I can remember being depressed as a teenager and I think the main problems were connected with school and having to do sports which I hated! But sometimes when you have to deal with the question is your teenager depressed, there may be many more symptoms present.
Looking at these, I think my depression was mild and I was able to get out of it.
But for the average depressed teenager, it may not be so easy.
The symptoms can range from hostility, anger, crying for no particular reason, oversleeping, restlessness, sadness, withdrawal from social events and contacts, low energy levels and suicidal thoughts.
These may well be the natural response to the anxiety of getting through adolescence which, let us face it, is no picnic! There are hormonal changes which can cause startling changes and the challenges and competition from a society which values success and good looks above many other more valuable virtues.
We need to keep in mind that untreated depression in teenagers could lead to serious problems such as reckless behavior, violence, aggression, suicidal thoughts and committing felonies or getting involved in substance abuse, self injury and alcoholism.
Is your teenager depressed? Here are five ways you can help.
1.
Try to keep the lines of communication open.
That means finding out what the problem could be.
If your teen is willing, he or she may be able to pinpoint the problem which could be an academic one or a social/ personal one.
But you have to make sure that there is no element of criticism or lecturing or pontificating.
This is after all, a discovery session and one where you are offering support.
2.
With or without his or help maybe you can pinpoint what is making your teenager depressed and if you cannot solve it, then you should seek professional help.
This should all be done without telling the rest of the family or even the whole neighborhood.
! 3.
Once you get professional help, try to work out a plan which is best for your teenager.
That may mean rejecting the use of anti-depressants because sometimes their side effects can be devastating and can lead to more depression and suicidal thoughts.
There are warnings on the medications about this risk.
There is a high risk of suicide in the first few months of treatment so careful monitoring is needed.
4.
Make sure you consider the options that can work in tandem with any treatment you choose.
After all, medication is just easing the symptoms.
What about talk therapy? Have you taken into consideration a diet and an exercise plan? 5.
The fifth way to avoid making your teenager depressed is to ensure that you have an open supportive approach to the problem.
Encourage your teen to read about his problem and be there all the time to offer friendly and affectionate support.
Finally, do not be steamrolled into the use of anti-depressants.
To help you in making an informed choice, I have built a website page where the options of herbal depression treatment are discussed.
I hope this will help you to make a decision on what is best for your depressed teenager.