Treating depression in teenagers may be easier than in adults: Study

Depression in young teenagers could be easier to treat than in adulthood due to the symptoms being more flexible and not yet ingrained, according to a study on Tuesday.

Depression is a complex condition, characterised by a range of connected symptoms. Current interventions treat overall depression severity and do not consider how symptoms interact and evolve.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh, in the UK, explained that symptoms such as sadness, fatigue, and a lack of interest are less predictable in teenagers. However, these become more fixed in adults, which can lead to persistent depression.

“The findings highlight the importance of targeting depression at an early age when symptoms are still changing,” said Poppy Z. Grimes, Division of Psychiatry, at the varsity.

In the paper, published in the journal Nature Mental Health, the team analysed data from more than 35,000 young people to capture how depression symptoms interact throughout adolescence.

They found that symptom patterns become more stable across adolescence, with individuals more likely to be persistently depressed or experience no depressive symptoms, while symptoms fluctuate at younger ages.

The researchers explained that the variability seen in teenage depression is likely to be influenced by three main factors: puberty and hormones; ongoing brain development; and social and environmental influences.

The team also found that among teenagers, depression symptoms stabilise faster in boys than girls, leaving less time for risk or protective factors to have an effect. Symptoms in teenage girls continue to fluctuate over a longer period.

“Targeted support for young teenagers while symptoms are flexible and more responsive to treatment could help to prevent persistent depression into adulthood,” the researchers said.

Further, the findings could also help to explain why some adults — with stable symptoms that are unable to change tend to experience depression that is resistant to treatment. The experts noted that further research is needed to explore the theory.

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