When asked a few days ago by a medical professional if I was "depressed", I paused, laughed, and said, "no". My dermatologist took a long look at me and asked why I hesitated. I answered, "Well, I mean, yeah, I'm depressed, but aren't we all?"

At the time, I thought my response made enough sense to get out of an awkward conversation with a woman who was merely looking at my imperfect skin. But, looking back, I realize that, actually, we are not all depressed. Sure, everyone has their moments of feeling down, but not everyone has depression. What I've learned in the past few days, however, is that teenage and college age girls are at a higher risk for depression than boys of the same age, making my response a little more appropriate.

Though this may sound a little sexist, it's true--science can back me up on it! One study done in 2014 attributes this difference in guys and girls to the cognitive vulnerabilities of females as compared to their male counterparts. In the raging age of feminism, this explanation may be unsatisfactory; women don't want to be seen as "vulnerable", but rather capable and strong enough to handle their own emotions.

However, this information isn't as harsh as it appears; the vulnerabilities lie in the fact that girls are confronted with more "stressful events" in their adolescent development period. And while it is easy to say most young girls aren't faced with huge, full blown "stressful events"--like, finding a career, or buying a home--, they are still bombarded with interpersonal stressors on a daily basis. These interpersonal stressors are triggered by interactions between themselves and another--or several other--parties that may lead to an uncomfortable situation.

This is a classic example of a "mean girls" scenario: young women not only have to deal with course work, trying to figure out what they like and don't like, and growing up; but they deal with every single interaction on a much different level than males. Shown through studies performed in 1976 and 1994, it was discovered that women express more negative thoughts than men do. Though this information could be due to several factors, one of the most obvious sources of this negativity is the way women are paraded around in society as unattainably beautiful beings that have to be put together, all the time.

Of course, men are also bombarded with these outrageous images and propaganda, but as mentioned previously, men and women process these cues differently. Women are affected on a much more personal level when responding to these portrayals (hence the term "interpersonal stressors"). When peers of young women start to believe the things they see on tv, or begin reciting the ads they hear on the radio, that's where the interpersonal stressors come into play.

As girls are fed lies that are so easily accessible and prevalent, they scold and accost their peers that don't live up to their arbitrary and fabricated "expectations". Knowing firsthand, this generally comes in the form of verbal abuse; individuals, pairs, or groups of girls decide they need to correct another and confront her in a way that is less than loving. Once the confrontation has occurred, the accused also begins to believe there is something wrong with her.

I want to be careful in pointing out that this is not the only pathway to depression in young women, but it is certainly a road frequently taken. One method to combat this has been picked up by mainstream media: produce movies that show the strength of women. Hidden Figures is a prime example of displaying the empowerment young women should feel all the time; the movie aptly outlines how three women were trailblazers at the male-dominated NASA. Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson all faced adversity and had disagreements with women around them; they were looked down upon, told they couldn't fulfill their dreams, and were treated like absolute garbage. This can be analogous to the way society treats young women trying to live their lives: they tell them they are not good enough for the boy they like, they tell them they can't do anything because they are too young, and they are treated as less than men by getting lower pay wages. The characters portrayed in this film helped not only me, but girls across the nation feel important, and like they could make a change wherever they are in life.

Though depression is still a tough topic to tackle, movies and media like Hidden Figures are beginning to make headway when it comes to changing the way the world views women. When women in power show young girls that is it ok to be powerful alongside one another, their mindsets will begin to change, ultimately leading to a decrease in interpersonal stressors. With positive role models and examples of how to build each other up, hopefully, the depression rate in girls will go down and the thoughts being expressed will trend more on the positive side.

Take comfort in the fact that you are not alone in your depression, and in knowing that it is not your fault; your depression is not something you brought upon yourself or something you should feel ashamed of--it's literally part of our biochemistry! Also, remember that it is ok to feel sad, but not to stay sad. Depression is more than sadness--it is a jumbled mix of emotions that can lead to a feeling so over or underwhelming that numbness sets in. But, depression can be helped; don't use these facts as reasons not to get what you need, but see that there is hope in building relationships with people who want to help you reach your goals.