Adolescent depression aetiology: a systematic review

Background: Depression in adolescents is a key public health issue for children and young people, therefore in order to tackle this, we must first explore the aetiology of depression by examining the biological, environmental, sociological and psychological risk pathways. Methods: A review of the literature was undertaken between the years 2010-2015 to identify key themes and areas of development. Results: The exposure to a range of environmental and sociological factors, in addition to pre-existing biological and cognitive vulnerabilities may considerably increase the risk of adolescents developing depression. Furthermore evidence suggests distinctive male and female brain developmental trajectories during adolescence, thus highlighting the need for further research within this field, in order to educate young people, parents/carers and professionals and to promote the early identification of depression.