Sleep Deprivation, Depression, & Teens

Elsewhere I've seen articles surfacing noting the link between lack of sleep and depression. As an addict gamer I had a years long pattern of sleep deprivation so I could game more and more and more.

This article is specific about noting the link for teens (and perhaps may cause some parents to rethink putting a computer or other gaming devices in the teen's bedroom, as opposed to in a common space in the house)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8435955.stm

Of 15,500 12 to 18-year-olds studied, those who went to bed after midnight were 24% more likely to have depression than those who went before 2200.

And those who slept fewer than five hours a night had a 71% higher risk of depression than those who slept eight hours, the journal Sleep reports.

It is estimated 80,000 UK children and young people have depression.

The researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York looked at data from 15,500 teenagers collected in the 1990s.

One in 15 of those studied were found to have depression.

As well as the higher risk of depression, those who were set a bedtime by their parents of after midnight were 20% more likely to think about suicide than those whose bedtime was 2200 or earlier.

Those who had less than five hours sleep a night were thought to have a 48% higher risk of suicidal thoughts compared with those who had eight hours of sleep.

Teenagers who reported they "usually get enough sleep" were 65% less likely to be depressed.