As a parent, you may worry if your child has been affected by teen depression. But, instead of worrying like this, you should take the concrete step of knowing fully about the problem including its signs. Many parents just ignore or brush aside these signs and lament later that had they taken cognizance of those signs, they would have treated the problem on time. But, they have to pay the price for their retarded awakening.
Many parents think that behaviors of children may not conform to any set rules. That is perhaps the reason they ignore the signs that show that their children have been affected by teen depression. But, if they have the knowledge about the problem, they may not commit this mistake.
Signs of teen depression
Sadness
Experts say that the most common sign of depression in teens is sadness. But, you may say that everyone is bound to be sad at some point of time. The point is that if sadness remains for a protracted period of time, it is a sign of depression. So, if you observe that your child is moody or sad for a longer duration, you must be concerned about it. If you do not take appropriate and timely steps for addressing this problem, it may affect everything in the teen’s life. He or she may not perform well in studies, may refuse to go to school and may avoid friends also. A few teens may try to run away from homes also. Many teens fall for dangerous addictions like drugs or alcohol. Most of them may have sleep-related problems also.
Anger
This can be another prominent sign of teen depression. Especially, if the teens do not have anyone around them, they may express their anger. But, the way they express their anger can be very dangerous. They may try to inflict injuries to themselves or destroy the valuables in their homes and so on. They may hurl verbal abuses at others, may be sarcastic while talking or may exhibit antisocial behaviors.
Anxiety
Teens who have been affected by depression may always be anxious. The reason for their anxiety may be due to abuses during their childhood, the responsibilities they may suddenly be expected to shoulder or the attitude they have inherited from their parents.
Other common signs of teen depression
Low self-esteem, sudden loss of interest in activities or things in which they once had interest, developing new bad habits by having friendship with worthless people can be other signs of teen depression. They may not have interest in eating nutritious and healthy foods due to which they may become obese. Some teens may be affected by anorexia also. In teens who may have been severely affected by teen depression, there may be suicidal thoughts also. If immediate action is not taken to treat these teens, there may be dangerous consequences.
If parents observe these signs in their teens, they must immediately take steps to treat them. They should not hesitate to take the affected children to a doctor because their future itself may become a question mark if teen depression problem is ignored.