Most teens unable to identify depression

Many Irish teenagers are unable to identify signs of depression or suicidal thoughts, a new study shows.

The majority will also turn more to friends than professionals for advice, according to new research on mental health literacy among adolescents conducted by psychologists at Trinity College Dublin.

The research, which has been published in the July edition of the Journal of Adolescent Research, has found that only half of participants in the study correctly identified depression in hypothetical case studies and only 10% correctly identified thoughts about suicide.