Every parent wants their children to be healthy and happy. When your child is young, you can tell they’re sick due to fever or have a tendency to whine. When your child turns into a teenager, however, symptoms of depression appear different. Are you aware of what to look out for if your teenager is suffering from depression?
A recent study in California states that nearly 40% of 11th-grade girls have depression-related feelings and that 30 percent of boys were the same. That’s a lot of numbers for children. Unfortunately, parents are often the first to discover the fact that their child is suffering from depression.
To help your child and ensure they get the support and attention they require, parents should be aware of the signs in teenagers appear to be. Learn more about Teen Depression.
Parents of teens understand that teenagers are moody by nature. Teens also naturally act out sometimes. This makes it difficult for parents to pinpoint the differences between these natural behaviors and depression symptoms in teens. Depression is a condition that affects the very personality of the teenager.
Depression destroys a teen’s ability to enjoy life. Parents are also often confused because they expect depression to look the same in teenagers as in adults. The symptoms of depression manifest themselves differently for teens.
Anger
A constant sense of anger or irritability is often one of the depression symptoms in teens. Adults often exhibit sadness when depressed, but teens seem to channel their depression as anger. The anger may have a specific target, or it may be generalized to anyone nearby.
Physical Pain
When teenagers constantly complain of aches and pains that cannot be pinpointed or explained by their medical doctor, it could be a sign of depression. This should be closely monitored as teens experiencing physical pain associated with depression may turn to substance abuse to alleviate the pain. Who should closely monitor medications in the home?
Extreme Sensitivity
Depressed teens are usually hypersensitive to any form of criticism, no matter how gently it is presented. This is a result of the fact that during the depression, a person’s sense of self-worth is greatly compromised.
Any criticism on any topic only increases these feelings of worthlessness. It is important to tread carefully in this area as teens suffering from depression have an irrational sense of self-loathing.
Withdrawal
When normally outgoing kids suddenly want to spend all of their time alone or spend time with only one person, it could be a sign of depression. If you see this in your teen, pay close attention to the person they want to spend time with. Teens will often gravitate toward people that feed their depression rather than help alleviate it.
Other Symptoms
Other more common symptoms are disturbances in eating patterns. Overeating and undereating are both signs of depression. Whether sleeping too much or sleeping too little, changes in sleep patterns can also be signs of depression. Changes in school performance and lack of enthusiasm over activities that Who once enjoyed should also be considered.
How to Help with Teen Depression
Just like you would want to help your child if they were physically sick, a parent wants to help their child if they are depressed. The best way to begin helping your child is to make them feel safe, not threatened.
Many parents take a child’s change in behavior personally as if the child is doing this to make the parent’s life more difficult. This is not the case. Establish a sense of sincere concern and compassion with your child. This can set the groundwork for your teen to open up about what they are feeling.
Talk
Talk to you, teen. This is different than talking to your teen. If your teen is depressed, lecturing them will not help them overcome their depression. You don’t even have to talk about how they are feeling all of the time. Talk to them about anything they want to talk about. Most depression is a result of feelings of isolation. When a teen feels included, it can help them overcome their depression.
Help Build Relationships
Help your teen get out of their comfort zone, meet people, and form support systems that can get their minds off their depression. Sports, activities, or support groups are a great way to get depressed teens to open up and expand their horizons.
Know When It’s Serious
If you suspect that your teen is clinically depressed or has expressed suicidal feelings, they need professional counseling. Do not let your sense of shame stand in the way of helping your child. Teen suicide is an increasing problem in the U.S. and is not something to be taken lightly. Many depressed teens have recovered very well after professional counseling and medication and have been able to live normal, happy lives with the help of their parents and loved ones.
