Public Health Depression

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals.   It helps to improve the health of the population. It was introduced in 1875 due to filthy conditions in Britain. The purpose of public health is to prevent widespread disease, protect against environmental hazards, prevent injuries, promote and encourage positive health behaviours.
My chosen public health issue for this piece of coursework is teenage depression. Studies have shown that 4% of teenagers in the UK suffer from depression, ages 5-16, this statistic was reported on the website ‘step into the NHS’. Teenage depression is not just characterised by bad moods as many people may think, as teenagers are labelled to have ‘mood swings; this is due to hormones. Teenage depression is much more serious than bad mood. It is a clinical condition that affects every aspect of a teens like, by having a persistent low mood. Left untreated, teenage depression can lead to problems at home and school, drug abuse, self-loathing and even irreversible tragedy such as homicidal violence or suicide. A source (1) explained that teens that had tried to commit suicide, while being interviewed said that they tried to kill themselves to escape what seemed to be problems that were impossible to fix or to get relief from. The source also said ‘sometimes people who feel suicidal may not even realise they are depressed. They may be unaware that it is the depression not the situation that is influencing them to think such things like “There’s no way out” , “It will never get better” , “There’s nothing I can do” etc. After researching the statistics of suicide due to teen depression I found from a source (1) that a 1- to 15 year follow-up study of 73 teenagers diagnosed with major depression, 7% of the adolescents were five times more likely to have attempted suicide...