Recognizing the Signs of Teen Depression
Community Members are in a good position to notice the early signs of depression with
youth you regularly interact with as workers, in church or at events. You may see the
youth on a daily or regular basis. In fact students often share that they are more likely to
talk first to a caring adult that they connect with than with their parents or the school
counselor.
So what are the symptoms of teen depression:
Mood Disorder: Changes in how the teen views themselves and how they view the world.
Mood Changes:
Sad, Irritable or angry, stop caring, nothing matters to them---absence of joy
Changes in Thinking
Pesimisstic, Self Critical, Problems concentrating, Thoughts of Death
Changes in Behavior
Act Out
Aggressive
Withdraw
Shut Down, Go Away and be Quiet….Passive
Physical Changes
Appetite Changes—Gain or Lose Weight
Change in Sleeping
How is this different in a depressed teen from the ups and downs of teens that occurs
frequently…..It is the coming together over a period of time where several symptoms
come together and last for a couple of weeks or more….they don’t bounce back.
Other disorders that often associate with depression:
Conduct disorder—acting out destructively
Alcohol and drug abuse
Anxiety Attacks
Some youth who take their own lives are indeed the opposite of the rebellious teen. They
are anxious, insecure kids who have a desperate desire to be liked, to fit in, to do well.
Their expectations are so high that they demand too much of themselves, so are
condemned to constant disappointment. A traumatic event, which can seem minor
viewed from an adult perspective, is enough to push them over the edge into a severe
depression. Being jilted, failing a test, getting into an accident -- they have the sense that
their life is a delicate balance, and one failure or disappointment seems to threaten the
whole house of cards.
How are kids sending messages out?
Facebook, Texting, infatuation with death, culture out there on the web and
facebook pages, fascination with death, make connections with others who also want to
die, they find support and pose bizarre questions, How long would it take to bleed to
death? Person committed suicide on the web…Reality TV concept is a whole other track
to this that we may never have considered before, self destructive community…
How are kids sending messages out?….