Depression in Adolescence
What is depression?
*Depression is a mental health condition, and often it won't get better by itself. It tends to first appear in adolescence or early adulthood. One in every five adolescents is likely to experience a diagnosable depressive episode by the age of 18. The rates tend to be higher among young females (8.4%) compared to young males (4.3%).
Symptoms of Depression
If three or more of the signs in this list are present for more than two weeks, it may be a sign of depression in a young person.
* Avoiding school and friends, and not returning phone calls and text messages from friends
* Performance at school drops off, both in the classroom and in sports
* Heightened irritability, anger or hostile outbursts
* Bedwetting
* Unable to make decisions
* Lack of energy and motivation; tiredness, especially in the afternoons
* Restlessness, agitation, disruptive behaviors, over-active
* A sense of hopelessness or pessimism about the future
* Increased sensitivity to failure or rejection; being highly self-critical
* Feelings of guilt and worthlessness
* A helpless inability to change the way they feel.
* Frequent complaints of headaches, stomach aches and/or tiredness
* Persistent sadness and bouts of crying
* Morbid thoughts and statements (direct and indirect) such as they feel worthless or don't want to continue living
* Deliberate self-harm
* Risk-taking (e.g. inappropriate sexual contacts, reckless driving)
* Drug and alcohol abuse
* Changes in eating and sleeping patterns (too much or too little)
* Uncharacteristic behaviors such as stealing or bullying.
Things you can do as a parent or caregiver
Be present and supportive
* Take notice of the good things they do and praise them, as long as this doesn't make them feel uncomfortable.
* Make times to do things with them, one-on-one and as a family.
* Avoid family conflict as much as you can.
* Help them to deal with problems as they arise rather than letting them build up.
* Help them to do things you know they enjoy, and to be involved in social and family activities.
* Provide nutritious meals and guide them to eat well, be active and get plenty of sleep.
* Discourage the use of alcohol and drugs.
Talk to them
Ask them what's going on and how they're feeling. Often, young people will turn first to trusted friends and family members to talk about what they're going through.
Be vigilant
Part of being supportive includes learning to be vigilant - to really listen to and look at your young person, to see and hear if they're showing any of the signs of depression. If three or more of the signs in the list above are present for two weeks or more, this suggests that depression may be the cause.
Seek assistance
Because you know your child and how they were before you noticed the symptoms, if you think they're at risk it's better to seek assistance than to hold back for fear of invading their space.
Take action
If you're in any doubt as to whether your young person has depression or not, go to a pediatrician or general practitioner who may carry out an assessment or refer them to a child and adolescent psychiatrist or mental health worker for an assessment. This is the first step to getting a diagnosis which may lead to treatment, if needed. There are different types of clinical depression and the treatment chosen is suited to each type.