Irish teenagers have a one in five chance of experiencing a depressive episode by the time they are 18 years of age and for most of these, depression will be a recurring problem, professionals working in the field have warned.

According to Prof Fiona McNicholas, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist at the Lucena Clinic in Dublin and Diarmuid Lynch, a psychiatry nursing student at Trinity College, while depression exists in childhood, it is ‘relatively rare'. However, after puberty, the prevalence of depression ‘increases exponentially', with girls more affected than boys.

By the time they reach 18 years of age, teenagers ‘will have had a one in five chance of having had a depressive episode', the professionals warned.

They noted that depression appears to be increasing in all age groups and this is ‘possibly linked with societal and economic changes, such as fragmentation of families, increased stresses as a result of more austerity measures and increased use of alcohol and substance misuse'.

The professionals pointed out that a family history of depression is a big risk factor. In fact, teenagers whose parents had a major depressive episode in their adolescence are up to four times more likely to suffer a major depressive episode themselves.

They said that in most cases, a depressive episode in a teenager can be ‘successfully treated as an outpatient'.

"However, up to 70% will have a recurrent episode within five years. That means for the majority of adolescents presenting with depression, it will be a recurrent disorder," they explained.

As a result, it is essential that both teenagers and their parents are taught about recognising a relapse, as depression can have far-reaching consequences.

"Adolescent depression has been associated with poor academic performance, occupational underachievement and interpersonal difficulties with disruptions in social and family settings. There is also a higher risk of substance misuse and poor physical health," they added.

The professionals made their comments in the Irish journal, Forum: Clinical Focus.

For more information on depression, see our Depression Clinic here