Teen Depression

Teen depression is something that has become more common in houses each passing year, despite all the advances in other areas of our lives, it seems that teenagers still tend to feel depressed with their lives. As a parent this is very alarming. The signs of clinical depression can have terrible consequences if they are not treated soon enough.

Statistics show us that one in eight teenagers suffer from depression, and what is worse is that the majority of these teenagers simply go on their own without any kind of help. They just “survive” this phase until they are adults.

Why does this happens? According to a report in 2002 by Brown University, it was found out that parents (even the ones who have great communications with their sons and daughters) fail to recognize the symptoms of teen depression. It is important then to know these symptoms and find out the best way to help our kids.

Teen Depression Symptoms

In order to act, one must first know the symptoms of depression in teenagers. You should be on the lookout for signs of sadness, despair, hopelessness or lack of interest in anything, observe your kid and listen at how she/he expresses. Depressed teens also are very irritable and anxious and they just seem to get into trouble with siblings, with parents, authority figures, etc.

Sometimes, depression expresses in the way of physical symptoms such as muscle pain, headache, insomnia, increased or decreased appetite and weight. If you can't tell by the way they express, this is a good way to start noticing any symptom.

In general you'll notice like they are “fading away”, not taking interest in nothing, missing classes, dropping out of sports, loneliness, etc.

Teen Depression Treatment

Treatment for teen depression is different than that of adult depression. The main difference is that at their age, they have not fully developed the emotional and mental tools to go through this phase on their own. Sure, there may be exceptions, but the majority of teenagers simply can't stand depression and learn how to deal with it. That's why they en up resorting to drugs, alcohol, and dangerous activities.

You should avoid denial, recognizing teen depression as a problem is the most important step, because it is the first step that will cure the kid from this illness (yes, it is an illness, like diabetes). After you recognize the problem and do something, instead of blaming someone or something else, the next step is get your kid to talk to a professional, and at the same time respect his/her condition by being discreet and understanding.

There are schools who have a counselor for these types of problem, but if your kid doesn't want to go to school counseling, a psychologist could be the better aid to fight teen depression. They are experienced people who know how to effectively treat your kid and at the same time will guide you on what you have to do as a parent. In these cases sometimes medication is recommended, although it could be seen as a great and quick answer to the problem, first talk with the doctor about all the side effects and other alternative treatments.