The experience of major depression: adolescents' perspectives

Approximately 70% of adolescents with major depression are not receiving adequate assessment and treatment due, in part, to an incomplete picture of the disorder. Current conceptualizations of depression in adolescence have not adequately addressed integration of developmental principles, salient contextual events, and the adolescent viewpoint of precipitators, symptoms, and treatments. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of major depression from the adolescent's perspective to provide a more comprehensive description of the disorder. Using a phenomenologic approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with five depressed adolescents, ages 13-17. Data analysis, using an adaptation of Colaizzi's method, resulted in eight theme categories. The essential structure of the experience was formulated from all data. Adolescents focused on anger, fatigue, and interpersonal difficulties as characteristic of depression. The results call for increased awareness of the unique aspects of adolescents, an examination of adolescent-accessible services, and further clarification of the roles of friends and siblings in the disorder.