Youth and culture: Trendwatch

Group, Sep/Oct 2000

crushes that crush

Broken romances are the meat-and-potatoes of adolescent life-devastating in the moment but harmless long-term. Right? Well, new research finds that some teenagers never get over their break-ups-suffering recurring bouts of lifelong depression. University of Oregon psychology professor Scott Monroe studied almost 1,500 clinically depressed teenagers, searching for the "smoking gun" that triggered their descent. A staggering 46% said they'd split with a boyfriend or girlfriend in the year before they first battled depression.

And depression is a growing scourge among teenagers. It's a key reason suicide is the third-leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds. Mental health experts say as many as one in 33 children suffers from clinical depression. That's why political leaders, including presidential candidate and Vice President Al Gore, are calling for insurance companies to provide more mental-health benefits for children.