Depression In Teenage Girls Increases, Study Reveals The Reason

JAKARTA - Teenage girls are more prone to depression than teenage boys. This was revealed in a 2024 report by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In the report, there are 53 percent of teenage girls experience feelings of sadness or continuous despair. Teenage girls also have more things to think about and behavior to commit suicide.

"Depression during adolescence can significantly impact social and emotional development, and increase the risk of suicide," said first author of research Naghmeh Nikkhslat, PhD, at King's College London, quoted from WebMD, on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

The depression experienced by young women usually starts at the age of 12. The difference in depression rates is related to the physical changes between girls and boys that are different.

Pubertas is usually experienced earlier by teenage girls, and hormonal changes tend to be more pronounced in teenage girls. The emergence of depression and severity is also influenced by teenage girls who really care about what other people think about them.

Depression in young women is also influenced by activities carried out with electronic devices, such as cell phones. Teenage boys usually use cell phones to play games, while teenage girls use them for social media which can exacerbate stress because there are many comparisons and standards to be achieved.

Depression in adolescents, especially women, is certainly worrying because it can have a bad impact on their future. This must be overcome, one of which is by encouraging parents to be more active in communicating and open, thus creating a comfortable environment and maintaining a child's mental health.

Teenage girls are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle to manage stress. Starting from regular exercise, writing journals, doing hobbies, to building social relationships to maintain their emotions.