The structural changes cited by this study are associated with accompanying behaviors like increased risk taking and sensation seeking. Another study done by the NIMH suggests that the normal adolescent brain shows less activity in regions responsible for decision making, higher thinking, and the processing of reward related input. The study suggests that less activity in these brain regions may be responsible for risky behavior in teenagers.

The teenage propensity for risk taking and poor decision making can turn untreated depression into a dangerous game. A study released by researchers at the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy suggests that while the percentage of depressed teenagers is equal to the percentage of depressed adults, depressed teenagers are more likely to self-medicate with marijuana. Also, depressed teenagers are almost twice as likely as their non-depressed peers to use illicit drugs and more than twice as likely to become dependant on marijuana. The study also suggested that the use of drugs like marijuana can make depression worse.

All of this research serves to highlight the need for treatment of adolescent depression. In many cases depression is not just a phase, and in every case, it deserves to be taken seriously. If a teenager you know seems to be struggling with depression, encourage them to get help. The harder we work to solve the problems of adolescent depression, the happier we'll all be-now and in the future.

References:

Adolescent Brains Show Lower Activity in Areas that Control Risky Choices. (2007, March 15.) Science Update, Nation Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.mih.gov/science-news/2007/adolescent-brains-show-lower-activity-in-areas-that-control-risky-choices.shtml.

American Psychiatric Association (2000, September 26). Vast Majority of Depressed Teens Do Not Get Needed Psychiatric Treatment. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/09/000926072448.htm.

Elsevier Health Sciences (2008, March 30). Teenager Risk-taking: Teenager Brains Really Are Different From Child or Adult Brains. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328112127.htm.

Lewinsohn, Peter M., Seeley, John R., Pettit, Jeremy W., & Joiner, Thomas E. (2003). The Symptomatic Expression of Major Depressive Disorder in Adolescents and Young Adults. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 112 (2), 244-252.

Transformative Neurodevelopmental Research in Mental Illness: Report of the National Advisory Mental Health Council's Workgroup. (2007) http://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/ advisory-boards-and-groups/namhc/neurodevelopment_workgroup_report.pdf.

University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences (2005, May 27). Teenage Depression Can Be Enduring, But Is More Often Short Lived. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/05/050527235940.htm.

US National Drug Control Policy (2008, May 10). Teen 'Self Medication' For Depression Leads to More Serious Mental Illness, New Report Reveals. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily,com/releases/2008/05/080509105348.htm.

UT Southwester Medical Center (2008, February 28). Depressed Teens More Likely To Get Better With Switch To Combination Therapy. ScienceDaily. Retrieved September 22, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226162906.htm