Many depressives may have been missed and dismissed as mere failures or dropouts. That means that about one teenage girl in 12 is struggling to cope with school despite her problems. One Surrey high school counselor who requested anonymity says she often deals with depressed students. They may drink and do drugs and drive too fast. Girls may drink and do drugs too, but they may also just slump or develop eating disorders.
Boys are more likely to act out their depression, girls more likely to be introverted, to shrivel.
This alarming number arises partly from the 10.8 per cent depression rate among females of traditional college age, 18-24. In addition, a very large number of women are part-time students. By comparison, only 6.6 per cent of males aged 18-24 experience depression, a rate that drops to 3.5 per cent after age 25. Such women commute from one source of stress to another. Female students may therefore be far more frequent victims of depression than other women their age.