Depression

Teenage Depression

Depression is defined as an illness when the feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and despair persist and interfere with a child or adolescent's ability to function. Though the term depression can be described as a normal human emotion. Depressive illness in children and teens is said when the feelings of depression persist and interfere with a child or adolescent's ability to function. Depression is common among teenagers. About 10 percent of Americans suffer from a depressive illness. Most teenagers do not seek help on their own. They need parents, guardians, or other people who care about them to help them with the disease. Without treatment this illness can last for weeks, months, years, or a lifetime and can have a major impact on their lives. Teen stress is a real and very serious problem. Teens are physically, emotionally and mentally developing at a very rapid rate. Hormones are taking a major part in their lives. Parents expect their teens to make decisions about their future and become responsible for themselves. Pressure to succeed in school, excel in athletics or take a lot of time into studying while also performing community activities comes from their parents, teachers and their peers. Social pressures can be also become overwhelming. Teen stress can cause sleep disturbance, anger, inability to concentrate, nervousness, headaches, nausea, social withdrawal and depression. There are also a lot of risk factors for teen depression.

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Children under stress, who experience loss, or who have attention, learning, conduct or anxiety disorders are at a higher risk for depression. Such examples include: changes in their life, difficulty coping with anger, problems in school, social changes, physical changes, emotional changes, alcohol, drugs, or/and fear or interest in violence. As the rate of teen depression rises, so does the incidence of suicide. An estimated eighty percent of adolescents thinking about suicide will give clues that they are suicidal. Behavior of depressed children and teenagers differ from the behavior of depressed adults. Most children and teens have behavior disorders or substance abuse problems .Teens may show their sadness by wearing black clothes or writing poetry with morbid themes. They may cry for no apparent reason. Teens may feel that life is not worth living or worth the effort to even maintain their appearance or hygiene. They may believe that a negative situation will never change and be pessimistic about the future. A drop in class grades can become with loss of concentration and slowed thinking. There is a lack of connection with friends and family. Teens may avoid family gatherings and events. Teens will spend less time with their friends and want to be alone. Teens may not share their feelings with others, believing that they are alone in the world and no one is listening to them or even cares about them. Teens may assume blame for negative events or circumstances. They feel as if they are not "good enough." Believing that they are unworthy, depressed teens become even more depressed with every supposed rejection or perceived lack of success. Depressed teens are often irritable, taking out most of their anger on their family. They may attack others by being critical, sarcastic, or abusive remarks and actions. Teens may suddenly have no interest in maintaining friendships.