Teenage years are one of the toughest years in a person's life.
This is due to the fact that adolescence is the adjustment period from childhood to adulthood.
It is also the point of one's life wherein one starts to take responsibilities.
Not all of us however, can manage this challenging part of our life especially if the pressure is too much to handle.
Those who don't succeed will most likely feel down and depressed.
Depression in teens is not just about occasional melancholy and fluctuating moods.
It is a serious condition that can greatly affect one's life.
If left untreated, depression teens can lead to self-loathing, drug abuse, social problems, and worse, death due to suicide.
Depression Teens Signs and Symptoms Just like depression in adults, symptoms of teenage depression include despair, extreme sadness, or even anger.
Other common symptoms include loss of interest in activities, difficulty concentrating, hopelessness, irritability or hostility, change in sleeping and eating habits, lack of energy or fatigue, feelings of guilt and worthlessness, agitation and restlessness, lack of motivation and enthusiasm, withdrawal from family and friends, frequent crying or tearfulness, and thoughts of death or suicide.
Difference Between Adult and Teenage Depression Sometimes it is difficult to spot whether a teenager is experiencing depression or they're just "being teenagers".
There are however, some symptoms that are more common in teens compared to adults, such as: * Unexplained pains and aches.
Teenagers who are suffering from depression usually complain about physical ailments such as stomachaches or headaches even without the medical cause.
* Anger and irritability.
The predominant mood in teens who are depressed is irritability rather than sadness.
You may notice that your teenager easily gets frustrated, hostile, and angry.
* Sensitive to criticisms.
Teens who are depressed are extremely vulnerable to failure, rejection, and criticism because they are plagued by feelings of worthlessness.
* Social withdrawal.
When adults are depressed, they tend to completely isolate themselves from the people surrounding them.
Different thing goes for teenagers, they still isolate themselves socially but they usually keep some of their friends.
Also, teenagers with depression usually socialize less often than before.
Sometimes, they withdraw from their old friends and start going out with a new crowd.
Treatment Options Treatment of depression for adults is not the same as for teens.
Say for instance the antidepressant medications.
These medications may be effective for adults but they are clinically tested and designed on adults and not for teenagers.
Teenagers may experience more side effects with these medications.
Electroconvulsive therapy on the other hand, may do more harm than good to the teenager's developing brain.
When choosing a treatment for depression in teens, you should choose those that could do more good than harm.
The best option is to go for the natural cures, for they are 100% safe because they are made from natural ingredients.
Also, natural cures are known to treat depression teens effectively and the effect is more permanent compared to the drug-based medications.
With the proper treatment, your teenager need not go through life the hard way.