Troubled Teenagers and Depression
It’s important to remember that troubled teenagers suffering from depression need your support.
In this article we will look at the different types of depression and what help is available.
Information about suicide is provided here…
Common Types of Depression
The Depressed Mood
• This is generally pretty short lived.
• A depressed mood is characterized by feeling ‘blue’ or ‘down’. It’s a niggling feeling of sadness that is deflating but doesn’t interfere with going to school, playing sport, or whatever else is on.
• It may be triggered by losing at sport, a fight with a friend, something they’d been looking forward to being cancelled, and so on.
• This type of depressed mood can usually be lifted by talking it through with a friend or parent, or being distracted by something fun.
Mild Depression
Known as ‘Dysthymia’, this is a persistent feeling of depression that can hang around for a year or more.
• Although mild, it needs to be taken seriously. Its persistence may have an impact on your teenager’s quality of life and may lead to other problems.
• Your teenager may drop out of sport or other activities they had previously enjoyed.
• They may be lethargic and find concentrating on school work becomes very difficult.
• They may over eat or find they have no appetite.
• They may develop insomnia but want to sleep all the time.
• They may believe they are worthless, no good at anything, that nobody likes them and that there is nothing to look forward to.
• This condition needs professional help to lift it. It may involve medication or counseling may be enough.
Seek help if you feel this describes your teen. This condition will have a knock on effect into other areas in your teen’s life.
Major Depression
This is a serious clinical illness. It is characterized by the person feeling extremely low all the time with no enjoyment of life. Suicide is a very real risk.
It can be brought on by the death of a loved one, breaking up with a girl or boyfriend, or a similar emotional and stressful time. It can also appear for no apparent reason.
Troubled teenagers may:
• Have no interest in their usual activities.
• Have trouble getting to and staying asleep.
• Start eating too much or have no appetite.
• Have no energy.
• Can’t cope with school work.
• Withdraw from friends.
• Talk about being worthless or no good.
• Be very emotional and sad.
• Become angry easily and be very touchy.
• Feel responsible for everything that goes wrong.
• They may start using drugs or drinking alcohol.
• Lose interest in how they look.
• Become a hypochondriac and believe they have a terminal illness.
• Suffer from severe headaches and other aches and pains.
• Not care about their own safety.
• Seek out ways to break rules, laws, and take risks.
• Make comments about ‘wishing they had never been born’ or that 'life isn’t worth living'.
• Become very interested in death and suicide.
What Can be Done to Help Troubled Teenagers?
The main treatment for depression in teenagers is:
Psychological therapy
• This is a counselling based therapy and is often used the first option before psychiatrists and medication.
• Psychologists provide tools for coping with negative ‘self talk’ and how to deal with stress.
Psychiatric care
• A psychiatrist will use medication to help ‘lift’ the depressed mood.
• Antidepressants may take a while to work and can sometimes have side effects but the overall results can be remarkable.
• Psychiatric care is most effective when used in conjunction with counseling or care from a psychologist.
Help your teenager to be patient with their treatment. It may take a while for counseling to make any impact and/or for medication to ‘kick in’.
It isn’t unusual for people to feel nausea or discomfort on medication in the first few weeks. Ask the psychiatrist to provide information about side effects and how to cope.
Who Can You Get Help For Troubled Teenagers?
• Your family doctor
• Mental health professionals: psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, counselors.
• Community mental health centers
• Hospital psychiatry departments and outpatient clinics
• Hospital emergency rooms in times of crisis
• School counsellors
• State hospital outpatient clinics
• Mental health support groups
• Family service/social agencies
• Private clinics and facilities
• Your friends and family
• Your teenager’s friends
Don’t forget to check in the phone book for local services under:
• mental health
• health
• health services
• suicide prevention
• crisis intervention services
• hotlines
• hospitals
• physicians
Your doctor is a good place to start. They will be able to put you in contact with all the relevant services available in your area.
Here’s a tip:
When you book to see a psychiatrist or psychologist you may find that you have to wait a long time to get an appointment. You may need to be a little pushy (and very polite or you’ll get no where). Give a brief run down on what is happening; be clear about your child’s age and how worried you are. If your teen has mentioned suicide then make sure you tell the receptionist. They will generally do their best to fit you in sooner.
In the meantime, do what you can to ease any pressure on your troubled teen. Sometimes just knowing that they are being taken seriously helps.
Knowing that you are supporting them and on their side can help troubled teenagers to ride out the days or weeks until their appointment
Read about teenagers and suicide here…
Return to depression in teenagers here…
Read about teenagers and drugs here…
Read about teenagers drinking here…
Return from Troubled Teenagers to Parenting Teens
Return from Troubled Teenagers to Better Living Ideas
|
