What is it about?
This study analyzes all hospital admissions for depression in Spanish adolescents aged 11–18 between 2000 and 2021. It shows a sharp rise in severe cases, especially among girls and after the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting an urgent need for earlier detection and better youth mental health services.
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Why is it important?
Hospitalizations reflect the most severe depression cases, and their marked increase suggests many adolescents are reaching crisis point before receiving help. Identifying high‑risk groups and temporal trends can guide public policies, school‑based screening, and investment in specialized child and adolescent mental health services to reduce severe episodes, suicidal behavior, and long‑term consequences
Perspectives
This work confirms what is seen daily in clinical practice: more adolescents, especially girls, are being admitted for severe depression, often after long periods of silent suffering. These data reinforce the need to act earlier in schools, families, and primary care, ensuring accessible, specialized, and stigma‑free support so that hospitalization becomes the exception rather than the rule
Lucia Gallego Deike
Universidad Internacional de la Rioja
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Two decades of hospital admissions for adolescents with depression in Spain, Journal of Affective Disorders, November 2025, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2025.119672.
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