Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Donate
Stay Connected

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network.

Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen
Donate
Podcasts Take Two
The Brood: Why more teens are depressed and what can be done about it
solid orange rectangular banner
()
Take Two Logo
Nov 22, 2016
Listen • 15:54
The Brood: Why more teens are depressed and what can be done about it
A recent report published in the journal Pediatrics finds that teen depression is increasing, and many depressed teens aren't getting treatment.
A new survey published in the journal Pediatrics finds growing number of untreated, depressed teens in the U.S.
A new survey published in the journal Pediatrics finds growing number of untreated, depressed teens in the U.S.
(
Amy Messere (Flickr Creative Commons)
)

A recent report published in the journal Pediatrics finds that teen depression is increasing, and many depressed teens aren't getting treatment.

Raising a teenager can be tough. 

There's the raging hormones, concerns about social media and online bullying, and the pressure to get into college.

A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics finds that it's an especially difficult time to be an adolescent right now. 

The report, based on data from the 2005 to 2014 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health, found a 37 percent increase in the number of young people ages 12 to 20 who have reported having a major depressive episode.

The same study found no corresponding increase in mental-health treatment for adolescents and young adults.

Thankfully there are resources out there, including one in Southern California called Teen Line. It's an L.A.-based nonprofit which helps troubled teens through a confidential hotline. 

Teen Line Program Director Cheryl Eskin, and one of Teen Line's volunteers, 17-year-old Elliot Snow, discuss the rise in teen depression and some possible solutions.

To hear the full interview, click the blue player above.