One in five adolescents has had a serious mental health disorder, such as depression and/or anxiety disorders, at some point in their life. Those who are growing up in the spotlight are no exception. Online personality Quenlin Blackwell is one of them. She's been very open and about her mental health on Twitter, talking about overcoming depression, anxiety, and a recent eating disorder. A few days ago, Quenlin tweeted a few pictures, taken before and after she started dealing with her mental health problems.
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Inspired by her honesty, many of Quenlin's 1.08M followers started responding with their own photos
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One of the most common mental disorders among young adults in the US is depression. According to a recent report, diagnoses of major mental illnesses have risen by 33 percent since 2013. The adolescent mental well-being statistics show that this rate is rising even faster among millennials—up by 47 percent. Also, the rates of major depression in adolescents have increased by 47 percent for boys and 65 percent for girls.
A major depressive episode is a period of at least two weeks of feeling depressed that is present in most situations. Symptoms include low self-esteem, loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities, as well as problems with sleep, energy, and concentration.
Teens that are living with depression find it really difficult or even impossible to go through normal daily activities, such as working, studying, sleeping, and eating. Furthermore, those who have had one episode of major depressive disorder are at high risk of having another one in the future.
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