What is your country's belief on teenage depression? Is depression taken seriously as an actual mental disorder, or is it thought to be a sign of weakness?
top of page
forum rules
-
Sign up/log in at the top right corner of the website to contribute to the forum
-
"Create new post" to start a new discussion on the monthly forum topic
-
"Comment" on others' posts to respond or ask follow-up questions
-
"Like" others' posts or comments to indicate agreement or support
-
Give credit to any sources you’ve used
-
Don’t use profanity or words that may harm others
I spent most of my life living and studying in China. I also know a lot of people who are under the Chinese public education system, and they have to take one standardized test called "Gaokao" that determines where they go to college. I think a lot of stress comes from those exams and high academic expectation from school and the parent. They contribute most to teenage depression. Unfortunately, adolescent depression isn't recognized publicly or even appropriately taught in most of the institutions. Parents view this illness as a character flaw or an excuse to escape from schoolwork. Most of the teenagers also don't talk to their parents about it because parents don't take this problem seriously. Therefore, a lot of the teenagers are left to face this problem alone. The situation in China is very similar to the situation in Korea and I strongly agree with Joon Young's point about the impact of Confucianism. People think overworking is a virtue and mental health issues are seen as weakness.