What
Causes Teen Depression?
Depression
is by far the most common of all mental health problems for teenagers.
Although biology and genetics play an important role in determining
who is at risk for depression, looking at the common causes for depression
shows us why teens are vulnerable for this disease. Depression can occur
under many circumstances but most commonly is present in these two situations:
-
Sudden Severe Loss.
In this situation, you may have experienced a sudden, perhaps surprising
severe loss. This loss may be the death of a loved one - a parent,
grandparent, your favorite aunt or a friend, for example; breaking
up with a girlfriend or boyfriend; loss of a friendship; loss of a
school or community after a move; or loss of a traditional family
unit after the divorce of your parents. In many of these cases, you
may be able to see why you are feeling depressed, but not always.
-
Long-term
High Stress Level. In this situation, you may feel or act
depressed but can't quite put their finger on the cause. This cause
of depression is more common than the Severe Loss type. This type
of depression creeps up on you over a period of time, so it may be
more difficult to detect. The causes of long-term stress are many
- here are only a few - you can probably think of more!
I have a
test tomorrow . . . I'm bullied all the time at school . . . I don't have
a boy (or girl) friend . . . I think I'm pregnant. . . I think I may be
gay . . . My parents fight all the time . . . I was raped on a date . .
. The other kids make fun of me . . . I don't know if I'll get into a good
college . . .I don't know where my next meal is coming from . . . My parents
are never home . . . Are we going to war . . . My boyfriend is pressuring
me for sex . . . I flunked another test . . . how can I work and get good
grades . . . my mother is a drug addict . . . no one ever smiles at me .
. . my father always criticizes me . . . .
Too many
triggers over time may cause depression. When this type of depression
is experienced, you may say: "I don't know what's wrong," "I
don't know how I feel," "My feelings are numb," or "Leave
me alone!"
Am I Depressed or Normal?
You may
not even recognize some of the symptoms in yourself or in a friend. Here
are some clues:
(The following
is from the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association.)
- Do you
feel sad a lot and it just doesn't go away?
- Do you
feel guilty for no particular reason, or do you think you're no good,
or have no confidence in yourself?
- Have
you lost interest in what used to be ordinary pleasures for you? For
example, if you used to love doing sports and now find yourself uninterested
or apathetic about them, that may be a symptom. If you never cared for
sports and still don't, it is not a symptom. Likewise for music, dance,
hanging out with friends, other things you do for fun.
- Do you
feel restless or tired, most of the time? (A common situation is being
too restless at night to sleep so you stay up and watch TV or surf the
Internet till 4am, then get good and tired the following days and spend
most of the day sleeping, and repeating until you are really stressed
out.).
- Are your
thoughts racing through your head like a flies buzzing in a lampshade?
Is it hard to concentrate on anything? Are your grades going down?
- Are you
thinking about running away?
- Are you
thinking a lot about death or are thoughts about suicide popping into
your head?
- Do you
enjoy doing extremely dangerous activities like reckless or high-speed
driving, heavy drinking, unprotected sex or using drugs?
What
To Do
Items 7
and 8 are really important. If you or a friend are having suicidal
thoughts or taking really unnecessary risks, do what you have to do to
get help. Get help even if your friend doesn't want you to. Talk
to your parents or other relative or a teacher or a couple of teachers
or your guidance counselor or a friend or a couple of friends or call
one of the help lines listed on this website and don't stop trying to
get help if people you turn to don't help you enough.
If you or
a friend have some of the other "clues," talk to your parents
or other adult to see whether you can talk with a Mental Health Professional,
or call one of organizations listed on this website.
Note
to the Adults
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Depressed
teenagers are at increased risk for committing suicide. If teen
says, "I want to kill myself," or "I'm going to commit
suicide," always take the statement seriously and seek evaluation
from a child or adolescent psychiatrist or other mental health professional.
Perhaps you feel uncomfortable talking about death, but asking whether
he or she is depressed or thinking about suicide can be helpful.
Asking such a question will provide assurance that somebody cares
and will give this young person the chance to talk about problems.
Don't
expect every depressed teen to talk about how they feel - they may
not even recognize their situation. It may be difficult for grownups
to recognize that there's a problem. With some teenagers, the symptoms
of depression are the same as in adults - apathy, persistent sadness,
trouble concentrating. But other kids behave in opposite way - they
are very angry and fight a lot either in school or at home, they
are hyper, they get into trouble, they steal, they take unnecessary
risks. They may be diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder
or a learning disorder."
Here
are 3 questions to ask when deciding what to do:
- Do
the symptoms or behavior represent a change for the child, something
new?
- Are
the symptoms persistent, lasting at least two weeks or more?
- Is
the problem interfering with the child's life, social activities
or school?
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Treating Depression
Depression
is a disease and it very treatable in its early stages, in particular.
It does require professional help. Left untreated, the teen may continue
to have depressive episodes his whole life or may become so depressed
he tries to end his life or is hospitalized.
Nowadays,
treatment often includes both individual and family therapy. Some mental
health professionals may also recommend the use of antidepressant medication,
at least for the short term.
For teens
with milder forms of depression, a brief period of psychotherapy may be
all the treatment that is needed.
Ask your
doctor for a referral mental health professional who can diagnose and
treat depression in adolescents. By getting help early, you will reduce
the risk of long-term difficulties for your child.
Information
We hope
you will use the resources listed on this site to learn more about teen
depression and how to help a teen - yourself, a friend, your child or
student - who is depressed.
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