Depression in Adolescents - Causes, Treatment

Depression in Adolescents, Teen Depression Help

Many children and adolescents tend to show signs of anxiety before depression sets in. Many teens and adolescents are also disruptive - though it is not known why the two are linked. It seems unlikely that having behavior problems cause depression - but children who have behavior problem may be more likely to come from a family with more problems at home than other children, a fact that also puts them at risk of depression.What we do know is that most depressed adolescents recover, though some go on to develop depression as adults.

Approximately 4 out of 100 teenagers get seriously depressed each year. Teen depression can be caused by changing levels of hormones, explaining why many people first experience depression during puberty. As in adults, the causes of childhood depression is the best understood as being mutifactor, stemming from such factors as gentic vulenrabilty and other biological aspects, temperament, adverse life events and chronic stress. A combination of predisposing and precipitating factors in a vulnerable individual can initiate psychological and biological phenomena that then culminate in depression. In addition to those found in adult depression, causes of teen and childhood depression, or apparent triggers, include additional and often unique situations.

Social rejection

Family turmoil

Failing exams

Treatment of depression in Adolescents and Teen

It is extremely important that depressed teens receive prompt, professional treatment. Depression is serious and, if left untreated, can worsen to the point of becoming life-threatening. As with young children, research currently suggests that tricyclic antidepressants are not specially effective treatment, SSRI are more likely to prescribed. Cognitive therapy has been found to be useful, particularly for adolescents with mild or moderate depression. Some of the most common and effective ways to treat depression in teenagers are:

Symptoms and Sign of Teen depression:

It is difficult to understand, when teenagers suffer from depression. Adolescents with depression are likely to have family members who are also depressed. If a teen faces any of the following signs of depression for more than 3 weeks then he may be depressed.

Change in school performance.

Eating habits change; Low appetite or eat a lot more.

Persistent unhappiness.

Low self esteem and guilt.

Social isolation, poor communication.

Excessive guilt and/or anxiety.

Destructive and/or defiant behavior.

Inability to concentrate.

Belief that life is not worth living.

Change in sleeping pattern.

Irritable or angered easily.

Physical aches and pains.

Has lost a lot of energy, complains of feeling tired all the time.

Talk about death or suicide - this should always be taken seriously.

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