The teenage years are some of the most difficult times that we will go through and teenage depression is more common than many people think. Many factors are hitting us at a very fast rate and it is easy for a teen to get emotionally unbalanced.
One of the largest factors in teenage depression is hormone change. As a child starts to turn into an adult physically there is a change in hormones. This can contribute to mood swings, which include depression. Your teen may not even know what is causing their depression and sometimes it is difficult to diagnose.
Another reason might be emotional. It is difficult for a teen to adjust emotionally to the change from childhood to adulthood. They want to get treated like an adult but do not have the necessary skills in judgment and experience to handle every adult situation. Sometimes they will insist on non-rational decisions, which will have a bad effect on them. This may lead to teenage depression, as they feel deep down that they are unable to handle situations and have low self-esteem.
Sexual drive is strong at this time of life and may result in poor judgment with relationships. This can lead to a lot of turmoil for a teen and can throw them into a very depressive state. This depression may get so bad that there is a danger of suicide.
Peer pressure can make a teen feel inadequate and they may be feeling the need to do something even though they know it to be wrong. This can make them feel depressed as they feel that they are not in with the crowd.
Symptoms may include:
1. Withdrawal: You may find your teen shutting themselves in their room and not wanting to interact with anyone. Or they are just moping around the house and do not want to talk to other family members or eve their friends.
2. Irritability: they may be irritable and not want to talk to anyone.
3. A feeling of low self esteem
4. Lethargy-not wanting to do anything
5. A depression that can momentarily improve by some happy event
6. Generally sad and prone to cry easily
7. Suicidal tendencies.
8. Sexual promiscuity
Teenage years are hard on an adolescent and teenage depression is common. If you see changes in emotion and your child seems depressed it is wise to seek medical help as soon as possible. There is an extremely high rate of suicide among teens and much of it stems from depression. If teen depression is left unchecked it can develop into serious mental health issues so it is good to take your teen to the doctor or therapist before this happens.
