Depression worsening in U.S. teens, especially girls

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - A new report in the journal Pediatrics finds that depression is on the rise among teens and young adults, but the rate of treatment for the disorder is not.

In 2014, 17 percent of teen girls had an episode of major depression compared to 13 percent in 2005. For boys, the rate rose from four to six percent, according to the study published Monday.

Depression is often described as a feeling of sadness that lasts more than two weeks and a sense that the person suffering from it finds themselves in a hole they cannot get out of.

The rise in depression rates among U.S. teens could be the result of cyberbullying, as some counselors have suggested. 

Some cases have lead teens to commit suicide, which is now the second leading cause of death in teens ages 15 -19.

Some of the warning signs of depression are as loss of interest in activities that the person once enjoyed and/or withdrawal from others.

"The findings call for renewed efforts to expand service capacity to best meet the mental health care needs of this age group," according to the study's authors.