Teenagers are often moody, easily irritated, and suffer from erratic mood swings. Most times these are just a part of normal development and fade away with adulthood, but sometimes sadness, lethargy, and moodiness can be extreme or persist long enough to indicate a deeper problem. That problem is depression.
Below is a parenting guide that can help you recognize depression in your teen, recognize possible root causes, and show you how you can help your depressed teen cope with their condition. Depression is not chronic. The right combination of support, professional treatment, and care can help your teen recover to live a healthy and meaningful life.
What Is Teen Depression?
Depression is a serious mental health condition that causes aberrations in mood, energy, motivation, and interest in life. Recognizing signs of depression early can make treatment easier, but left unchecked it can lead to self-harm and suicide.
Depression in teens goes beyond your average moodiness and irritability. The turmoil of hormones during a teen’s development can make for some hair-raising situations at home or school, but severe sadness, moodiness, and lack of drive persisting for longer than a couple of weeks can indicate the roots of depression taking hold.
What Are the Difficulties That Come With Parenting a Depressed Teen?
It can be very challenging, stressful, and disheartening to parent a depressed teen. Watching your child suffer can give rise to feelings of frustration, guilt, and helplessness. You may face communication problems, conflicts, withdrawal, and other relationship issues with your team during this time.
Below are a few common difficulties that are associated with parenting a depressed adolescent.
- Comprehending the indicators and causes of teen depression. Teen depression may not look like the characteristic sadness or low mood that adults experience from time to time, and this can make it hard to detect. Adolescents with depression may exhibit more grumpiness, irritation, or acting-out behaviors and may also hide their emotions or deny that they have a problem. Teen depression can be rooted in various elements, such as genetic factors, stressors, trauma, or mental or physical health conditions.
- Getting your teen to seek and accept help. Teens are known to be reclusive and elusive, and many suffering from depression are unwilling to seek help or admit that they need it. This can be due to feelings of shame, hopelessness, or fear of being judged or ridiculed by their peers. Teenagers also occasionally distrust adults or authority figures or think that no one can understand or help them.
- Supporting your teen through treatment and recovery. Even after agreeing to get professional help, it can take some time for your teen to feel comfortable enough with their therapist to open up about their emotions and experiences. They may suffer side effects from medication, drop out of therapy, stop following their treatment plan, or even experience relapses during their recovery process.
- Taking care of yourself and your family. Parenting a depressed teen, combined with the regular stresses and challenges of a normal adult life can take a toll on your own mental and physical health, as well as your relationships with other family members. The demands and responsibilities of caring for your teen can be overwhelming, and you may find yourself neglecting your own self-care and interests, or isolating yourself from your peers and social community that can support you.
How Can You Tell if Your Teen Is Dealing With Depression?
With adolescents, you can expect the occasional mood swings and acting out. Depression is a completely different, and more serious, issue. Depression can consume the core of your teen’s personality and replace it with despair, sadness, and anger.
A few of the ways in which teens act out in an attempt to cope with their emotional pain are
Persistent Negative Moods
Systematic crying because of an all-encompassing sense of hopelessness is a common depression indicator. Adolescents with depression may not necessarily come across as sad, and irritability, anger, and agitation are typically the most noticeable symptoms.
School Problems
Depression can lead to lethargy and difficulties with concentrating on tasks. This can lead to poor school attendance, tardiness, and increasingly poor academic performance.
Decreased Interest in Activities
Your teen suffering from depression may lose interest and enjoyment in hobbies that they once spent a lot of time engaging in.
Running Away
Many adolescents pull disappearing acts or run away from home as a subliminal cry for help.
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Depression has led many teens to experiment with drugs and/or alcohol in desperate attempts to “feel something” and cope with their issues. Teenage drinking makes the situation much worse and can lead to co-occurring disorders which make treatment more difficult.
Low Self-Esteem
Depression can trigger or enhance feelings of ugliness, failure, shame, and unworthiness.
Smartphone Addiction
Teenagers often go online for the endorphin rush and to escape their problems. This is a two-edged sword, as excessive smartphone use and internet time only increases their isolation and makes their depression worse.
Reckless Behavior
Depressed teens may become adrenalin junkies and engage in dangerous or high-risk behaviors in order to feel, such as reckless driving, binge drinking, and unsafe sexcapades.
Violence
Occasionally, depressed teens (usually boys who are the victims of bullying) can become overly aggressive and violent towards others.
Erratic Sleeping and Eating Patterns
Adolescents with depression may spend an inordinate amount of time sleeping or suffer from sudden insomnia. These teens may also eat drastically more or less than usual.
What Are Some Symptoms of Teen Depression?
Signs and symptoms of teen depression can present themselves in various ways, such as:
- Continually feeling sad, irritable, or angry for no apparent reason
- Failing appeal or pleasure in activities that used to be satisfying
- Insomnia or oversleeping
- Changes in appetite or weight
- Feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, or guilt
- Trouble concentrating, remembering, or decision making
- Restlessness or agitation
- Physical pains, such as headaches, stomachaches, or back pain
- Abusing alcohol or drugs to cope with adverse emotions
- Isolating from peers and family
- Poor academic performance and absenteeism
- Abandoning self-care and personal hygiene
- Angry outbursts, disruptive or risky behaviors, or other forms of acting out
- Self-harming, such as cutting or burning
- Pondering death, dying, or suicide
Symptoms will vary in severity and duration, and not all depressed adolescents will exhibit all of them. If you or someone you know has shown several of these signs for more than two weeks, seek professional help immediately.
Differences Between Teen and Adult Depression
Depression can affect anyone at any stage of life, but the causes and symptoms between teens and adults can differ. Here are a few of the major differences between teen and adult depression.
Causes of Depression in Teens and Adults
While teens and adults both can suffer depression due to genetic, environmental, or social elements, teens face more developmental-related challenges, such as hormonal changes, peer pressure, identity issues, academic stress, or family problems.
Symptoms of Depression in Teens and Adults
A persistently low mood is the most common symptom of depression in adults, while teens typically demonstrate irritability, anger, or withdrawal. Teens often also have more difficulties with their schoolwork, sleep patterns, and appetite. Suicidal behaviors and self-harming, risky behaviors are also more common with teens.
Depression Treatment for Teens and Adults
Teens and adults can collectively benefit from depression treatment, such as psychotherapy, medication, or lifestyle changes. Teens will need more familial and peer support combined with specialized care from mental health professionals who understand their individual needs.
What Are Some Symptoms of Teen Depression?
Signs and symptoms of teen depression can present themselves in various ways, such as:
Causes of Depression in Teens and Adults
While teens and adults both can suffer depression due to genetic, environmental, or social elements, teens face more developmental-related challenges, such as hormonal changes, peer pressure, identity issues, academic stress, or family problems.
Symptoms of Depression in Teens and Adults
A persistently low mood is the most common symptom of depression in adults, while teens typically demonstrate irritability, anger, or withdrawal. Teens often also have more difficulties with their schoolwork, sleep patterns, and appetite. Suicidal behaviors and self-harming, risky behaviors are also more common with teens.
Depression Treatment for Teens and Adults
Teens and adults can collectively benefit from depression treatment, such as psychotherapy, medication, or lifestyle changes. Teens will need more familial and peer support combined with specialized care from mental health professionals who understand their individual needs.
Is Suicidal Ideation Linked To Teen Depression?
Extremely depressed adolescents, particularly those suffering from a co-occurring issue such as alcohol use disorder (AUD) or a substance use disorder (SUD) often think about, speak of, or attempt suicide. The suicide rate of depressed teens is rapidly increasing annually, so take any suicidal thoughts or behaviors very seriously.
Suicide warning cues to watch for:
- Joking, talking, or about committing suicide
- Expressing things like, “I’d be better off dead,” “I wish I could disappear forever,” “There’s no way out,” or “Everything is so pointless.”
- Speaking positively about death or glorifying dying (“People might love me more if I died.”)
- Writing poems and stories about suicide, death, or dying
- Participating in reckless behavior or having a lot of injury-inducing accidents
- Giving away cherished possessions
- Saying final goodbyes to friends and family
- Hunting for weapons, pills, or other ways to kill themselves
What Are Some Causes of Teen Depression?
There are many factors that can contribute to teen depression, such as.
Genetic Vulnerability
Teens with a family history of depression face a higher risk of developing the dread disorder. This can alter how their brain responds to stress and emotions.
Environmental and Social Stressors
Adolescents may face various difficulties in their lives, such as trauma, bullying, loss, abuse, academic pressure, family problems, or identity issues, and these can trigger or exacerbate feelings of sorrow, despair, and worthlessness.
Additional Mental and Physical Health Conditions
Teens suffering from anxiety, eating disorders, ADHD, or learning disabilities are more prone to develop depression.
Bullying
Bullying destroys a teen’s self-esteem and adds unnecessary stress to their already turbulent life, and can trigger feelings of extreme helplessness and hopelessness.
Lack of Social Support
Teens who feel isolation, rejection, or a lack of love and support from their family or peers may develop depression. This becomes increasingly true for teens who struggle with their sexual orientation or gender identity in an unsupportive environment.
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Depressed teens can see substances and alcohol as a means of coping, but this makes the effects of depression much worse due to how alcohol and drugs can interfere with normal brain development, mood regulation, and healthy coping skills.
Excessive Social Media Use
Teenagers who spend excessive amounts of time online risk overexposure to negative influences, such as cyberbullying, unrealistic comparisons, or FOMO (fear of missing out), which can make them neglect physical activity, and face-to-face interactions, and affect their sleep quality, all of which important for healthy mental health development.
What Are Some Tips for Parents Who Are Trying to Parent and Help Their Depressed Teen?
You now understand the challenges associated with parenting a depressed teen. Below are a few tips that can help you and your child cope better.
- Try to fully understand your teen’s feelings and emotions without judging, or criticizing before jumping in with solutions or advice. Depression can make your teen feel useless, helpless, and misunderstood, so your compassion and support will help validate their feelings and let them know you care.
- Collaborate with your teen on developing better problem-solving and social awareness skills. Rather than ordering them around, find out what they need and want and help them explore their options and objectives. Compliment their efforts and achievements, no matter how small they may seem.
- Focus on the big picture rather than on the negative aspects of your teen’s behavior. The lack of motivation, erratic sleeping habits, and poor academic performance in your teen are signs of depression, not laziness, rebellion, or disrespect. Look beyond the surface and recognize your teen’s resilience and potential.
- Encourage your teen to stay physically active, eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, spend time with supportive friends and family, and pursue hobbies and interests that bring them joy. This can improve their mood and well-being and help other depression treatments that they may be undertaking.
- Seek professional help for your teen if their depression is intense, constant, or interfering with their daily functioning. A competent therapist can create a confidential and safe space to express their feelings, explore the root causes of their depression, and learn coping skills and strategies to overcome it.
These are but a few of the many things that you can use to help you parent a depressed teen. You are not alone, help is available for you.
References
https.//www.nationwidechildrens.org/conditions/health-library/major-depression-in-teens
https.//www.aaets.org/traumatic-stress-library/teen-depression-a-guide-for-parents
https.//www.helpguide.org/articles/depression/parents-guide-to-teen-depression.htm