Signs, Symptoms of Teenage Depression

Depression in a teenager is a serious issue and when undiagnosed and if left untreated, it can affect the life and his or her outlook to life and every other aspect of the teenager’s life. Teenagers suffering from depression often have problems such as substance abuse, self loathing coupled with problems at school and at home and at times it can lead to irreversible situations such as suicide or even violence. However with proper care and attention, teenage depression can be treated and when effectively treated, the teenager can go back to leading a normal life. Thus it is very important that the signs and symptoms of teenage depression be recognized at an early stage for an effective remedy.

Many people tend to mistake the signs of teenage depression as usually teenage moodiness and do not take the signs or the early warning signals in front of them seriously. It is a known fact that teenagers face a lot of pressure during their growing years, and grapple with a lot of issues such as the changes that takes place in them during puberty as well as parental issues as they transition from child to adult. Thus most of the times it is not very easy to determine if a teenager is suffering from teenage depression as teenagers who are depressed are not necessarily sad all the time nor do they appear to be withdrawn from others. The symptoms that teenagers face varies from one teenager to another. Some of the most common symptoms of teenage depression are aggressions, irritability and rage and these symptoms are more prominent than the others.

Some of the other symptoms of teenage depression are bouts of sadness and hopelessness, restlessness and anxiety and loss of interest in activities that they once found enjoyable. Teenagers suffering from teenage depression also cry frequently and always feel worthless and an insane amount of guilt for no reason at all. They also have a lot of difficulty in concentrating and remembering things. Teenagers suffering from teenage depression also withdraw from their family and friends and they lack motivation and enthusiasm too. There is also a marked change in their sleeping and eating habits which might include too much or too less of both or either. Depressed teenagers are extremely sensitive to criticism and also suffer from unexplained pains and aches that are chronic and persist even after treatment. At times teenagers who are depressed tend to talk about running away from home and some of them who have not been treated eventually do run away from home. As they have lowered concentration due to depression, this affects their marks and grades which in turn causes frustration. Yo-yo dieting, binge eating, bulimia and anorexia can also be signs of teenage disorders. They also tend to resort to self mutilations and cutting themselves at times.

It is very easy for parents to mistake the teenage depressions symptoms to growing up pains, but they need to be keep an eye out for symptoms such as drastic changes to behavior, mood, and personality is definitely a warning signal indicating teenage depression.