Depression in Teenagers

Depression Can Happen To Anyone

As we discussed in the previous article on Teenage Depression, depression in teenagers may be caused by

• a chemical imbalance that is prevalent in the family,
• or by an experience that your teenager finds overwhelming and traumatic.

What Could be a Traumatic or Difficult Experience?

• A family break-up,

• Child abuse,
• An accident,
• The death of a parent or someone close.

It could be something that you, as an adult, would find upsetting, but not traumatic.

Like:

• Moving house,
• Failing at school,
• Breaking up with a girl/boyfriend,
• A parent starting a new job and being tense and preoccupied.

What Can You Do?

• Talk to your GP about what you believe is going on and ask for their advice on how to proceed and on what types of counseling are available in your area.
• Talk to your teenager. Let them know that you love them and that there is help available for them.
• Encourage them to talk about how they feel. Take your time. It may be difficult for them to put into words how they feel.
• Book them in to see the counselor or specialist your GP referred you to. A young teen will probably be compliant and go along with you. An older teen may need to be coerced and/or involved in choosing where they go and who they speak to.
• Be loving and patient. Be available. Take notice of things your teen does well.
• Maintain the usual boundaries and rules, just try to keep your voice and emotions under control if you have to reprimand your teen.
• Encourage your teen to maintain friendships and activities that they enjoy and that are positive.
• Depression in teenagers can lead to suicide. Take any comments about it seriously. Be calm. Talk about others ways to take away the pain they are feeling. You will find more information about suicide here…
• Take notice of your teen giving away precious possessions as this can indicate an intention to suicide.
• If you have a gun in or near your home, remove it. If you need it as part of your work (police duty or farm work, etc) then you will need to take extra care with locking it away.
• All prescription medicines as well as paracetamol should be locked away.
• Don't make a big deal or even mention you are doing these last two points. It's just likely to make your teen feel worse.

If you teenager is refusing help and you fear their life is in danger you will need to make decisions to protect them. Your GP will help with this.

Spot depression in teenagers early and help your child to enjoy growing into adulthood.

Managing Depression

You will be able to support your teen through this time better if you have adequate support for yourself as well.

Read more here...

What Are the Signs of Teenage Depression?

Read about the three most common types of depression to help you decide if you need to talk to your GP.

Read more here...

Help For Teenage Depression

There are many ways to treat depression. Some alleviate the black mood, some lift it completely.

Your teenager may never suffer from depression again, or they may battle it periodically through out their lives.

Commonsense says that early intervention will give the best outcome for your teenager's longterm health.

Read more here...

Teen Suicide

Depression in teenagers is often accompanied by thoughts of suicide. You will need to know what to look out for.

Sometimes, suicide can be a quick decision based on a single traumatic event. Again, know what to look out for.

Read more here...

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