The topic of today's conversation will be thisa sensitive topic, like teenage depression. Surely all parents of teenagers know how unstable the child's nervous system is during this period. One day he gets angry or cries for no reason, and five minutes later he is already enjoying life. As a rule, in most cases such emotional instability is explained by several things. First of all, it is the process of so-called self-awareness, reassessment of values. The world for a teenager literally turns upside down, many things open up for him from a different, previously unknown side. Agree, such a psychological burden is quite difficult even for an adult, not to mention the fragile psyche of a teenager. And add to this first love, most often unhappy ... And in second place is the physical reason - a sharp change in the child's hormonal background. In adolescence, a global hormonal restructuring of the body occurs. And this phenomenon cannot pass without consequences, primarily affecting the hormonal background. In order to understand what we are talking about, remember yourself during pregnancy. Was it hard to control yourself? The same thing is happening to your child now. In most cases, parents know about these features of adolescence. And this is what they attribute their child's depression, irritability and tearfulness to. However, is this always the case? Unfortunately, no. As numerous studies by psychologists show, approximately every eighth teenager suffers from depression. Moreover, it is often quite a serious depression that requires immediate medical attention. Strictly speaking, any depression deserves the closest attention from adults. After all, depression is a serious psychological illness that should never be left to its own devices. Depression should be treated by child psychologists who thoroughly understand all the intricacies and features of the teenage psyche. But a lot also depends on the parents themselves, because no one knows their child better than them.
Causes of depression
Doctors very often encounter the same thingthe question of parents who learned about their child's diagnosis - why? Why did this happen? After all, the child is so loved, they are not denied anything - he has the best clothes, the best phones, computers and other teenage joys. They spend time with him, are interested in his life, they practically do not scold or condemn. What happened, where did the parents overlook? But do not rush to sprinkle ashes on your head and blame yourself for all mortal sins. This can happen even to the most responsible and caring parents. There are a huge number of different reasons that can provoke the development of teenage depression:
- Poor school performance
Many parents feel that in adolescenceage, most children are not interested in studying at all. However, this is often not the case - deep down, the child is deeply worried about all his failures, although most often he tries not to show it. Moreover, they can hide these experiences under the mask of indifference or even feigned bragging.
- Social status of the child
Social status is extremely important for a teenagerin the eyes of peers. Any child wants to be, if not a leader, then at least have unquestionable authority and influence on their peers. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. And if a child feels rejected by peers, depression is in most cases a stone's throw away.
- Psychological situation in a teenager's family
The general situation also plays a significant rolepsychological atmosphere in the family. If quarrels and scandals are commonplace in the family, the child is unlikely to feel comfortable. Moreover, many parents mistakenly believe that if they sort things out in a way that the child does not hear, he will never know about it. But they are very wrong - the teenager will still feel the tension that will be between the parents. By the way, there can be no talk of any friendly atmosphere if quarrels occur between parents and the child. Sometimes teenage maximalism leads to the fact that the child perceives even completely harmless comments from parents with hostility and a scandal breaks out. Therefore, parents should show maximum wisdom and endurance during this difficult period.
- Sexual orientation
Fortunately, this is not the cause of teenageDepression is rare. But it does exist, so it is worth mentioning. We are talking about sexual orientation. It just so happens that today non-traditional sexual orientation is not something out of the ordinary. Of course, for teenagers, but not for their parents. The child is well aware of this and imagines the parents' reaction in advance. He simply does not see any way out of this situation. But teenagers do not recognize halftones - either black or white. As a result, the child develops a feeling of guilt, anger, fear that everything will soon be revealed. And the result is severe depression. Of course, only the main possible reasons for the development of depression are listed above. In fact, there are many more and it is difficult to say for sure what will serve as an impetus in a particular case.
Signs of teenage depression
Parents should seek immediate assistancehelp from a psychologist if the child is depressed for a week or longer, and there are also other symptoms of depression. We will tell you now what signs indicate that a child may have depression. But do not forget that each child is a unique individual. And it may well be that the symptoms will differ in each specific case - in combination, degree of severity and other indicators. However, parents can quite easily form a general idea.
- Closed
First of all, behavior changes dramaticallyteenager. Just yesterday he was a smiling, cheerful child, willing to make contact. But today he avoids any conversations in every possible way, coming home from school, he hurries to go to his room. He answers all attempts to talk briefly and monosyllabically.
- Break off contacts with friends
Isolation affects not only family members, butand the child's friends. He stops going for walks with them, talking on the phone. In particularly severe cases, the child may even refuse to go out to see his friends if they come to visit.
- Absent and forgetfulness
In some cases, the child develops a strongabsent-mindedness and the inability to concentrate on anything, much less make any decisions on their own, even the simplest ones – to drink tea or have some chocolate. It becomes impossible to ask the child for anything – for example, they can go to the store and return empty-handed just because they forgot what they need to buy. Or they will forget to pick up their little sister or brother from kindergarten. Or they will lose their second phone in a month… Most often, parents get angry when faced with such behavior, believing that it is all about banal carelessness and irresponsibility.
- Changing a teenager's appetite
Parents should also be wary ifthe child's appetite will suddenly change. Moreover, it can either disappear completely or increase significantly - even body weight can change very much. By the way, regarding changes in appetite - I would not like to scare parents, but in some cases, a change in appetite - especially its episodic increase - may indicate that the child has begun to abuse drugs.
- Appearance of a feeling of fatigue and physical pain
In some cases, the child may regularlycomplain of pain, for example, in the abdomen, back or headaches. The parents take the child to the doctor, he examines him but does not find any pathologies. However, the pain persists. Doctors call this phenomenon psychosomatic pain. They are often a constant companion of depression. In addition to somatic pain, chronic fatigue syndrome may be observed during depression. The child feels exhausted and broken from the very morning, all actions are difficult for him, he constantly wants to lie down.
- Violation of normal sleep patterns
Sometimes constant fatigue is far fromthe only problem of a teenager with depression. Sleep disorders are very common. The child may suffer from either insomnia or, on the contrary, increased sleepiness. Both conditions should cause anxiety in parents, as they may indicate very serious problems with the central nervous system.
- Bunker behavior of a teenager
Sometimes depression makes itself known not through apathy but throughindifference to everything that happens, but on the contrary, defiant and rebellious behavior. A previously calm and balanced child begins to rebel, is rude to parents. Sometimes it seems to adults that the child is doing everything on purpose to spite them. In especially severe cases, the child may start smoking, using drugs and alcoholic beverages. Accordingly, problems with the law may begin. It is very important for parents to react in time and take the necessary measures. Unfortunately, this does not happen in all cases, because most parents spend too much time at work.
How to identify adolescent depression?
An equally interesting question for parents is howdiagnose this very depression. Even doctors cannot give a clear answer. After all, mental disorders are not a cold or appendicitis. And there are no tests that would allow detecting depression. And X-rays and ultrasound examinations are also absolutely powerless in this case... Therefore, a psychologist is forced to diagnose teenage depression based solely on the complaints of the child himself or his parents and teachers, as well as on the results of various psychological tests that will certainly be offered to the teenager. Based on all the data received, the doctor assesses the severity of the disease, finds out whether the teenager has a tendency to commit suicide, and selects the optimal treatment regimen.
Methods of treatment of depression
Today, medicine knowsThere are many ways to treat teenage depression, including psychotherapy and drug therapy. However, be sure to remember that it is in no case acceptable to give your child any pharmacological drugs on your own. Pharmacologists unanimously claim that taking a number of antidepressants can not only fail to improve the child's condition, but also push him to commit suicide. Especially if the depression is very severe and at an advanced stage. Therefore, all medications should be selected exclusively by the child's attending physician. By the way, the treatment itself should be carried out exclusively under strict medical supervision. If the doctor notices any deviations, he will be able to immediately adjust the therapy. Parents are unlikely to succeed, so you should not risk the child or even try. Most likely, your child will have to visit a psychologist or psychiatrist who will conduct corrective sessions. Sometimes the child refuses to visit the doctor - this significantly worsens the situation. Therefore, if this happens, doctors most often suggest hospitalization. Parents should never refuse it, because the most precious thing is at stake - the health, and possibly the life of the child. But no less depends on the parents during the treatment period. In order for the child's condition to normalize as quickly as possible, he needs to feel the love, care and support of both parents. He must clearly understand that you will love him, no matter what happens. Well, and in the event that the relationship in the family leaves much to be desired, consider the possibility of visiting a family psychologist. Who knows, perhaps with the help of a specialist you will be able to restore peace and harmony in the family. And depression in teenagers will recede. We recommend reading:
