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Dr Deborah Serani says that the rule of thumb when dealing with depression is to examine three areas in a teen’s life to gauge what’s truly going on.
The first thing parents should do is to become familiar with these symptoms of depression in teenager.
Anger, hostility, outbursts
Argumentativeness
Changes in eating and sleeping – either too much or too little
Difficulty concentrating
Fatigue or lack of energy
Feelings of guilt or underserving of love
Giving things away
Grooming issues
Helplessness
Hopelessness
Irritability
Isolation
Lack of enthusiasm and motivation
Loss of interest in school work and/or activities
Low self-esteem
Minimizing or masking symptoms
Missing school
Negative thinking
Not enjoying things that used to bring happiness
Physical aches and pains
Poor grades
Reliance on alcohol or drugs to self-medicate
Retreating kinds of behaviors
Restlessness
Risk-taking behavior
Sadness
Self-harming behaviors
Sensitive to criticism
Spending a lot of time alone
Thoughts of death or suicide
Withdrawal from friends and family
The next thing parents should do is to observe the intensity of the teen's feelings and behaviours. Doing so will help parents decide if the issues are a passing mood or symptoms of a mood disorder.
Parents should also look at the timeline of experiences, or the duration of symptoms. If the teenager's symptoms seem chronic (i.e. last more than two weeks) it may be indicative of a mood disorder.
Lastly, the domain in which the symptoms are present can be an indicator of whether it is just teen angst or something more serious. Adolescents can often reel back their angst when with their friends. However, a depressed teenager will likely have difficulties functioning in school, at home, with peers, in social events as well as with their own sense of self.
The final step, if your child is struggling with more than just angst from being a teenager, is to bring them to see a mental health professional.
To read the full article, click on the link below.
Category(s):Depression, Teenage Issues
Source material from Dr Deb
