Your Teen and Depression

Raising a teen is not easy and you might already know that teen depression is pretty common. More and more teenagers are going through depression and related issues while growing up and this can be very hard on the parent as well as they often don’t know how to go about helping the child. How do you know if your child is depressed and what can you do about it if they are? There are different options for you but first you need to inform yourself on how to recognize the signs.

Depression is an illness that creates feelings of sadness, hopelessness and despair which persist for some time and can interfere with the child’s ability to function. It may also lead to suicidal thoughts or attempts. Depression is a human emotion that everyone feels at some time but when it is severe and persistent, it often refers to a mental health illness.

Teens who are under stress, those who experience a loss, or those who have certain learning attention, behavior or anxiety disorders are all more likely to suffer from depression. Teenage girls are also more likely to develop depression than teenage boys. In many cases, the depression runs in families and the depressed teen also has a depressed parent at home.

You need to understand the signs of depression so you can look for them in your teen and get your child help if needed. You also need to remember that a depressed teen will not react the same way that a depressed adult will and you should not expect them to “get over it”. Some depressed teens will have psychiatric disorders, behavior disorders or problems with drugs and alcohol. They have frequent sexual activity or participate in gang or gang-like activity as well.

If you notice one or more of the signs of depression in your child, you should seek help for them. Often parents don’t even notice the signs until it is too late. Some teens hide it well and sometimes parents simply don’t know what to look for or they think it is “just a phase”. Look for these signs in your teen:

• Frequent sadness, tearfulness and/or crying.
• Hopelessness
• Decreased interest in activities
• Low energy and/or persistent boredom
• Loss of interest in prior hobbies or enjoyments
• Social isolation, loss of or lack of friends and peers
• Poor communication
• Low self esteem
• Guilt
• Increased irritability or hostility
• Easier to anger, aggressive
• Difficulty in relationships
• Frequent physical complaints such as headaches, stomachaches, etc
• Missing or skipping school, poor performance in schoolwork, avoiding school activities
• Poor concentration
• Change in eating or sleeping patterns
• Tries to run away or threatens to run away from home
• Thoughts or talk of suicide
• Suicide attempt or physical harm to self
• Harm to others or threaten to harm other
• Alcohol and drug abuse

It is very important that if you think your child may be suffering from depression, you get them help before you let it continue. Some parents think they can help their children on their own but getting help from a professional is always the safest approach. The professional can then tell you in what ways you can best help your teen through their depression. You might even need some help with your own depression.

Early diagnosis is important in helping your teen recover from depression. The longer the child is in depression, the deeper it gets and the more symptoms and consequences there will be as a result of that depression. Getting it taken care of as soon as possible ensures that it will be easier to treat and fewer long term results of it.

Remember that your teen’s treatment for depression will also include a lot of support from the family. Your teen may need counseling as well as it may help to have family counseling. This is something you must all work together on to get the best results. Your teen did not get depressed on their own and you can’t expect them to get through this on their own.

You also can’t expect to just take them to the doctor and have it “fixed” like a broken bone. It takes time to get to the root of the problem and then find the best way to treat it and resolve it. Your teen needs your support and your love more than anything else right now.

Raising a Teenager When the War on Drugs is on

Teens and the Moral Demise of our World

Raising Your Teenager to be Successful

Tips for Parenting Teenagers

The Journey Through Teen Years

The Problem With Apologies

The Art Of Raising Teens

Parenting With Love... And Logic?