cascade

3 reasons: 1) Greater awareness of depression and acceptance of treating it, in society 2) Quantitative advancements in treatment options (psychological, pharmaceutical, physiological, homeopathic) 3) Societal disconnect on basic human body-based interactions, juxtaposed with increased electronic connection

1) Without looking up any statistics, I am guessing depression rates have not changed dramatically in the last decade or longer. However, attitudes have changed dramatically over time. Previously it was not recognized as the illness that it is, and was not qualified as valid. A broken leg is obvious, painful, and treatable. A depressed psyche can be 'written off' in a host of ways: "Oh he's just lazy", "Quit feeling sorry for yourself!", "hey snap out of it, we're all having fun!", etc. While these harsh sentiments can still exist I think more and more people are aware of what depression is and thus families encourage treatment when it arises.

2) On the treatment side I need not dive too deep but compare ECT and sending people to the funny farm of 60 years ago with today's more sophisticated comprehension of multiple psychologies, brain-scans, brain chemistry, environmental factors, etc. I do think however that our comprehension and manipulation of brain chemistry is rather infantile in the scope of neuro-function. But it has still come a long way over the years.

3) In our modern world (specifically countries where you would see antidepressants advertised), I would posit that many people's lives have become paradoxically more fragmented and more connected. We can click to order a pizza, send the news to our parents that we got a job or got engaged, ask someone out over email, and stay in touch with a grade school friend without hearing there voice in decades. While such connectivity is great, there has also been a marketed decline in the types of daily interactions where one would find a sense of community and connection with humanity. Obviously this sense of community still exists and is available to people as it exists somewhat to the degree one creates it in their life, however, to some degree it is 'work' to call the pizza place instead of ordering online. It is easier to send a txt than to call, easier to check your groceries yourself, etc. Also, spending time with friends in person is very different, emotionally, than being on a computer with someone 1000 or 1 mile away--there is a body-detachment with technology--you are using an external non-human tool for the interaction. Because feelings (depression) are body based, I do not think it serves feelings well to use technology almost to the exclusion of simple body-based interactions (as in, walking up to a friend and patting them on the back to say 'whats up? good to see you, as opposed to sending a text).

Not an expert but I would suggest teen depression can be due to low self esteem due to having acne. Basically the opposite of your question. Chances of teen depression probably increase if a teen has acne.

While there is a mind-body connection to nearly all things in life, I do not think acne alone which is a demonstrated result of the increase of hormones and body changes of puberty, can be caused by depression alone. Just as I would never suggest someone gets cancer entirely because of a mental or emotional state they are in, there is no doubt that continually being in a depressed emotional, clinically negative mental, or high anxiety/stress situations will result in a weakening of the immune system, which could let any disease manifest easier.

Some people are on more medicines than you'd like to even imagine--for all sorts of pain, chronic conditions, etc. All medications have various side effects, but the more medications, the more possibility they can start to step on one another's toes, with their wide range of side effects, so to speak.

While your doctor is the authority on your health, and not anyone online, I do wonder, were you prescribed adderall for ADHD? As a stimulant, I wonder about the interaction between adderall and an anti-anxiety medication, and the addition of an anti-depressant. I am not an expert and do wonder the difficulty in treating multiple issues. As I have found, sometimes low level anxiety and depression can be one and of the same--a low level depression can yield anxiety to keep one from dealing with the depression (un or subconsciously, of course), or the consistent anxiety leads one to feel somewhat depressed, due to the chronic anxiety that subtly debilitates them from being at their fullest/best.

So, for some people, yes, it may normal to be on 5 different types of medications for their mood or personality, and for others none. Ultimately how you feel and if you are able to function with hope and draw enjoyment from life is the ultimate measuring bar of what is normal (for you)--if that means 5 different medications, then so be it, if it means 1, 2, or 3, that is okay too.

I think properly guided or practiced meditation can aid, along with sleep, exercise, diet, rituals, herbal supplements, professional help, and if necessary, possibly prescription drugs (though I would personally only advocate their use in a 'stepping-stone' fashion, in conjunction with other action, on limited term basis. ie: don't use anti-depressants alone, in a permanent fashion).

Meditation can be used to focus your mind, quiet the 'chatter', and observe your own thought process, if done properly. Done incorrectly, it could cause you to amplify the depressive cognitive self-talk, overly focus on it, and lead to more entrenched depression. Depression, by it's nature, lends to a clouded view of the world and oneself, and I would posit meditation asks one to set one's entire ego-self aside, which is one of the biggest difficulties of depression--one's own thoughts and emotions are negatively locked into themselves when depressed.

My experience has been when you first start meditating, working on developing full and focused awareness (such as on a candle flame, breathing technique, visualization of a process) while the stream of thoughts (chatter) goes on is what you do. Over time you will build a capacity and repository of awareness, so to speak, so that you may relax from focusing on something so specific, and can instead simply maintain awareness and actively observe the stream of thoughts from a place in consciousness outside of your immediate ego. At this juncture, that the opportunity to identify negative self-talk and constraining thought-patterns may occur, which has the possibility for you to yield major or minor breakthroughs in self-awareness and altering your cognitive patterns to be a happier person. Working with an expert in the field of meditation, or preferably a mental health specialist who has such credentials or background would be ideal.