Dealing with Teenage Depression

Jake was a happy-go-lucky fifteen-year old. And like other teens,  Jake engaged himself a lot into sports like basketball, baseball, and sometimes, skateboarding. He wasn’t among the top of his class, but anyone could fairly say that Jake was a smart boy. On Saturdays, he usually did most of the household chores and on Sundays, after church, he was out on a picnic with his friends. All was going well for Jake. He was a source of constant pride for his parents.

One day after coming home from school, Jake wasn’t his usual self—no kiss for his mom, no hi for his dad, no small talk about school. It was just not Jake. From the front door, Jake rushed up the stairs to his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. His parents thought it was just a gloomy day of their son. But the next few days didn’t seem different, so were the next weeks. Jake turned from happy to sad, from jolly to tearful. He lost his appetite, and didn’t get much sleep. He became more irritable and hostile. His grades suddenly dropped and he lost his vigor for school activities. Jake’s behavior worsened as time passed. 

Jake’s story was not just a simple case of mood swings. It was in fact, depression caused by an unintentional remark from his favorite teacher.

Depression is a serious problem that affects every aspect of a person’s life. It used to be rampant only among adults, but now, this problem affects even the younger ones—even teenagers. If left untreated, depression can actually lead to even worse problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse and sometimes even suicide.

A lot of parents often overlook simple events in their teenage kid’s life not knowing these are the most common causes of teenage depression. These include: destroyed friendships, failed romantic relationships, peer pressure and unsolicited remarks that slash the emotion. And like other diseases, the early detection of its symptoms and treatment are still the best resource against depression. If you have any kids, nephew or niece, or a younger brother perhaps, do watch out for the following symptoms of this menace. If a teenager becomes frequently angry and hostile, do not ignore his state. This means he has something on his mind that is confusing him. This behavior is often exhibited more than the feeling of sadness. Another sign is withdrawal from family and friends. Remember, Jake rushed up to his room and slammed the door behind him. It is known that people suffering from depression would rather want to be alone than with company, not even with his own family. Depression can also cause lack of sleep and changing sleeping habits. In effect, the person loses weight and eventually loses interest in the usual things that bring him pleasure. In worst case scenarios, a person suffering from depression often has thoughts about suicide.

If this problem remains untreated, the person may drop out of school, and eventually run away. Drug abuse and alcoholism are among the top refuge of a depressed individual. These provide a pseudo momentary relief for them.

If only Jake’s parents had thought otherwise, they could have saved their own son.

Some facts:

• Teenage females are more likely to attempt suicide, but teenage males complete suicide four times more than females.

• Males use more violent means e.g. guns, hanging.

• Having a firearm in the house greatly increases the risk of youth suicide.

• 3.3 percent of regular male smokers had attempted suicide, compared with 1.2 percent of non regular smokers

• Suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers.

In, 1997 over 786,000 people in the world committed suicide; or that translates into one suicide every forty seconds, somewhere in the world.

What  parents can do:

1.Give your child some reassurance. Make him feel that you understand his difficulties and you have been a teen ager too like he was and has had some difficulties yourself at his age.

2.Highlight his achievements rather than his failure. Congratulate him for the good things he has done.

3.Talk to him about things that excite him.

4.Spend time with him doing his favorite activity.

5.Get to know his friends.

Maybe in this venue he can start opening up to you regarding his feelings.

For additional information/assistance contact us at: [email protected] or 233-2152.