Typical Teenage Depression Explained

Teenage is indisputably the hardest part of anyone's life. It's a time of mental, physical and hormonal changes. And teenagers are highly sensitive to what happens around them. The need to fit in, conform find support, recognize oneself, all these make a teen's life a complex one.

For those of us who have survived our teens, it certainly is a relief. But not all teenagers get through their teens as smoothly as others. Many times parents tend to think that their teenagers are only going through mood swings. The many changes that go on inside a teen do result in their being angry and more irritable. But many times the mood swings are not temporary. The teen is going through a very tiring time emotionally and may react in different ways.

Your teen may be depressed for a number of reasons in addition to the changes he or she is going through. Two main reasons are;

1. Unresolved Grief: the loss of loved one such as a parent, a sibling, a grandparent, a breakup, parent's divorce, or some other traumatic event may lead the teen into deep depression.

2. Emotional Detachment: if a teen fears bonding with other of his or her age, or is not very good at interpersonal skills the result may be depression due to the isolation.

A general perception about teen depression is that it tends to affect girls more than boys. The fact is that both are equally affected, the only difference is that twice as many girls are likely to acknowledge and seek help about their depression than boys. Boys tend to deal with depression by turning to gangs or other anger-oriented activities.

There are many symptoms that you're teen is going through depression. They may be sleeping more, becoming more socially isolated, think about or fear death all too much. They may also be acting more aggressively or getting into trouble more and on a regular basis. All these are a teen's cry for help.

Teen depression is not something you should ignore. And it's not a temporary phase that will go away by itself. Teens are at a greater danger of committing suicide at this stage and these are the thoughts that circulate their minds through a depression. A recent survey showed that only 20% of the teenagers who go through depression actually receive help. This is alarmingly low, but the reason behind it is that, unlike adults, teenagers are not independent to get help or therapy. For this they have to depend on their guardians, parents, teachers, etc.

If an individual lives a depressed tee life, they can grow up with severe psychological problems. These range from eating disorders, personality disorders, substance abuse and yes many will try to commit suicide or homicide as well. A depressed won't display the adult signs of depression, he or she will most likely become angrier, more agitated, they may change their friend's circle and start hanging out with a new crowd, grades may fall, they may indulge in substance abuse or try drugs.

• John Palsson
• 20/12/2008, 8:59 AM
• 0 Comments