Teenage boys also suffer from depression and anxiety, which is well documented among girls. Experts have warned that many young people with mental health problems are being left undiagnosed and without the support they need.
“We are rightly concerned about our girls,” said Kathleen Ethier, director of the Division of Youth and School Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “But I don’t want us to ever lose sight of the fact that the boys are not doing well either.”
Ethiel and other experts said depression in boys may go unnoticed because boys don’t usually show signs of depression through the signs of depression that are common in girls.
“We have a very classic idea of depression: being sad, tearful, crying a lot, not eating as much, losing weight,” says Dr. Lauren Teverbaugh, a pediatrician and child psychiatrist at Tulane University in New Orleans. I have a deep understanding,” he said. “For a lot of boys, that’s just not the case.”
“The boys are disappearing”
Recent research published in journals Pediatrics Researchers found that while antidepressant prescriptions for teenage girls and women in their 20s increased dramatically, the proportion of such prescriptions for young men “declined sharply during March 2020.” It was discovered that the patient did not recover.
Dr. Kao Ping Chua, a pediatrician at the Susan B. Meister Center for Child Health Evaluation and Research at the University of Michigan, led the study. He said the finding that boys had less access to antidepressants after the pandemic began was “disconcerting”.
“For men, this could theoretically reflect improved mental health, but I have a hard time explaining that,” Chua says. “Given that everyone’s mental health deteriorated, I expected the boys’ antidepressant doses to remain stable, at least not reduced.”
In Chua’s experience as a pediatrician, a more likely explanation is that boys are disengaged from the entire health care system during the pandemic, resulting in under-detection and, as a result, under-treatment of mental health problems among young people. He said that it was.
“There have been events that have prevented adolescent males from accessing mental health treatment,” Chua said. “They didn’t see a doctor. They skipped a physical exam.”
“The boys are missing,” he said.
What does depression look like in boys?
Boys who struggle with their mental health tend to exhibit it with a short fuse. They become easily irritated, irritable, and aggressive.
“Parents of boys with depression often say they’re walking on eggshells because they don’t know what’s triggering their symptoms,” says Dr. Mai Uchida, a child psychiatrist and director of the Child Depression Center. To tell. program at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Uchida said parents, pediatricians and even psychiatrists may not be aware of mental health problems in boys because “boys don’t fit the typical picture of depression.”
Women have long been far more likely to be diagnosed with depression than men. However, a 2013 study found that when “irritability” is considered the main symptom, rates of depression are actually similar between men and women: 30.6% for men and 33.3% for women. %.
In addition to irritability, symptoms of depression in boys may include impulsivity, risk-taking behavior, and being more argumentative than usual.
Dr. Willow Jenkins, a psychiatrist and medical director of emergency and consultation psychiatry at Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, believes that anxiety and irritability in teens is partly due to social normalization. insisted.
“There’s a myth that teenagers are irritable and should be moody,” she says. “I think too many parents hear that and think it’s normal behavior when it actually indicates a potential conflict.”
Evidence of mental health struggles among teenagers, especially young girls, has increased over the years. The coronavirus lockdown exacerbated the situation.
In 2023, I hope to Report from CDC It has been revealed that girls experienced unprecedented levels of sadness and hopelessness during the early days of the pandemic.
This study may indicate that boys do not need the same level of mental health care as girls. Experts argue that’s not true.
“Boys and girls are struggling,” Jenkins said. “None of our young people are in good shape in terms of their mental health.”
“Anger that comes from sadness”
Noah Power, an 18-year-old from Canada’s Yukon Territory, said his struggle with anxiety and depression began around the age of 12.
His mental health symptoms first appeared in the form of a headache and chest tightness. Over time, he said, those symptoms evolved into “feelings of inexplicable anger.” “It was like anger coming from sadness.”
Power said she felt it was a natural and healthy outlet to express herself through anger and frustration.
“Maybe it’s a bit too much, but for us it feels like we’re doing our brains a favor,” he says.
In addition to long-term psychotherapy and medication, Ms. Power has turned to physical outlets for her anxiety and depression. The important thing is to run, he said.
“Being able to run and run and run and put all my energy out there was the most helpful thing for me,” Power said. “You sweat and use up your energy.”
Reduced referrals due to lockdown
Teachers, coaches and other caregivers outside the home are on the front lines of monitoring teens’ mental health, said Tulane University’s Tevarbaugh.
“Not only do they see that child, they see other children their age experiencing some of the same environmental factors,” she said. “It’s a really good gauge for being able to recognize things that are beyond the norm.” Tebarbaugh and other experts say many of the referrals for boys seeking mental health treatment are based on behavior at school. Said to be due to the above problem.
Those referrals declined in 2020 when schools went remote and sports and other activities were canceled.
“We often don’t meet, but [boys] Because in the office, it’s not really talked about in the community,” she said.
Advice for parents
Mass General’s Uchida, a mother of three young boys, encourages parents to allow their sons to express their sadness and frustration.
“We have to really allow them to feel it, hold their hand and appreciate that they are expressing such emotion,” she said. “They’re going through a lot. We often forget to empathize with them.”
Mr Power said it helps if a parent or carer listens calmly, even if the child is verbally abusive. “What we really, really appreciate is being listened to and just being able to vent,” he said. “Just giving it your all gives you a huge sense of relief.”
And if your teenage boys can’t find the words to express themselves, give them other means of expression.
“They may not use emotional words like ‘I’m sad,'” Teverbaugh said. “But when they’re playing video games together or just goofing around on the basketball court, that’s engagement. That’s social interaction. It’s that they can feel connected.” is.”
Power also credits online gaming as a coping skill. “It’s an easy way to talk to friends and have a good time,” he said. “In-person social pressure can be overwhelming, especially if you’re going through something and you don’t want to break down in tears in front of that person.”
