The road to adulthood is filled with ups and downs. Most adolescents sustain only minor scrapes along the way while others spiral out of control. Part of this problem is that across this planet 7% of all adolescents suffer from Major Depressive Disorder.

In an attempt to help and inform those who suffer from this disorder American Montage Inc has partnered with teens suffering from depression and those on the frontlines of fighting it have come together to create the latest in the series Growth Under Pressure: Teenage Depression.

Eric Marciano's twenty year history of producing works on issues surrounding teens and their health has led him to his latest endeavor. "Many of the films I've previously produce: depression disorders, body image and self-esteem, and self-injury, are coping mechanisms that appear to be related to depression. So it seemed natural that we would embark on making a film about what appears to be a root cause of so many problems."

American Montage as searched across the country and gathered together the best therapists in the field. Through in depth interviews with the leading professionals in pediatric medicine we will define clinical depression, explore its origins and examine the pros and cons of the modern treatment options for adolescents struggling with depression.

Dr. Shaffer, the founder of TeenScreen - a high school program that screens adolescents for depression - explains, "We need to stop this disease before it starts. In order for this to happen teens and parents need to know what depression looks like, what can lead a person down this road and what to do if you're already there."

Dr Moira Rynn, an associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University notes: "Depression is dangerous because it doesn't manifest like the chicken pox easily hiding behind the guise of teenage mood swings." With a system constantly in a state of flux, mentally and physically, teens may fail to recognize the symptoms and are much more likely to go untreated for longer periods of time.

However, it doesn't have to be this way. Through interviews with Dr. Steven Schlozman, a child psychiatrist at Massachusetts General and professor at Harvard we provide a straightforward Strategy for diagnosing adolescents. Dr. Karyn Ruiz, a psychologist at Beth Israel Hospital in New York, goes on to discuss the varying treatment options and how to tailor them to each individual patient

The end result of this film is to explore the intricacies of depression in order to help those suffering from it and their support systems. If you know or suspect someone who suffers from this or you do yourself then this is program could be very helpful.