年輕人的自殺率正在上升——為什么呢?

年輕人的自殺率正在上升——為什么呢?

In a disturbing new trend, research shows the rate of suicide is increasing among young people.

一個令人不安的新趨勢是，研究表明年輕人的自殺率正在上升。

Males generally commit suicide at higher rates, but the rates for young females are increasing, too. (Photo: Csaba Peterdi/Shutterstock)

Between 2007-2015, the number of U.S. teens who visited emergency rooms due to suicidal thoughts or ideations doubled, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics. In 2007, the number of visits was 580,000; by 2015, that number had increased to 1.12 million, reports CNN.

《美國醫(yī)學(xué)會雜志·兒科》(JAMA Pediatrics)上發(fā)表的一項研究顯示，在2007年至2015年間，因有自殺念頭或傾向而前往急診室的美國青少年數(shù)量翻了一番。2007年，參觀人數(shù)為58萬人次;據(jù)CNN報道，到2015年，這一數(shù)字已增至112萬。

Finding a solution is no easy task. The fact that so many young people — regardless of gender — fight with depression every day and struggle with suicidal thoughts is devastating. But new research may give us insight into the differences between the development of depression in adolescent females and males, reports Psychology Today.

找到解決方案并非易事。如此之多的年輕人——無論性別——每天都在與抑郁作斗爭，與自殺念頭作斗爭，這一事實是毀滅性的。但據(jù)《今日心理學(xué)》報道，新的研究可能會讓我們深入了解青少年女性和男性抑郁癥發(fā)展的差異。

How depression develops in boys and girls

男孩和女孩的抑郁癥是如何發(fā)展的

Females tend to develop depression much faster and earlier than males. (Photo: Manfred Antranias Zimmer/Pixabay)

Using growth-curve modeling, researchers found that the developmental paths of depression for boys and girls differed significantly. Females tended to develop depression at a faster rate, while also hitting peak levels of depressive symptoms at an earlier age.

使用生長曲線模型，研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)男孩和女孩的抑郁發(fā)展路徑明顯不同。女性患抑郁癥的速度更快，而且在更早的年齡就達(dá)到抑郁癥狀的高峰。

For males, the most rapid rate increase of depressive symptoms occurred at age 16.4, while females' biggest increase came at 13.5 years — meaning that by the time a depressed adolescent female reaches that age, she has developed more depressive symptoms than an adolescent male.

對于男性來說，抑郁癥狀的增長速度最快的是16.4歲，而女性的增長速度最快的是13.5歲——這意味著當(dāng)抑郁的青春期女性達(dá)到這個年齡時，她比青春期男性出現(xiàn)更多的抑郁癥狀。

Why the difference?

為什么會有這樣的差異呢?

The developmental paths of depression for boys and girls differed significantly. (Photo: talib abdulla/Pixabay)

There's no definitive answer for differences in the developmental course of depressive symptoms, but Arash Emamzadeh, author of the Psychology Today article, suggests that a general increase in symptoms during adolescence is possibly "because teenagers face numerous changes during this developmental period (e.g., puberty, school transition, forming friendships)."

抑郁癥狀在發(fā)展過程中的不同并沒有明確的答案，但是《今日心理學(xué)》的作者Arash Emamzadeh認(rèn)為，青春期癥狀的普遍增加可能是因為“青少年在這個發(fā)展時期面臨著許多變化(例如，青春期、學(xué)校過渡、形成友誼)。”

As for females experiencing symptoms at an earlier age, Emamzadeh writes, "One possible explanation for this difference is the earlier puberty in females compared to males. For instance, previous research has shown that early age of menarche (first menstrual cycle) is associated with greater depressive symptoms."

至于女性在更早出現(xiàn)癥狀，Emamzadeh寫道，“一個可能的解釋是，女性比男性更早進(jìn)入青春期。例如，之前的研究表明，初潮(第一次月經(jīng)周期)越早，抑郁癥狀越嚴(yán)重。”

Puberty is already a rough stage of adolescence, and the fact that females and males hit puberty at different ages could also play a role. This growing body of research could help us understand why and when adolescents are beginning to show depressive symptoms, and address their needs at an earlier stage.

青春期已經(jīng)是一個艱難的青春期，女性和男性在不同的年齡進(jìn)入青春期這一事實也可能起作用。越來越多的研究可以幫助我們理解為什么以及何時青少年開始出現(xiàn)抑郁癥狀，并在早期階段解決他們的需求。