Depression is a growing mental illness that is constantly affecting humans around the world. It is a disorder that effectively damages person capacity to view or lead life with positive frame of mind. It distorts the personality by changing their mindset and the way they feel and react to things.
Depression can hit people of all ages. However teenagers are very vulnerable to this disorder. The modern life is such that young people are facing a lot of challenges and pressure even at this tender age. They find these challenges too difficult to handle. What is needed at this time is for parents to assume the responsibility of taking care of their children.
Man times parents are guilty of not paying much importance to things like lack of concentration in children, sleep disorders, unhealthy eating habits etc. They assume that these are temporary problems which will go away after some time.
However, in many cases, these habits do not go away so easily. In fact, they might become more strong as time passes. So the earlier these things are corrected the better. Here are a few early warning signs for parents to check whether their teenage children are victims of depression or not:
Physical Characteristics: Observe if you son/daughter is feeling hopeless, has become very temperamental of late and even cries a lot more than normal.
Other signs to look for are:
1. Does your child wear a worried expression all the time?
2. Lack of energy, fatigue and insomnia problems
3. Low appetite. Sometimes teenagers might gain weight unexpectedly and at other times, they may lose a lot of weight
4. No motivation or inspiration to achieve laid out goals.
5. One of the most telling sign is to see if your child has unexpectedly given up any hobby or activity which he/she used to enjoy a lot previously.
6. Does your child suffer from frequent and unexplained pains like stomachache or headache?
All of the above are common symptons of depression in most teenagers.
Social Interaction: Another Commonly spotted symptom in teens is that they withdraw from relationships and friends. Teenagers might try to avoid going to college due to others making fun or because they do not have good friends. They don’t like social gatherings and prefer to spend most of their time alone.
Performance: Teens suffering from depression may have difficulty in concentrating on any kind of work. They become lazy and procrastinate. This can be a strong indication that they are going through stressful situations at their school or college.
As teenagers are not fully grown up, they need the help and guidance of elders. The parents have to take up this responsibility of supporting their children, encouraging them to fight off these feelings and not give up easily.
Related Articles:
1. Types of depression – Read about many types of depression and symptoms for each
2. Post-partum depression symptoms – Know why new mothers experience depression after child birth.
