- Main causes
- Symptoms of depression in adolescence
- How the treatment is done
- How can family and friends help?
Adolescent depression is a disease that must be taken seriously, because if it is not properly treated it can cause consequences such as drug abuse and suicide, which are serious problems in the adolescent's life.
Some clinical features of adolescent depression are sadness, constant irritability, memory failures, lack of self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness. These characteristics can help parents, teachers and close friends to identify this problem.
Adolescent depression can be cured if the young person has medical, psychological support, family support and takes the prescribed medication.
Main causes
Adolescent depression can be triggered by several situations, such as the use of drugs and alcohol, family history of depression, need for success and perfection, hormonal disorders and changes in the body, such as hair or breast growth.
In addition, the depressive state can happen after or during stressful situations, such as chronic illness, loss of a loved one or school failure, for example. Family problems such as lack of attention and affection, peevishness at school or rejection can be other causes for the onset of depression in adolescence.
Symptoms of depression in adolescence
Symptoms of depression that your teenager may experience may be:
- Sadness; Constant tiredness; Problems with memory and concentration; Changes in mood; Frequent crying; Lack of interest or pleasure in daily activities; Decreased appetite; Loss or weight gain; Insomnia.
See how to identify the characteristic symptoms of depression in the following video:
Often adolescents have exaggerated feelings of guilt that lead to suicidal or homicidal thoughts.
The diagnosis of depression can be made by analyzing the symptoms by a psychiatrist or by an experienced doctor, who can differentiate these symptoms from situations such as stress, anxiety or dysthymia, for example. Understand how depression is diagnosed, and how to differentiate from sadness.
How the treatment is done
The treatment of depression in adolescence is done with antidepressant medications prescribed by the doctor, such as Sertraline, Fluoxetine or Amitriptyline, for example, which should be used daily to help improve symptoms.
However, psychotherapy is essential for the treatment to be complete, as it helps adolescents to explore feelings or events that are painful for them.
How can family and friends help?
It is important that family and friends pay attention to the symptoms of depression to help the teenager and make them feel better. It is important that family and friends understand the adolescent's situation and do not treat him with pity or make him feel overprotected, as this can cause more anguish and concern in the adolescent.
It is recommended that simple actions be taken that can show the teenager how important he is to people and the performance of activities that promote their sense of well-being. In addition, it is important for the family to demonstrate that the adolescent is integrated into the family and that it is important for decision making, for example.
The practice of sports and cultural activities, psychological and parenting is important to help adolescents recover from depression. Check out what to do to cure depression faster.
