A survey of adolescents’ knowledge about depression

Adolescent depression and suicide are major public health concerns. Best practices for suicide prevention and education in high schools are not well understood. The Adolescent Depression Awareness Program (ADAP) was developed to address depression education as an effective means towards decreasing the morbidity and mortality associated with adolescent depression. Adolescents’ baseline knowledge about depression was assessed to enhance curriculum development. The survey was administered to 5,645 high school students between 1999 and 2003. Results indicated that students had a cursory knowledge of depression facts but had gaps in knowledge about treatment and symptom identification.