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DOI: 10.1177/1049732304268657 © 2004 SAGE Publications "Being in a Funk": Teens’ Efforts to Understand Their Depressive ExperiencesOregon Health & Science University and Center for Health and Disability Policy, Oregon Health Policy Institute, Portland, Oregon
Oregon Health & Science University and Center for Health Research, Policy Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, Oregon Although there is literature about adults’ experiences of depression, little research has focused on teenagers’ experiences. In this article, the authors describe how a sample of adolescents makes sense of depression and responds to a depression diagnosis. Twenty-two adolescents participated in in-depth individual or focus group interviews. Teens discussed their experiences with depression and getting health care for depression, and described a trajectory similar to that found among adults: a slow growth of distress, a time of being in a funk, and a time of consideration of whether they are depressed. Teens who received a diagnosis from a medical provider then sought to make sense of their depression. Teens understood a depression diagnosis as a helpful label, a chronic medical problem, or a significant part of their identity. Understanding the subjective experience of adolescents who are depressed might increase health care providers’empathy and improve their communication with teens.
Key Words: depression • adolescents • treatment • attitudes • primary care • meaning
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