Teen depression does not just begin or end with bad moods or occasional melancholy. It can be a serious issue that can impact not only the life of the affected teen but his or her family members and friends. Some of the teens who have been affected may take to drugs or alcohol. If the problem is chronic and serious, the teens may commit suicide also.
There are some teens who may resort to self-hatred, self-harming, pregnancy, violent behaviors, etc. also. You may be the parent or the teacher of such affected teens. You may also be a friend. You have certain responsibilities since you are concerned about the lives of these teens.
You should firstly offer your support to these teens. You can talk about this issue, brain-storm with like-minded people and find out the ways to help these teens. For doing so, you should understand what teen depression is.
Understanding depression in teens
It is true that the lives of teens are quite tough because they face a lot of competition. Further, they are neither adults nor children. So, they do not understand how decisions should be made. At the same time, they refuse to accept that they still are children. In this context, parents should adopt utmost patience while handling them. Parents should mainly watch if they develop friendship with good people. This is because teen depression, if left untreated, is capable of destroying the personality of the affected teens. They may be engulfed by constant feelings of sadness. Some of them may always be angry. A few teens may feel that there is no one to render support to them. In extreme cases, the teens may attempt suicide also.
Responsibilities of parents, teachers and the society
Teen depression is treatable but unfortunately, not all teens get help. A study says that only 20% of the affected teens are treated and the remaining young people do not receive any help. It is the responsibility of the parents, teachers and the society at large to help these teens.
A glaring example
In the US, a boy in his teens who used to be a brilliant piano-player committed suicide because he suffered serious issues due to depression. The family members were devastated but, had they known the symptoms and acted on time, this could have been averted.
According to a study, 25% of teens experience some type of depression when they are in high school. While most of them are able to combat the problem and come out unscathed, some of the teens are not able to withstand the impact of their depression. They suffer silently because teens with this problem can cleverly hide the symptoms. So, parents and teachers may fail to notice the warning signs.
Causes Of teen depression
The causes of teen depression are still not known but, experts say that biological, environmental and psychological factors may contribute to the problem. Some experts think that this problem arises due to imbalances in some of the brain’s neurotransmitters like Serotonin, Dopamine and Norepinephrine. Antidepressants can help correct these imbalances.
Talk therapy can be useful for curing moderate depression. In certain other cases, psychotherapy and medicines may help.
What should be done?
Experts suggest that parents, teachers and everyone should pay attention to this problem. If teens are observed to be having bad moods for a prolonged period, if they do not show interest in anything or if they have withdrawal symptoms, it should be understood that there is some serious problem. Parents, teachers, friends and others should take immediate action for bringing the children out of this problem.
Everyone should take appropriate steps to educate these young people for imparting confidence in them. They should be taught to manage their stress. If everyone acts in unison and with a focused goal, teen depression issues faced by these young ones can easily be treated.