Depression in Teens
Being sad and or feeling hopeless from time to time is completely normal and part of being human. However, when these symptoms seem to prevail every single day, something is not alright and it might be depression.
What the medical community once thought to only affect adults, they now know, that any person from any age can get depression. This means depression in teens can start in childhood or in early teens. According to depression in teens statistics, around 11 per cent of young people will have experienced an episode of depression by the end of his or her teenage years and studies show that those numbers may only increase in the next few years.
What is Depression in Teens?
Depression is a constant feeling of sadness, despair, emptiness, and hopelessness. These feels can be so strong that will interfere with the teen’s ability to participate in daily activities. Usually, teens with depression see the world in a negative light and get overly critical of themselves and feel worthless and unloved. Depression causes the teens who have it to get overwhelmed with simple and basic tasks and small problems. Also, it’s not uncommon for people teens having depression to push their family and friends away, dropping out of activities and to isolate themselves.
Depression in Teens Causes
Teens can face many difficulties they're ill-equipped to handle emotionally: divorce, learning disabilities, and abuse and neglect, to name a few. By nature, they feel powerless against these situations, and the effects can remain with them well into adulthood. Even a teen who doesn't face any of these challenges can be depressed. An inherited tendency depression also can cause the problem.
Depression runs in families, but not everyone with a depressed family member becomes depressed. People with no family history of depression also can have depression. Besides life events and family history, other factors that play a role in causing depression include social environment, medical conditions, medication and negative thought patterns.
For teens, a stressful home environment or neighbourhood poverty and violence can lead to depression. Other possible triggers for teen depression include learning disabilities that make academic success difficult, hormonal changes affecting mood, and physical illness. Drug and alcohol abuse also can affect mood and lead to depression, and many teens turn to these substances to medicate their emotions.
Depression in Teens Symptoms
Feeling deep sadness or hopelessness.
Lack of energy.
Loss of pleasure or interest in activities that once excited the teen.
Anxiety and panic.
Turmoil, worry, and irritability. The teen may brood or lash out in anger because of the distress he or she feels.
Difficulty organizing, concentrating or remembering.
Negative views on life and the world.
Feeling worthless and guilty. The teen may feel stupid, ugly, or bad.
Drastic changes in appetite or weight.
Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep or sleeping too much.
Sluggishness. A depressed teen often talks, reacts, and walks more slowly than other teens.
Avoiding and withdrawing from friends and family.
Restlessness. The restlessness brought on by depression may lead to behaviours such as fidgeting or acting up in class.
Self-mutilation and suicidal thoughts.
A Note About Depression in Teens Symptoms
Most of the signs and symptoms described above are visible when the condition is already in an advanced stage. If your child, friend, or any other person you know recently went through a traumatic event, don’t forget to check on them. As many doctors say, depression is a silent killer, and it takes some time for it to get to a serious mental health issue.
If you notice your child or anyone else getting quieter than usual, spending more time on their own and stop practising the hobbies they once loved so much, it’s time to show them your support. But remember, sometimes people who suffer from depression aren’t ready to talk or face their problems yet, so the best way to show your support is by simply being there. Instead of asking them if they want to talk, take them out for a walk, a coffee or anything else they might like. Also, it’s not unusual for people with depression to reject every single invite they get to do something, so when this happens to you, don’t take it personally and insist on showing you’re a friend they can count on.
Depression in Teens: Asking for help
In England, there is a charity called samaritans that entertains anonymous talk therapy calls. Asking a teen to call 116123 and reassuring them that the call is totally anonymous can be a great way to help tackle depression in teens. No one likes to ask for help. But if your child, or anyone else, ask for help is an amazing sign that you want to get better. But if they don’t and you suspect they might be suffering, you should seek professional help from a therapist who specializes in treating teenagers. You can ask your health care provider, the school counsellor, or a friend if they recommend someone.
Normally, you’ll take your child to a therapy appointment in which the therapist will make a report on your teenager’s situation by talking to them, asking questions and listening to them.
Depending on the severity of depression in teens and its causes, therapists may suggest either talk therapy, medication, or both. Usually, a combination of both may get the best results. An antidepressant helps correct the chemical imbalance within the brain, so the child begins to feel better. But the negative thought patterns that lead to depression may remain, and therapy will help change these patterns, so the child can better cope with the stressors in life that contribute to depression.
There was a study conducted in 2004 that issued a warning about antidepressants causing some children and teenagers to become suicidal. In the study was explained that in every 100 patients that are given antidepressants, 2 or 3 might develop suicidal thoughts. However, talking about suicide doesn’t increase the likelihood of an attempt but it can actually open the door to professional help. Adolescents who begin antidepressant medications should be monitored closely for any suicidal thoughts or behaviours, especially in the early weeks of treatment. But don’t let that piece of information scare you. There are natural cures you can try.
NATURAL CURES FOR DEPRESSION IN TEENS
Depression in Teens? Essential Oils will help
There is scientific evidence to prove that aromatherapy with essential oils alleviates depressive symptoms. A recent study - The Effectiveness of Aromatherapy for Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review concluded that “Aromatherapy showed potential to be used as an effective therapeutic option for the relief of depressive symptoms in a wide variety of subjects. Particularly, aromatherapy massage showed to have more beneficial effects than inhalation aromatherapy’’.
So a weekly aromatherapy massage for your teen might be a step in the right direction. You can buy a set of organic essential oils inexpensively now on amazon us or amazon uk. Lavender, Rosemary, Bergamot, Sandalwood, Eucalyptus and Orange are the best essential oils to cure depression in teens symptoms and I highly recommend you buy certified organic essential oils.
Depression in Teens? Fix The Diet
Research by Harvard shows that diets rich in all the essential daily nutrients can help to combat depression. If a teen is depressed make sure the teens gets enough Vitamin B6, B12 and Vitamin D. Vitamin B6 works hand in hand with the neurotransmitter GABA to regulate mood and Vitamin D, well that is just brain food plain and simple. A good multivitamin can also help. The best sources of each vitamin are actually highlighted in this nutrition article we recently wrote (look under food sources) and we also have a book coming out in Septemeber 2021 that gives you nutritionally complete meal plans for every age group so that might help too.
Depression in Teens? Yoga Really Works
The double whammy of brain changes from puberty and feeling overwhelemed with the demands of modern day life makes depression in teens all the more unbearable for some. There is scientific evidence from Harvard to prove that yoga can modulate the stress from depression in teens and we recently wrote in length about yoga for teenagers. Here are two great yoga videos you can get a depressed teen to try. A neat trick is to sprinkle essential oils on the mat before hand. Hang in there. I hope these help.
