The teenage years can be hard on teens and parents alike with concerns about puberty, sexuality, drugs and alcohol, dating and getting ready for college. All of these things happening at once may seem overwhelming at times to everyone involved and teenagers can get depressed from all of the perceived pressures they have in their lives.
Teenage depression is a very serious subject that needs to be addressed because it can lead to despondency, loneliness, and even suicidal tendencies in your teenager. Yes, these things can be scary and yes it may be hard to deal with at first. But you need to prepare yourself for the road ahead. Here are some warning signs that your teen may be depressed. If your teen is depressed, it will affect all areas of his or her life.
Lack of appetite is a first warning sign that your teenager may be showing signs of depression. If your teenager is worried all of the time, their stomachs may be too tense to eat and they won’t feel hungry.
Despondency and apathy are other signs of depression as this means your teenager is keeping more and more things bottled up inside. Normal teenagers are vibrant, outgoing, and like the company of friends. While they can have periods where they are just quiet or worried, a constant state of keeping things inside themselves is not healthy.
Trouble in school with behavior and grades could also be a sign of teenage depression. If your teen’s grades suddenly they drop, that is a cause for concern and you should address the issue with your child’s guidance counselor at school.
Smoking, drugs, and alcohol are all red flags for a teen that is troubled. If your teen is addicted to any of those substances seek professional help immediately as getting your teenager the help they need is imperative.
Trouble making decisions is a warning sign that your teen is overly worried about how to conduct their lives. While sometimes decision making can be a big deal with major decisions, being overly worried about little things is not normal.
Abnormal sleep patterns are another sign that your teen is not healthy on the inside. If your teenager sleeps a lot during the day and stays awake at night this is a sign that they are not calm enough to rest when they are supposed to be sleeping.
If your child is complaining of chronic inexplicable pains or fatigue this may be an effect of your teenager’s imbalance in his or her life. When your body is in pain that means something needs to be fixed.
You notice that your teenager is sad and melancholy all of the time. This could be a warning that the feelings going on in your teen are not healthy. Everyone gets sad, but being sad all of the time is not normal.
Notice if your teenager is still hanging out with friends. If you come to observe that he or she doesn’t have the friends they used to this could be a sign of trouble.
Last and certainly not least is irresponsible behavior like skipping school, getting home late, missing homework, not doing chores, and the like. This is a sudden change in behavior that may be a sign of something different.While these symptoms alone may not be a sign of depression, definitely start talking to your teenager about what is going on in their lives and in their heads if you notice sudden changes in behavior. It may just be a normal part of life and will pass, but do try to find out what’s going on with your teenager before it is too late.
