"Teenagers constantly vacillate .

             between strivings for independence from family and regressions to childish dependence on it." (Elkind 89) .

             But today's teens face an additional challenge: They're growing up in a world quite different from that of .

             their parent's youth. Adolescents today are faced with stresses that were unknown to previous generations .

             and are dealing with them in an often self-destructive way. Contemporary society has changed the .

             perception of teenagers. New parental lifestyles, combined with changes in the economy, often give less .

             time and energy for parents to devote to their offspring. Society all too often views teens for what they can .

             be instead of for who they are. Who they are becomes the identity of teenagers today. "They are confronted .

             with the ambiguity of education, the dis!.

             solution of family, the hostile commercialism of society, and the insecurity of relationships." (McCoy 16) .

             This identity is fragile and is threatened by fears of rejection, feelings of failure, and of being different. .

             These young people face stress in school as well with resources dwindling and campus violence and .

             harassment increasing. Their sexual awakening comes in the age of AIDS, when sex can kill. In summary, .

             teens today feel less safe, less empowered and less hopeful than we did a generation ago. Depression is a .

             common concomitant to this struggle. (McCoy 36) It strikes 5% of teens and about 2% of children under .

             12. One in three adolescents in the nineties is at risk for serious depression. (Stern 28).

             Depression is the result of a complex mix of social, psychological, physical, and environmental .

             factors. Teens with depressed parents are two to three times more likely to develop major depression. .

             Genetic factors play a substantial but not overwhelming role in causing depression. (Dowling 37) Some .

             type of significant loss can be a factor in triggering teenage depression. Loss can be due to death, divorce, .