that

debt was used to pay for will actually manage to get the student a job in their desired field.

Furthermore, the cost of college used to be much cheaper, and as a result people were able to pay

their own way through by working a few years. The problem is that inflation has caused the cost

of attendance for most colleges to skyrocket in the past decades, while minimum wage has

stayed relatively the same. This directly affects teenagers, who are often the ones who work

those minimum wage jobs, and for young adults who depend on them for their only source of

income, they are barely able to get by. Many young adults that depend on minimum wage jobs as

their only source of income have to work multiple jobs in order to just stay afloat (Hobbes).

One of the biggest things that has impacted the younger generations--primarily

millennials--is the sudden increase and expansion of technology in the past two decades.

Technology has created an entirely new way to communicate over the internet and social media.

Social media has a huge impact on teenagers, and although it has its positive attributes, its
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negative characteristics are a big factor in determining the self-worth of teens and in turn

affecting their mental health. For instance, sites and apps such as Facebook, Snapchat, and

Instagram can worsen the moods of their users. In one study, it was found that the more people

used Facebook, the worse it made them feel (Shakya). This is because social media allows us to

look at the lives of other people and encourages comparison, which can cause feelings of

inadequacy or as if something is missing in our own lives. Comparison is a big factor in how

media negatively affects the self-image of many teenage girls, because models are constantly

shoved in their faces. Whether it be a makeup advertisement or a celebrity interview, the same

underlying message is clear: this is the way you should think, look, and act (Hurley).

Social media has also offered a new way for bullies to harass their victims, and when the

interactions are not face-to-face, they tend to be a lot harsher. Teenagers who constantly isolate

themselves and never engage in face-to-face human interaction with their friends, even if they

still text and make posts on social sites, are at a higher risk of developing depression than usual.

It is for this reason that technology and the internet should be balanced with other activities, such

as a sport or an artistic hobby (Walton).

One thing that has become common on the internet is the spreading of “memes”, or viral

images with the intent of comedy or relating to others. This started out as something innocent but

has now evolved into something darker. In recent years, memes and internet humor has corrupted

over time to form something called “edgy” humor. Edgy memes are characterized by dark humor

and sometimes subtle malicious undertones. They also include something called “depression

memes”, which normalize depression and anxiety among those who share them. At first, they

were created with the point of relating to others with negative feelings, but many of them make

light of serious topics such as suicide, and the teenagers that share them often do not realize their
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real impact. Engaging in a type of humor wherein the punchline is that the person sharing it is

depressed or having suicidal thoughts can actually negatively affect the way teens think, and by

their appearance on many social media platforms, cause them to believe those negative thoughts

are normal (Roffman). Since memes are considered humorous and are easy to spread, they are

able to reach a huge audience of adolescents, many of which begin to adopt the negative thinking

patterns that can increase the risk of depression. In this way, as the memes are spread so is one of

the things that puts teenagers at risk, making it seem like depression itself is spreading from

person to person (Roffman).

However, social media does have a positive which is that there are some positive

communities. In many cases, online friendships and support systems can be formed between

people who feel like they do not have friends in real life. With these online friends, some teens

are finally able to confide in someone and feel love and support. This is especially common

among LGBT teens who are not accepted by their families and real-life communities, which in

itself could cause teens to feel isolated and depressed (Nauert).

One of the main reasons that depression has seemed to increase in many age groups over

time has nothing to do with how many people are actually depressed, but in how many are being

diagnosed. Although the aforementioned “depression memes” can be harmful, they ironically

enough have opened up a gateway to talking about mental health among teenagers. With mental

health education being taken more seriously and becoming more widespread, more teens are able

to realize their depressive thoughts are abnormal and seek treatment for them. Popular “internet-

celebrities”, who are typically influencers on different platforms such as Youtube and Twitter,

and whose primary fanbases tend to be made up of teenagers and children, have also contributed
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to the discussion about mental health and seeking treatment by telling their own stories dealing

with similar matters (Rottenberg).

Teenagers who go undiagnosed with depression have a lot of difficulty with adjusting to

adulthood. These now young adults have spent many years of their lives isolating themselves

rather than developing relationships with their peers, thus leaving them without the social skills

they need to get through college and the years that follow. In extreme cases, depressed teenagers

may even have planned to not make it to adulthood, indicating their thoughts of suicide.

Adulthood and freedom can do wonders for some depressed teenagers whose main stressors

included dysfunctional or abusive family members, but for the rest of them, moving on after high

school may not be as easy. Depression and anxiety can impact an adult’s job performance, which

can lead to serious problems beyond bad grades at school. Isolation in adulthood is different than

it is for teenagers, because whether or not contact with others is continued depends entirely on

the choices of those adults. While some destructive coping mechanisms such as self-harm do not

typically follow teenagers into adulthood, adulthood opens a door for many new unhealthy

mechanisms, such as alcoholism (Kersting).

In summary, depression is a serious mental illness that can manifest in teens and then

continue to follow them into adulthood. There are factors involved in its development that have

been around for decades, and some new threats that have only appeared in recent years.

Depressed teens need a healthy support system from friends and family and should seek

treatment as soon as possible. Now the question to be answered is why depression seems to be

contagious among teenagers. Of course, depression is not actually contagious, but the negative

moods and outlooks can often spread among peer groups and families. Depression trends can

affect entire families and friend groups, so that they typically resemble each other. If one person
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in a group of friends is extremely negative all of the time, then others within it will begin to pick

up on that negativity. Likewise, if a person is extremely optimistic, that positive energy can also

spread. The reason the spread of emotions is so present among teenagers is due to their close

proximity every day at school and because friends tend to mimic one another. In a school full of

students, each is dealing with their own problems and emotional issues. That, combined with the

fact that adolescents and especially middle school aged kids are going through a tough time of

change and hormonal highs and lows, makes it no wonder that negativity can breed, thrive, and

spread across huge groups of teenagers. That negativity increases the risk of depression of each

student, and as a result causes the mental illness to appear in certain pockets in different groups,

schools, or even regions.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Depression is not contagious, but the negative thinking patterns that can increase the risk

of its development can spread across large peer groups, making it appear that depression itself is

contagious. There are many factors that present themselves which can lead to the development of

teenage depression. If left untreated, the mental illness can worsen over time, causing the one

who has it to become more irritable and negative, as well as causing them to have feelings of low

self-esteem, emptiness, and sadness. These negative feelings can spread to others through social

contagion, resulting in more teens becoming depressed in a way that makes it seem as if the

mental illness itself has spread. We can attempt to solve this problem by continuing to raise

awareness about mental health with the public, especially parents and teenagers, and by teaching

them to recognize the warning signs of a possible mental disorder. We must encourage teens to

seek guidance or help if they believe they have been exhibiting any symptoms of depression, and

discourage them by engaging in any activities that seem dangerous or which promote negative
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thinking patterns. Teenagers should talk to an adult about any situation that is out of their

control, and not try to shoulder any problems that are weighing on them heavily rather than

confiding in a friend, parent, or counselor.

This study was based on the factual evidence that can be found from the various sources

listed, but if it to have merit the subjects mentioned can be researched in a manner that is more in

depth, as all of the examples listed, such as the factors that lead to the development of

depression, could be discussed with more detail and research beyond the brief explanations given

in this paper. Anyone researching the subject of teenage depression and the question posed for

this study can find more information and explore other topics that were not gone over in detail

here or the underlying factors not discussed, such as depression linked with genetics. There are

many subjects mentioned in this study that could be looked into further, but for the sake of

answering the study question, were provided summarized descriptions for. All of the information

in this paper was found in various sources, and should be compared to the research of

professionals in order to discern merit.

It is recommended by this study that any teenagers or young adults suffering from any of

the depression symptoms or factors aforementioned should seek guidance and professional help

in order to receive a possible diagnosis for depression or anxiety. Parents with teenagers dealing

with depression or other mental illnesses should help them get professional help and provide

them with as much support as possible. Therapists and other professionals should do their part in

easing clients through the process of adjusting to depression by exercising patience and

understanding, and they should also help by providing parents with additional educational

resources so they can maximize the amount of support they are able to offer.
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