TEENAGE DEPRESSION

        1. WHAT IS DEPRESSION?

Depression (major depressive disorder) is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act.

Fortunately, it is also treatable.

Depression causes feelings of sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities once enjoyed. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at home.

2. HOW DOES IT AFFECT TEENS TODAY?

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.

Some of the effects are listed below:

• Low self-esteem: It refers to how you feel about yourself overall. It makes you to take everything negatively and lower your confidence level. It makes you feel bad about yourself more than you feel good.

• Alcoholism and drugs: Many teen become alcoholic and drug addicts because of depression as they feel helpless and think that they can make themselves happy only by drinking and taking drugs.

• Academic problems and failure.

• Difficulties with family conflicts and other relationships.

• Social isolation.

• Involvement in the legal system.

• Self-harming behaviors.

• Suicide.

3. CAUSES

It's not known exactly what causes depression, but a variety of issues may be involved. These include:

•       Brain chemistry. Neurotransmitters are naturally occurring brain chemicals that carry signals to other parts of your brain and body. When these chemicals are abnormal or impaired, the function of nerve receptors and nerve systems changes, leading to depression.
•         Hormones. Changes in the body's balance of hormones may be involved in causing or triggering depression.
•         Inherited traits. Depression is more common in people whose blood relatives — such as a parent or grandparent — also have the condition.
•        Early childhood trauma. Traumatic events during childhood, such as physical or emotional abuse, or loss of a parent, may cause changes in the brain that make a person more susceptible to depression.
•       Learned patterns of negative thinking. Teen depression may be linked to learning to feel helpless — rather than learning to feel capable of finding solutions for life's challenges.

4. SIGNS OF DEPRESSION

These are warning signs of depression:

•        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 of 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 behaviors such as fidgeting or acting up in class.
•          Self-mutilation and suicidal thoughts.

5. Behavioral changes

Watch for changes in behavior, such as:

·         Tiredness and loss of energy

·         Insomnia or sleeping too much

·         Changes in appetite — decreased appetite and weight loss, or increased cravings for food and weight gain

·         Use of alcohol or drugs

·         Agitation or restlessness — for example, pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still

·         Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements

·         Frequent complaints of unexplained body aches and headaches, which may include frequent visits to the school nurse

·         Social isolation

·         Poor school performance or frequent absences from school

·         Less attention to personal hygiene or appearance

·         Angry outbursts, disruptive or risky behavior, or other acting-out behaviors

·         Self-harm — for example, cutting, burning, or excessive piercing or tattooing

·         Making a suicide plan or a suicide attempt

6.  PREVENTION

There's no sure way to prevent depression. However, these strategies may help. Encourage your teenager to:

·         Take steps to control stress, increase resilience and boost self-esteem to help handle issues when they arise

·         Reach out for friendship and social support, especially in times of crisis

·         Get treatment at the earliest sign of a problem to help prevent depression from worsening

·         Maintain ongoing treatment, if recommended, even after symptoms let up, to help prevent a relapse of depression symptoms

7. HOW TO OVERCOME DEPRESSION

Here are some steps you can try to take care of yourself and hopefully feel better:

1. Exercise regularly & eat healthy foods.
2. Get a reasonable amount of sleep each night.
3. Find purpose.  Put your focus on someone or something other than yourself.
4. Create a list of small goals to achieve, check them off as you accomplish them.
5. Journal your thoughts each night before bed to clear your
6. Listen to music or watch a movie that makes you happy.
7. Do a creative activity as a way to express emotion or as a distraction.
8. Don't isolate yourself, be around people –even if it means just going to a store.
9. Be present in the moment. Recognize and appreciate your surroundings and the people in your life.
10. Meditate to relax and refocus your thoughts (try a meditation app).
11. Use thought stopping techniques.
12. Check out our 99 coping skills, which can offer a distraction or refocus your thoughts.

If your depression is overwhelming or just doesn't seem to go away, don't hesitate to tell an adult that you need some help.


FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM: @teens.spot

END