Teen depression is much different from the depression undergone by adults. It is also different from normal anxiety of teens. If there are issues like increased or frequent irritability, angry behavior, withdrawals especially from close friends and relatives and also suicidal thoughts or tendencies in teens, you should immediately take action and seek professional help from medical and mental healthcare providers. These experts are certain to view and handle teen depression differently from how they handle adult depression.
How To Treat Teen Depression
Speak Out
When you are consulting the doctor for the depression issue of your teen, you should speak out which means you should not hide anything. Only with the symptoms you explain to the doctor, he or she will be able to make out if your teen is really having this problem. Symptoms like behavioral changes, angry outbursts, withdrawals, etc. should be explained clearly. The doctor should also know from when these problems have been occurring.
Physical Conditions
The doctor will check and find out if your teen has been having any physical issues like illness, drug abuse, etc. because these physical issues can also trigger teen depression.
Treatment Options
It is true that medication is the oft-chosen treatment but this cannot be construed as the best treatment. Several studies have revealed that suicidal tendencies increase due to anti-depressants. Not only that, these medicines may have side effects also. Due to these reasons, the doctor who suggests medications may have to closely monitor the young patient. The doctor may have to adjust the dosage also after every evaluation.
Talk Therapy
Other treatment options should be considered, these studies state. One of the therapies suggested is what is known as “Talk Therapy” in which the doctor will talk to the affected teen as frequently as possible. One-on-one talk therapy, family therapy and group therapy are the options available to the psychiatrist. The doctor can choose the right option only after evaluating your teen.
Cognitive-Behavior-Therapy
Cognitive-Behavior-Therapy is one of the commonest treatment options for treating teen depression. The success of this therapy hinges on the relationship that develops between the doctor and the teen. This means that they will work together to set goals for the cure and achieve them. The basis of CBT is the fact that it is the internal thoughts and not the environmental factors or the events of life that trigger various types of behaviors and feelings in humans. The best benefit of Cognitive-Behavior-Therapy is that it can be completed in a very short duration unlike other types of treatments that may have to be continued for longer duration.
Parents’ Role
Parents should know as much as possible about teen depression and how they can affect their teens. There are a lot of materials available on the Net. They can also get a lot of information from the doctors. Parents will undergo a lot of mental pressure due to the teen depression problem of their young ones. So, they should take care of both their mental and physical health for surmounting the problems.
Parents should also have a positive and understanding attitude and ensure that their teens realize that they love them and they will do anything for them. Parents should monitor the changes in their teens and give accurate reports to the doctor. They should also encourage their teens in all their activities without pressurizing them. They should encourage their teens to exercise and interact with others because social interaction may do a world of good in bringing these children back to their normal selves and giving them freedom from teen depression.