Depression

Many Teens Suffer from Depression

Teen depression is much more common than people once imagined. Adolescents are under pressure and stress from all kinds of factors that are more prevalent today than they were when our parents were teens. The rise in the divorce rate, peer pressure to smoke, have sex or be other than oneself, parental pressure to do well in school or in sports and the fact that more parents are unavailable to listen to their children due to work commitments have created a terrible trap in which many teens find themselves.

Adolescence is by far one of the most challenging periods in a persons development and life. They are under constant pressure and when they find themselves alone, without anyone to turn to the mental toll can be too much to handle. Many depressed teens do not even know what it wrong. They start behaving differently. They act out. They become aggressive. Some simply withdraw. Others sleep more. Some children are prone to having eating disorders. Some simply stop participating and seem to almost give up on themselves and everything else. If you see signs of depression in your child it is very important to seek professional medical help immediately. Depression can be overcome successfully with the right combination of treatments, but your child must be properly evaluated before anyone can recommend a course of action. For some teens basic counselling will be enough to help them through the rough spots while others will need more intense therapy along with medication to alleviate their symptoms and get them back onto the right track.

If you want to protect your teen from the pressures that they will undoubtedly face, you must keep your lines of communication open. Foster a safe environment that will encourage your child to confide in you and turn to you for advice and support. The best way to nurture such a relationship is to always be ready to listen non-judgementally. If you start to criticize, belittle or reprimand most teens will just give up talking to you and you will never know what is going on with them again.

Teen depression is unfortunately too common in our societies and the best way to ensure that your children are protected from falling into that dark pit is to be there for them and to listen when they talk. If that fails then seek professional help immediately.