What You Need To Know About Teen Depression

In general, depression can be described as a mental state characterized by feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest . As these states will vary from one individual to another, it is imperative to keenly be on the look out for signs as most teenagers will go out of their way to hide their true feelings from their parents.

Fortunately for most parents, they have observed their children growing up to know when they are not in their element. What parents ought to know is that children, just like adults, are the end products of heredity, home and other environments like school. Expectations from parents, teachers, and their peers add weight to the already emotional roller-coaster that an average teen is going through.

An urgent need to detect tale-tale blips before things get out of hand is of paramount importance, because interpersonal and psychosocial difficulties that teenagers face later in life, more often than not, result from some form of depression. Instances of substance abuse, studies indicate, are the end result of depression.

Heredity factors are crucial because they determine how much teenagers will cope with changes that are going on in their bodies, as well as around them. For a start, mild forms of depression can be dealt with by short term psychotherapy, interventions at school or in the home environments.

In general, the following indicators point to some form of depression, but as already mentioned, individual difference occur: Mood swings, persistent sadness or irritability, loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, are clear signs of the mental states of your teenager. In some cases, significant change in appetite or body weight could be a sign that your child is physically inactive, over-eating (in some cases avoiding food), or there is either substance abuse or some psychological disturbance.

You may notice that lights are switched on late into the night (a sign of difficulty in finding sleep) in their rooms or they frequently oversleep. In some cases, schools will report that your teenage girl or son has either dropped in performance, or lost interest in activities where they have been excelling.

Ordinarily one or two of the above symptoms occurring in the life of a teenager should not be a worry to you, but if five or more of these symptoms persist for two or more weeks, it is now time for you to try and talk to your teenage child, or seek professional help if you cannot make any headway with them.

References
www.about-tee-depression.com
National Institute of Mental Health- www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/lets talk.cfm