It is not easy being a teenager. You yourself have gone through this confusing age, so you can very well understand what exactly happens at this time. If your children are in their teenage, you need to understand them to make sure that they do take any wrong step at this important phase of their life. You need to support them as a friend and guide them through this difficult but important stage.
Being a friend to your teenage children may sound quite simple but it is a major challenge. As a teenager, your children are likely to have clashes with you. They may not think the same way as you do and this may lead in disagreement. All this is actually fine and quite normal to some extent. But the problem starts when teenagers start facing the problem of depression. Teen depression is definitely not a good sign and needs to be handled carefully.
Factors that can lead to depression in teenagers
Teenagers go through a lot of changes in their mind and body. All these changes drive them crazy and in most cases they do not understand whom to talk to about their problems. Due to lack of guidance, they end up taking steps that have a very negative impact on their whole life. Many factors can cause depression among teenagers. Some of the most common reasons of teen depression are:
- Academic pressure
Teenagers are under constant pressure of performing well in their studies. This stress can lead to depression in some teenagers when they fail to perform well in their academics.
- Physical or emotional negligence
Teenagers like to make their parents believe that they are good on their own and are independent. But the fact is that they do crave for attention from their parents. If they do not get enough attention from their parents or their friends, they may feel unwanted. This feeling of being unwanted can cause teen depression.
- Peer pressure
Peer pressure is another major factor that is usually the cause of depression among teenagers. Teenagers love being popular. Some of them get so carried away by popularity that they end up taking wrong steps. They give in to the peer pressure and start drinking as well as taking drugs. These habits are not good for teenagers and can lead to serious problems for them apart from causing depression.
- Traumatic events
Teenagers that face traumatic events early in their life also have the chances of getting into depression. Any sort of abuse, traumatic incident or major loss in the form of death of a close one can lead to teen depression.
Dealing with a depressed teenager
When teenagers get into depression, it becomes the duty of the parents to make sure that their children get out of it. It is not easy to get teenagers out of depression. But it is not impossible either. As a parent, you need to understand the signs of depression that are displayed by your depressed teenage children. After that you need to make them confide in you and open up to you. Try to understand their state of mind. Fill them with positivity. If nothing works, you can always take professional help.