kNOw Depression

Teen years can be difficult for you and your parents. You feel pressure to fit in, succeed in school, get along with your family and make important life decisions. Most of these stresses are unavoidable, and worrying about them is natural. But if you feel extremely sad, hopeless, worthless, angry or restless, you may be experiencing symptoms of depression. Clinical depression is more than sadness. It’s a mental illness, and professional treatment is necessary.

In our kNOw Depression video series, you’ll meet Tiana, Matt and Erica. Each teen is experiencing depression, but their lives and symptoms are very different. As you watch these stories, see if you can spot the signs of depression. What would you do if your friend or family member appeared to have these symptoms?

Depression can be hard to recognize so it’s not always easy to know when or where to get help. In this series, you’ll also hear from the parents of these teenagers as they explain what they were going through before they sought treatment for their teen’s depression. How would you talk to someone in your life about depression?

Meet Tiana Meet Matt Meet Erica
and
Tiana’s Mom		 and
Matt’s Parents		 and
Erica’s Mom

 

 

Meet Tiana

 

In the aftermath of her grandmother’s death, Tiana feels numb. She no longer cares about dance class, an activity she once treasured. She doesn’t eat much, and has little interest in talking on the phone or spending time with friends. She thinks about death a lot, wondering what happens after someone dies.

 

 

kNOw the Signs

 

Teen depression is often a response to specific situations and stresses or a reaction to a disturbing event such as the death of a friend or relative or a breakup with a boyfriend or girlfriend. Adolescent girls are twice as likely as boys to experience depression. Tiana’s mom noticed the change in her daughter and together they got Tiana the help she needed.

 

Tiana’s signs of depression:

  • Withdrawal from friends and activities
  • Persistent sadness and hopelessness
  • Change in eating habits
  • Obsession with death – suicidal thoughts or fears about death and dying

 

Meet Matt

 

Matt is a teen trying to keep up, but is overwhelmed by the pressure to excel in school and sports. His grades are slipping and he becomes angry when his parents ask about his report card. He is awake in the middle of the night and can’t seem to focus during the day. He never plays his guitar anymore and doesn’t care about spending time with friends.

 

 

kNOw the Signs

 

Depression can destroy the very essence of a teenager’s personality, causing an overwhelming sense of sadness, despair or anger. Extreme stress from the pressure to excel as an athlete or have good grades can trigger depression in some people.

 

Matt’s signs of depression

  • Poor performance in school
  • Anger and rage
  • Overreaction to criticism
  • Insomnia
  • Feelings of being unable to satisfy ideals
  • Indecision, lack of concentration or forgetfulness
  • Restlessness or agitation

 

Meet Erica

 

Erica has little interest in anything. She spends most of her time sleeping. She doesn’t care about friends, family or school, and abruptly ends her relationship with her boyfriend. She resorts to stealing and using alcohol and drugs to feel better for a while and avoid dealing with her problems.

 

kNOw the Signs

 

Long-term depressive illness usually begins in the teen or young adult years. Approximately 15%-20% of American teens have experienced a serious episode of depression. Many people with depression, anxiety or other illnesses resort to abusing drugs and alcohol as a means of self-medicating. This only masks the underlying problem.

 

Erica’s signs of depression

  • Lack of enthusiasm, energy or motivation
  • Problems with authority
  • Excessive sleeping
  • Criminal behavior
  • Substance abuse

 

 

kNOw the Risk Factors for Depression

  • Stressful life events - particularly loss of a parent to death or divorce
  • Friendship problems - having few friends or few close friends
  • Family problems
  • Abuse
  • Being extremely emotional
  • Negative thinking - teens who often have negative thoughts and blame themselves when bad things happen
  • Social problems - like homelessness
  • Chronic illness
  • Family history of depression - teens with a close family member with depression are twice as likely to get depressed
  • Having another disorder - teens are more likely to get depressed if they are disabled or have another problem such as anxiety, eating disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, Asperger’s syndrome and other learning problems. 50%-80% of depressed teenagers have another disorder.
  • Drug abuse
  • Being a girl - depression affects twice as many teenage girls as boys

kNOw the Difference between Situational and Biological Depression

In the cases of Tiana and Matt, outside influences and life events have probably triggered their depression. Tiana is distraught over the loss of her grandmother and Matt is struggling with the expectations placed on him by his friends and family. When the onset of depression can be attributed to a specific event or influence, this is called Situational Depression.

In Erica’s case, her symptoms seemed to occur out of the blue without any specific cause. This is known as Biological Depression and is generally due to brain chemicals or hormones that are out of balance.

Think of it like asthma. We all know that asthma attacks may be triggered by something in the environment (such as allergens from plants and pets) but they can also occur without reason. Either way, you seek immediate treatment for the attack. Depression is no different.

Suicide Warning Signs

  • Talking or joking about committing suicide
  • Saying things like, “I’d be better off dead,” “I wish I could disappear forever,” or “There’s no way out.”
  • Speaking positively about death or romanticizing dying (“If I died, people might love me more.”)
  • Writing stories and poems about death, dying or suicide
  • Engaging in reckless behavior or having a lot of accidents resulting in injury
  • Giving away prized possessions
  • Saying goodbye to friends and family as if for good
  • Seeking out weapons, pills or other ways to kill themselves

If a teenager you know threatens suicide
or shows signs of suicidal thoughts,
contact a suicide help line immediately.

800-SUICIDE (784-2433)
877-YOUTHLINE (968-8454)
800-273-TALK (8255)

Source: National Institutes of Health, teendepression.org, Johns Hopkins