Teenage life has got to be the most pleasing stage in a persons life. This stage, however, is also the one where emotional feelings are predominant. A normal teenager usually feels the pressure of changes due to peer pressure, love life, identity crisis and simply puberty. Plus, teenage life is also the time when these kids and their parents start to argue because the former wants to feel liberated and independent. With all these, it would be hard to distinguish if the teenager is just having a mood swing or is experiencing depression.
There are some signs that might be able to help you tell when a teenager requires help with depression. Some of these are regular crying, loneliness, isolation from other people, anger, feeling of guilt, lack of interest in activities and energy, struggle with concentration, skipping of meals and even thinking or actually attempting suicide. If you are confused if it is just a normal phase for a teenager or if he needs help with depression, you should consider how often the aforementioned signs happen, how extreme they are and just how different your teen acts compared to his or her previous normal behavior.
If you would not be able to provide them the help with depression they need, then it could go beyond just an air of sadness and hopelessness. One of the most common results of untreated depression is substance abuse. Many depressed teenagers, in their attempt to self-medicate, would resort to alcohol and drugs. Also, they begin to be delinquent in their studies or stop attending classes altogether. They become very sensitive to what other people have to say. When they get a criticism, they would feel very down. They would try to run away. They immerse themselves in the Internet thinking they could escape their problems if they do. They engage in reckless behavior such as unsafe sex, out-of-control drinking, and reckless driving. They begin to eat and sleep less. They might even entertain thoughts of suicide.
Suicidal behavior can be really dangerous. So it is a must for you to keep an eye on your child if he or she should start behaving or acting suicidal. Some signs include talking about attempting suicide or even joking about it, romanticizing death, stating phrases that send messages about death being the only option, writing stories or poems related to death, intentional involvement in accidents that can lead to injuries or even death, distribution of personal objects and looking for methods of self-injury or inflicting death. If most of these signs happen to your teenager, then surely he or she would need help with depression.
The first thing to do is to converse with your teenager in a loving manner. Make him or her realize that you are there to show support. Make your teen open up to you about the phase he or she is going through and make him or her realize that you are always there when you are needed. If your teen does not budge, do not be tough. Instead, be gentle and caring. Once he or she starts to converse with you, just listen. Do not scold or reprimand him or her even if his or her source of depression is unreasonable. Acknowledge the pain your teen feels instead of forcing him to quit depression. Doing so will make him or her realize that you are serious about helping. You should always trust your instincts as well.
Also, contact your doctor to let your teen undergo tests to see if he or she is suffering from a medical condition. If it shows that your teenager does not have any medical condition which could have been the reason for the depressed behavior, then seek help from a psychologist. Neither you nor your teenager are competent enough to either rule out depression or determine it is the cause, so seek professional advice.
There are some signs that might be able to help you tell when a teenager requires help with depression. Some of these are regular crying, loneliness, isolation from other people, anger, feeling of guilt, lack of interest in activities and energy, struggle with concentration, skipping of meals and even thinking or actually attempting suicide. If you are confused if it is just a normal phase for a teenager or if he needs help with depression, you should consider how often the aforementioned signs happen, how extreme they are and just how different your teen acts compared to his or her previous normal behavior.
If you would not be able to provide them the help with depression they need, then it could go beyond just an air of sadness and hopelessness. One of the most common results of untreated depression is substance abuse. Many depressed teenagers, in their attempt to self-medicate, would resort to alcohol and drugs. Also, they begin to be delinquent in their studies or stop attending classes altogether. They become very sensitive to what other people have to say. When they get a criticism, they would feel very down. They would try to run away. They immerse themselves in the Internet thinking they could escape their problems if they do. They engage in reckless behavior such as unsafe sex, out-of-control drinking, and reckless driving. They begin to eat and sleep less. They might even entertain thoughts of suicide.
Suicidal behavior can be really dangerous. So it is a must for you to keep an eye on your child if he or she should start behaving or acting suicidal. Some signs include talking about attempting suicide or even joking about it, romanticizing death, stating phrases that send messages about death being the only option, writing stories or poems related to death, intentional involvement in accidents that can lead to injuries or even death, distribution of personal objects and looking for methods of self-injury or inflicting death. If most of these signs happen to your teenager, then surely he or she would need help with depression.
The first thing to do is to converse with your teenager in a loving manner. Make him or her realize that you are there to show support. Make your teen open up to you about the phase he or she is going through and make him or her realize that you are always there when you are needed. If your teen does not budge, do not be tough. Instead, be gentle and caring. Once he or she starts to converse with you, just listen. Do not scold or reprimand him or her even if his or her source of depression is unreasonable. Acknowledge the pain your teen feels instead of forcing him to quit depression. Doing so will make him or her realize that you are serious about helping. You should always trust your instincts as well.
Also, contact your doctor to let your teen undergo tests to see if he or she is suffering from a medical condition. If it shows that your teenager does not have any medical condition which could have been the reason for the depressed behavior, then seek help from a psychologist. Neither you nor your teenager are competent enough to either rule out depression or determine it is the cause, so seek professional advice.
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