Young Goths and Depression: Reality or Myth?

Researchers could not fully justify the relation, but young goths appear to be more likely to suffer from depression or to self-harm, according to new research.

Participants were asked whether they identified themselves with number of youth subcultures – including “sportys”, “populars”, “skaters”, “chavs”, “loners”, “keeners” – those who work hard in school, and “bimbos”. The research based on surveys of 3,694 British teens, found that 15-years-olds passionate about the goth subculture were three times more likely to diagnosed with clinical depression and five times more likely to self-harm by the age of 18.

Goths and Depression

“Our study does not show that being a goth causes depression or …show more content…
Bowes believes it is important to try to reduce stigmatisation because it’s still very possible that the findings could be explained by the extent to which goths and other subcultures are ostracised or stigmatised by society, she explained.
Dr Gillian Moore-Groarke, a consultant psychologist said most teens have found in the Goth image a way of expressing their frustrations with the expectations of their peers.
Teen to adult transition
So, What happens when a teenage goth grows up?
Dr Paul Hodkinson, deputy head of Surrey University's sociology department and an expert in youth music subcultures, has been re-interviewing a group of goths he first studied in the late 1990s to find out.
Older goths are more likely to stick to the subculture contrarly to most people such as punk and rave who tend to drift away in their 20s, The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/education/2011/oct/24/goth-culture-research

reported.
To outsiders, it's the appearances http://www.dollskill.com/dolls/gothic-clothing.html that stand out: long, dyed-black hair, black clothes, pale faces, and dramatic eye make-up. However, it’s something much deeper that binds goths together. Their social lives are so intertwined with the scene that it “would feel very odd to leave it," Hodkinson