Depression And Anxiety Disorders In John Green's Looking For Alaska

In John Green’s Looking for Alaska, Miles meets a young boy nicknamed “Colonel,” as well as a girl named Alaska, both of which suffer from mental illness such as depression and anxiety. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, or NIMH, about 11% of adolescents have developed a depressive disorder by the age of eighteen, the risk only increasing with age. Like many mental and/or physical illnesses, it is not uncommon for depression to be hereditary. WebMD states that those with a family history of depression are more likely to develop the debilitating mental illness than those who don’t.
Depression in adolescents may have many contributing factors. For example, WebMD has stated depression may be caused by developing a sense of worthlessness based off of one’s grades on its own. Social Status, sexual orientation, life at home, lack of sleep, and even a stressful environment or too much anxiety can contribute to the development of a depressive disorder. Though the list of signs of depression is not an exhaustive list, some signs may include loss

Adolescents suffering from depression or less likely to respond to these treatments if they are suffering from a coexisting disorder such as substance abuse.
Anxiety is a normal human reaction caused by a perception of danger or threat. A person will feel physical sensations such as sweaty hands, queasiness or nausea, trembling of the hands or legs, etc. However, it is possible to have an abnormal amount of anxiety, hence the anxiety disorder. According to TeensHealth, anxiety disorders - mental illnesses consisting of excessive anxiety, fear, dread, nervousness, etc. causing the sufferer to feel tense, always on alert, and constantly distracted - are very common health