Attention to problems of health has traditionally been focused on problems of physical health, in spite of very clear signs that the number of cases of impaired health of a psychosocial and mental character is rising. According to estimates of the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 20 percent of children and adolescents suffer from problems of mental health that can result in their becoming disabled. A statistical analysis of the factors that provoke the emergence of symptoms of mental disorders (depression and nervous breakdowns) among adolescents was carried out via the logistical regression method. It was found that the prevalence of mental disorders among adolescents is determined by a number of mutually intersecting demographic, social, and economic factors. The author examines these factors in greater detail. First, the author focuses on those that have a direct influence (independent of other factors) on the emergence of symptoms of mental disorders. Then, the author turns to those whose influence on the emergence of adolescent depression is mediated by other factors. (Contains 2 tables and 1 note.)