How to recognize your Teen’s Depression?

What Is the Best Way to Treat Teenage Depression?

You look happy, but you don’t feel happy. That’s what depression does to you.

Depression is an actual mental illness, and you can’t take it for granted. If you think you have or your friend has signs of depression, seek professional help. This mental illness affects the wellbeing of an individual significantly and there are ways to treat it.

According to recent studies, 8 million adolescents have been diagnosed with severe depression (MDE). The teenage period can be challenging, and depression affects teenagers considerably more frequently than one may realize. One out of every five adolescents from all walks of life experience depression during their adolescence. Even though depression is treatable, the majority of depressed teenagers never seek help.

Teens can face many difficulties they’re ill-equipped to handle emotionally: divorce, learning disabilities, and abuse and neglect, to name a few. By nature, they feel powerless against these situations, and the effects can remain with them well into adulthood.
Issues such as peer pressure, academic expectations, and changing bodies can bring a lot of ups and downs for teens. But for some teens, the lows are more than just temporary feelings — they’re a symptom of depression.
Teen depression isn’t a weakness or something that can be overcome with willpower — it can have serious consequences and requires professional treatment. For most teens, depression symptoms ease with treatment such as medication and psychological counseling, and parents may well assist. Your love, wisdom, and support can go a long way toward assisting your kid in overcoming depression and gaining control of their life.
If you are among those parents seeking to find ways to ease your teenager, this blog might be helpful for you.

Depression and its main types

Although depression can occur at any time in life, symptoms may be different between teens and adults.
The signs and symptoms of severe depression differ from person to person. Therefore, the doctor may use one or more specifiers to describe the depression your teen is experiencing. Listed below are a few examples:
Anxious distress – depression accompanied by extraordinary restlessness or fear of upcoming events or loss of control.
Atypical traits— include the ability to be briefly brightened by happy events, increased hunger, sensitivity to rejection, an excessive desire for sleep, and a heavy feeling in the arms or legs.
Melancholic traits — significant depression linked with early morning awakening, deteriorated mood in the morning, significant changes in appetite, agitation, sluggishness, or feelings of guilt.

Teenage Depression is a Real Enemy of Your Skills and Well-being
Be aware of emotional and behavioral changes, such as:
Issues at school
Low energy and focus problems are common symptoms of depression. This may result in a formerly good student’s poor attendance, skipping classes often, reduced grades, or frustration with studies.

A low sense of self-worth
Feelings of horror, shame, failure, and unworthiness can be triggered and amplified by depression.

Conflicts with surrounding
Intense feelings of sadness and loss of pleasure and interest can show for example in crying spells for no apparent reason, frustration and anger even over small matters or conflicts with family and friends.

Changes in sleep and eating behavior
Depressed teens can fight with insomnia, or they may sleep too much and feel tired all the time. Changes in appetite may occur too — decreased appetite and weight loss, or increased cravings for food and weight gain.

Irresponsible behavior
Depressed teenagers are more likely to participate in risky activities, including reckless driving, excessive drinking or other illegal undertakings.

Self-harm
Peer pressure, low self-esteem, or extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure can lead to behavioral changes that include self-harm – like cutting, burning, or excessive piercing and tattooing.

Violence
Some sad teenagers, particularly guys who have been bullied, can become aggressive and violent.

Trying to flee or suicide ideas
Despondent teenagers can flee their homes or talk of fleeing. Attempts like these are usually a cry for help. Suicide plans and suicide attempts can be part of their behavior.

Addiction to smartphones
Teens may turn to the Internet to escape their issues, but excessive smartphone and Internet use adds to their isolation and makes them miserable.

Abuse of drugs and alcohol
To self-medicate their despair, teenagers may turn to alcohol or narcotics. Unfortunately, substance abuse exacerbates the problem.

What You Can Do at Home to Help Your Depressed Teen? 

It can be difficult to tell the difference between ups and downs that are just part of being a teenager and teen depression. Talk with your teen. Try to determine whether he or she seems capable of managing challenging feelings, or if life seems overwhelming.
If depression signs and symptoms continue, begin to interfere in your teen’s life, or cause you to have concerns about suicide or your teen’s safety, talk to a doctor or a mental health professional trained to work with adolescents. Your teen’s family doctor or pediatrician is a good place to start. Or your teen’s school may recommend someone.
Depression symptoms likely won’t get better on their own — and they may get worse or lead to other problems if untreated. Depressed teenagers may be at risk to themselves, even if signs and symptoms don’t appear to be severe.
Depression is a severe illness that necessitates medical attention. If you suspect depression, don’t wait to get help.
There are some things you can do at home to aid your teen in addition to professional care.

Make one-on-one time a priority.
Making time to interact with your teen every day helps them reconnect and seek help rather than internalizing their feelings.
Pay attention to listening.
You can’t fix your teen’s depression, and lectures won’t make it go away, but active, empathic listening builds rapport and provides emotional support.
Treat them with gentle persistence.
If they initially refuse to let you in, don’t give up. Teens may find it challenging to discuss depression. Even if they want to, they may find it challenging to convey their emotions. Respect your child’s level of comfort while expressing your worry and desire to listen.
Make exercise a priority.
Regular exercise is essential for mental health. Aim for one hour of physical activity per day. To make it more exciting, offer to try new workout classes with your teen.
Improve the nutrition
A well-balanced diet can help you fight weariness and nourish your brain.
Deal with social isolation
Your teen may find it challenging to connect with classmates during this period due to a lack of motivation. Gently encourage your kid to make new friends and participate in activities that he or she enjoys with other teenagers.
Recognize their emotions
Even if your teen’s sentiments or fears seem ridiculous or irrational to you, don’t try to talk them out of sadness. Well-intentioned attempts to explain why “things aren’t so bad” will come out as dismissive of their feelings. Simply acknowledging their grief and anguish might go a long way toward reassuring them that they are understood and supported.
Talk about sleep
Lack of sleep exacerbates depressive symptoms. Teenagers require 9 to 10 hours of sleep per night.

Join the fight for happiness: Assist your Depressed Teen with Professional Treatment.
When you ask your teen if they want to go to therapy, some may say yes, while others will not agree with you. Know that a resistant individual will not suddenly open up to the notion of therapy (or to you), but you may help them toward treatment by opening the door and patiently waiting for them to walk through it.
A therapist who’s too formal or can’t establish a good rapport with children will make your child more apprehensive. If possible, get a recommendation from your family doctor, a school counselor, or a friend.

Depending on the severity of your teen’s depression and its causes, the medical professional may suggest either talk therapy, medication, or both.

Medication, such as an antidepressant, can help teenagers who are depressed. While talk therapy alone can help mild to severe depression, the best effects are usually seen when medication and therapy are used together, but this requires close monitoring by an experienced psychiatrist and psychotherapist.

If you’re a teen and you think you may be depressed — or you have a friend who may be depressed — don’t wait to get help. Talk to a health care provider such as your doctor or school nurse. Share your concerns with a parent, a close friend, a spiritual leader, a teacher, or someone else you trust.