Overcoming Teen Depression A Guide for Parents

Introduction "I know what you can do for your book: ask any teenager to tell you what they think of their lives." This somewhat cynical comment about teens and depression comes from my 15-year-old son. Many people think of adolescence as a time when angst, sadness and despair are normal, and the rebellious or disturbed adolescent has always been a familiar character in books, plays and movies-as long ago as the time of the ancient Greek tragedians and as recently as the latest Winona Ryder film.Movies, books and common wisdom aside, adolescence is not usually a morass of mental illness. Although several studies have shown that, overall, the mood of teens tends to be lower than that of younger children (that is, they are sadder), and that adolescents are more aware of their emotions than children, the majority of young people get through adolescence without major problems.But during these developing years, many teens will experience at least one bout of major depression. Exactly how many young people go through such an episode is difficult to determine. Studies vary in how they define depression-and whom they ask: teens often say they are depressed, while their parents, asked about their son or daughter, say their kids are doing fine. However, it is probably fair to say that fewer than 3 percent of teens are experiencing a major depression at any given time. Three percent may sound low, but that means that in every high school classroom there is probably one teen with a major depression. Another way of putting it is that 15 to 20 percent of teens will have a diagnosable depression at some time during their adolescence. Mild to moderate depressive symptoms are found at any given time in up to 35 percent of teens.What exactly do we mean by depression? As defined by therapists and doctors, it is a complex blend of emotional and physical symptoms and behavior. From a medical point of view, depression always includes depressed mood, but this might be difficult for a teen to put into words. She may not describe this as feeling sad, but more as lacking feeling. Deep despair is another description that some people give of how they feel. The writer Sylvia Plath described the sensation of a bell jar descending around her, making the world seem remote, not really touching her.Most depressed people describe a lack of enjoyment in life (anhedonia). A depressed teenager may notice that things that made him very happy before pass without notice now. He may observe others around him enjoying themselves, but he cannot join in with the feeling, although he may still participate in the activity.Other feelings are associated with depression. One of the most common is a feeling of worthlessness. A teen may talk about not being able to do anything right, or about not being worthy of love, affection or respect. Maybe she tolerates abusive behavior from a friend or romantic partner because she does not think she deserves any better. It could be that she is feeling guilty about things that weren't her fault, were relatively minor or were even imagined.A number of physical symptoms are part of depression. There may be a change in appetite, often decreased appetite. Although in adults a typical problem associated with depression is early-morning awakening, teens are just as likely to sleep more than usual, or to have difficulty both falling asleep at night and waking in the morning. Fatigue is a common problem for depressed people, including teens.It is very worrying for parents if, along with a depression, the teen frequently thinks about death. This may not be thoughts about suicide, but, could involve dwelling on thoughts of people who have died, on events involving death that are reported in the news, or on theological questions about death and the afterlife. Suicidal thoughts or attempts are a clear indication that the teen needs help immKaufman, Miriam is the author of 'Overcoming Teen Depression A Guide for Parents' with ISBN 9781552095201 and ISBN 1552095207.