Seven Signs Your Child Might be Dealing with Depression

Almost every teenager passes through a sad or moody phase in life, but when the feeling persists for weeks or longer and your child begins to lose interest in things once found enjoyable,it could signal depression. Sadly, often neither parent nor child may be even aware of it.

Left untreated, depression in young adults can fester into a serious, long lasting mental health condition. This can impact how your growing child behaves, feels and thinks, and can further aggravate issues like functional, emotional and physical health.

Common Signs of Teen Depression

Depression can creep in at any time, but some signs may appear different in teens than in adults. This is because the unique issues teens face such as academic expectations and peer pressure can bring about added stress on younger people.

While symptoms of depression can vary in severity, if you spot any of these common warning signs, then your teenager is likely to be at risk.

1 . Irritability or outbursts of anger

In some teens, depression may flare up in forms of angry outbursts in school or showing dissent at the dining table at home. They may also portray misbehavior or experience significant mood fluctuations.

Withdrawal from friends and ignoring their once favorite social activity are some of the behavioral changes noted in children with depression.This symptom is attributed to anhedonia,or the inability to absorb pressure, and a common cause of loss of interest or pleasure in activities a person once enjoyed.

3. Change in appetite

Keep a lookout for any changes seen in the child’s appetite. Eating more or less, gaining or losing weight are typical signs of depression in teens.This is common among those children who employ unhealthy eating habits to cope with the negative emotions they are feeling.

4. Shifting sleep patterns

Having trouble falling asleep, or sleeping more than usual can signal depression in the child. Since these irregular sleep patterns are a sign of despondency in youths, they should be included in prevention programs as early as possible.

5 . Slipping grades

A decline in grades and overall academic performance in school can be a sign of depression especially among high school children. Students who don’t like attending school, skip homework, miss class exams, can find all this overwhelming. This can lead to poor concentration and ultimately lower grades..

6. Displaying low self-esteem

When your teenage child is seen struggling with low self-esteem, this could be a potential red-flag.The adolescent period is a crucial time when teens like to build upon their ego,but if your child begins to make frequent negative comments about themselves it is time to seek professional help to help build upon the child’s strength by identifying the positive traits.

7 . Display tendency for suicide or self-harm

Thoughts of suicide or self-injury are obvious warning signs of depression that often go unnoticed most of the time. This is because if your child is indulging in self-harm and covering it up with clothes etc in order not to arouse suspicion, there is not much you can do to find out. Once the unexplained bruises and injury marks are visible, only then can you reach out to your child for providing support and professional help.

What should you do if you think your child is depressed?

Parenting a depressed teen can be both frustrating and challenging as the child tends to rebuff overtures from parents as they think that they are being misjudged or misunderstood.

Some strategies parents can put in practice that may show radical improvement in the teens behavior once they are employed, are described below.

# Solve problems together

Offering a problem solving attitude directly to the teen may make the adolescent feel as if they are being treated as a child and the advice, no matter how sound it may be, is likely to be ignored.

To eliminate this feeling of resistance, the idea is to encourage your teen to sit and solve the problem together. Teens will consider this technique as a sign of sincerity of the parent and make them feel better understood.

# Be supportive

Strengthening a relationship with a depressed teen works wonders as it validates their emotions but not their unhealthy actions. The trick is to ask questions in a compassionate way about their mood without any display of emotion.

Listening to them without judgment will make the child feel you are an ally and someone whom they can trust and turn to in times of need. This will be an active way to further cement the child-parent relationship.

# Accentuate the positive things your kid does.

If attending school regularly, doing a good part-time job, helping out with housework and so on are some of the good things your teen excels in, it is high time for the parent to show a bit of appreciation.

This will make the child feel recognised and encouraged to work even harder and once you show them how proud you are of their actions, the teen in turn,will appreciate the fact that hard work is getting noticed.

# Find a therapist

Teens often open up to someone other than their parents to echo their problems from a different perspective.

Therefore it is important to get an evaluation done from a therapist your child is comfortable with as soon as you feel that depression has started to set in. If your child is reluctant, then you might suggest virtual therapy or even text based therapy services. These can be much less demanding, and offer a solid stepping stone into more intensive care in the future.

Talking with a therapist can also help your teen learn how to manage the feelings of sadness and develop strategies to combat them by:

stop thinking of the negative thoughts
indulging in comforting and soothing activities
appreciating the good things about themselves
identifying stressors and figuring out how to tackle them

There are several types of well-studied behavioral therapies that have been known to be of immense help to teens with depression such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal therapy (IPT) and dialectical behavioral therapy(DBT).
Of course, if your child is displaying severe signs of distress, or you suspect they are engaging or considering self harm, you should contact the national emergency hotline immediately.

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