Symptoms of Depression in Teenagers
If you are here looking for symptoms of depression in teenagers then chances are you have been having a pretty tough time. There can be nothing harder for a parent than watching their child be unhappy, but depression takes unhappy to a whole new level. Most teenagers are going to have their times of being irritable and not getting along with their parents, but when depression happens, it can be not only difficult, but scary.
Being depressed isn’t just bad moods, teen depression can lead to problems at school as well as at home, drug abuse, self loathing and low self-esteem can lead to suicide or self mutilation.
There are things that you can do if you see symptoms of depression in your teenager including talking about the problem, offering help and giving them a way to get back on track.
Someone who is depressed may fight the assistance, but deep down they do want it, the signs of depression are there because they want help escaping the horrible feelings they are having. They cannot control these feelings, but that doesn’t mean they want to be feeling them, teenagers who are depressed for various reason usually don’t feel like they have anyone to turn to. Be a soft place for them to land rather than a problem adding to theirs.
The first thing to do is recognize the signs, if you are a parent of a depressed teenager, or you are the teenager looking for help yourself, learn the symptoms of depression so that you can start to treat them.
– feeling sad or hopeless
– being irritable, angry or hostile
– being tearful or crying frequently
– withdrawing from friends and family
– loss of interest in activities
– changes in sleeping and/or eating habits
– being restless or agitated
– feelings of worthlessness or guilt
– having no motivation or enthusiasm for things
– fatigue or low energy
– having difficult concentrating
– thoughts of suicide or death
If you know of someone, or you yourself are experiencing any of these symptoms, the first thing you need to do is, accept them and know it isn’t your fault or anything you’ve done. Sometimes these things can be caused by trauma, an outside source causing you strife, or even hormonal changes. Don’t feel bad because you are feeling depressed, accept it and now ask for help.
Once you’ve established that what you are seeing or experiencing isn’t your typical “being a teenager” behavior, it is time to assess how long the symptoms have been present, how severe they care and different the behavior is from the norm.
Symptoms of depression in teenagers can look quite different from depression in adults. Being irritable or angry is usually at the forefront in a teenager rather than an adult. Unexplained aches and pains, such as headaches or stomachaches can be an indicator of depression. Teenagers who are over sensitive to criticism can often feel signs of worthlessness and suffer from severe depression.
Withdrawing from some, but not all people, is a huge different between teenagers and adults, adults tend to withdraw from everyone, teenagers typically keep up at least some of their friendships. However, one thing to note is teenagers who had problems socializing before may pull away from their parents and/or start hanging out with a different crowd.
Now that you know the symptoms of depression in teenagers, it’s time to do something about it. Seek professional help to learn where to go from here so you can effectively be there to help your child get through this difficult time.