Volume : VIII, Issue : IX, September - 2019

A Study of Depression Prevalence in Adolescents.

Dr. C. Suryanarayana Vittal

Abstract :

Depression is a serious problem that impacts a teen’s life. Left untreated, teen depression can lead to problems at home and school and may even lead to serious consequences such as homicidal violence or suicide. However, early detection can empower the doctors and parents to prevent such adverse effects of adolescent depression. An attempt was made in this study for an early detection of depression amongst adolescent using a renowned questionnaire system, ‘Beck’s Depression Inventory II’ in students of some of the junior colleges around in West Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh. Objectives: 1. To study the prevalence of Depression amongst teenagers using the tool Beck’s Depression Inventory. 2. To postulate and suggest possible remedial actions in case of necessity. Subjects and methods: Study Design: Cross sectional observation study. Methodology: A structured questionnaire of 21 queries given to students and asked to fill in a reasonable time period. Evaluation: The answers received are analyzed using MS Excel and MS Access software and statistical significance of results computed using IBM SPSS software. Results: 1. Prevalence of depression amongst teenagers was found to be in the ranges of 33%, 21%, 30% and 15% as mild, minimal, moderate and severe categories, respectively. 2. The prevalence of severe depression is more in girls and this difference is statistically significant. 3. Suicidal Thoughts almost daily detected in 8 students (6 girls and 2 boys). Precautionary measures ought to the notice of concerned authorities. Conclusion: The prevalence of depression in adolescents of plus 2 level students of different institutions in the present study is around 15% and mild to moderate degree is of the tune of 52%. This is considered quite high. More such studies at a larger scale can help save several vulnerable teenagers in the society.

Keywords :

Article: Download PDF    DOI : 10.36106/ijsr  

Cite This Article:

A STUDY OF DEPRESSION PREVALENCE IN ADOLESCENTS., Dr. C. Suryanarayana Vittal INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH : Volume-8 | Issue-9 | September-2019

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