School dances, pop quizzes and musical tryouts are enough to stress any young person out. Add in a pandemic, social media pressures and school bullying and you've got a recipe for disaster. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, teenage antidepressant use was on the rise.
Research published in the American Academy of Pediatrics found that between 2016 and 2022, there was a 66.3% increase in the monthly dispensing rate of antidepressants. For females between the ages of 12-17, this rate rose 129.6% faster after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Alternatively, male teens in this age group experienced a decline in this rate, which is likely due to the probability that females are more likely to seek out treatment than males.
COVID-19's effect on antidepressant use
Although there had been an increase in reports of depressive disorder among young people prior to the pandemic, the social isolation brought on by the pandemic, along with academic disruption and having relatives or friends directly impacted by COVID-19 only exacerbated these mental health issues.
People became more willing to discuss their mental health issues with wider audiences when the pandemic began. A Statista survey reported all social media platforms saw an increase in active monthly users after the pandemic began with TikTok increasing the most. Mental health was one of the trendiest topics TikTok users posted about with creators sharing their personal struggles as well as their coping techniques and medication usage. Social media made young adults more aware of various mental health issues and encouraged them to seek help if needed. This could be a potential reason for the increase in antidepressant use among young people during lockdown.
COVID-19 saw a rise in affordable mental health care options as more people sought out treatment options while experiencing isolation and pandemic-related stress. Telehealth became a popular therapy option for young people, and especially young women, which allowed them to connect with a mental health professional and receive treatment for mental health concerns like depression. An increase in the amount of depression-related telehealth visits would likely result in an increase in antidepressant prescriptions. This would naturally include tricyclic antidepressants, a class of reuptake inhibitors used to treat severe depression.
Additional reasons for increased use of antidepressants for teen depression
Approximately 90% of teenagers who participated in a Blue Shield of California/Harris Poll survey said they were struggling with mental health issues. Teens who responded to the survey reported that their mental health was affected by factors such as climate change, family relationships, gun violence and negative body image.
Additional reasons why teens are struggling with mental health include, but are not limited to the following:
- Bullying – According to the CDC, 1 in 5 teens in high school experience being bullied. Bullying can lead to negative self-worth and the development of mental health problems. As social media use increases, the amount of teens who experience cyberbullying increases as well.
- Access to disturbing news – It's difficult to keep teenagers off of their phones, and even more difficult to monitor everything they look at on the internet. With constant access to real-life disturbing events such as war, school shootings and other travesties, this generation of teenagers is witnessing a large number of tragedies on a daily basis. This constant barrage of upsetting events is overwhelming for teens and can lead to mental health issues such as anxiety and secondary PTSD.
- Social media pressures – While social media's effect on mental health is still being researched, recent studies have linked it to increased anxiety and decreased life satisfaction. The excessive focus placed on physical appearance on social media may exacerbate mental health conditions and problems with body image.
Treatments and preventative measures
The good news: Teens are already being proactive in their mental health. The Blue Shield of California/Harris Poll stated that 71% of teens surveyed have utilized mental health resources and 93% implement self-care routines such as breathing exercises, mediation, movies, therapy and physical activity.
Parents, teachers and health care providers can take active steps to monitor their teen's mental health and make a plan of action when they notice a negative change. Many schools have started providing mental health education to students and utilizing school counselors to help manage disturbing events such as school shootings. Parental monitoring is a normal part of any parent's job, and parents can monitor their teens for mood fluctuations, sudden changes in who their teen is spending time with and other factors that could indicate a mental health problem. Health care providers can educate themselves and their teen patients about the various factors that affect mental health, as well as treatment options and preventative measures to take in order to safeguard against increasing mental health issues.
Don't let teenagers fight the stigma alone
Teens have to deal with a lot of change already – the transition from middle to high school, changing hormones, changing friendships – the list goes on. The amount of change that the COVID-19 pandemic brought was overwhelming and exhausting for young adults. Pre-existing mental health issues were only exacerbated during the pandemic, leading to an increase in antidepressant usage. While teens are taking an active stance in their normalization of mental health treatment, they shouldn't have to do it alone. Teachers, parents and health care providers should take time to listen to teenagers in order to find more effective and compassionate ways to help.
