- High and rising prevalence of depression among Chinese adolescents linked to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation, constituting an urgent public health concern.
- Depression commonly emerges in adolescence and, if untreated, often persists into adulthood with long-term adverse psychosocial and functional outcomes.
- Accurate identification of aetiology, risk factors and neural substrates is essential to refine diagnostics and inform timely, evidence based prevention and treatment strategies.
Front Psychol. 2026 Aug 7;17:1816161. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1816161. eCollection 2026.
ABSTRACT
Major depressive disorder (MDD) has emerged as an urgent global public health concern with a pronounced impact on adolescents. Despite heightened awareness and advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, depression among Chinese adolescents remains highly prevalent. Furthermore, evidence suggests that this burden continues to increase amid China’s rapid urbanization and industrialization. Depression frequently emerges during adolescence and, if left untreated, may persist into adulthood and lead to long-term adverse outcomes. This review examines the current state of research on depression among Chinese adolescents, highlighting that precise identification of the disorder’s presence and etiology is essential for the development of effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, it explores the prevalence and risk factors associated with adolescent depression, elucidates the neural substrates implicated in the disorder, and evaluates existing diagnostic and therapeutic methodologies. Overall, this review highlights the importance of the timely recognition of risk factors and underlying mechanisms to support more effective prevention and treatment strategies in China.
PMID:42630177 | PMC:PMC13493250 | DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1816161
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