Teen depression

Teenagers with depression have described themselves as feeling hopeless about everything, that nothing is worth the effort and that they’re powerless to change the difficult place they’re in. Depression can be frightening for your teenager, you, and your entire family and if you think your teenager has symptoms of depression, it’s important to take action so that they can get the help that they need.

Here are some of the common symptoms of depression:

• a feeling of being down in the dumps or really sad for no reason
• a lack of energy, feeling unable to do the simplest task
• an inability to enjoy the things that used to bring pleasure
• a lack of desire to be with friends or family members
• a lack of general motivation
• feelings of irritability, anger or anxiety
• an inability to concentrate a marked weight gain or loss and too little or too much interest in eating
• a significant change in sleep habits, such as trouble falling asleep or getting up
• feelings of guilt or worthlessness
• aches and pains even though nothing is physically wrong
• a lack of caring about what happens in the future
• frequent thoughts about death or suicide.

For an accurate diagnosis of major depression to be made, a detailed clinical evaluation must be done by a medical or mental health professional. Depression can be successfully treated in more than 80% of people who become depressed.

If you’re concerned that your child may have depression that is affecting their ability to live life, talk to them about it. Find out how they feel and if they are comfortable talking to a doctor about it.