Depression is a growing threat to American children and teens. As many as 1 in 5 teens experience depression at some point during adolescence, but parents often miss the clues, and as many as two out of three young people with depression go undiagnosed, research shows.
Because so many young people with mental illness don’t get help or treatment, pediatricians should routinely look for signs of depression in their young patients, according to updated guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
“So many teens don’t have access to mental health care,” said family psychologist Dr. Jennifer Hartstein. “It has to start with their pediatrician, and these changes really point in that direction.”
