Depression in adolescents: manifestation and treatment

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The teenage years are some of the most emotional, when a student leaves childhood, but does not always know what it means to be an adult. It was at this time that he is subject to various influences, contradictions, often disappointed in life situations, friends, people. If things go badly at school, there is no support at home, then a teenager develops depression. What to do when it appears, how to recognize and carry out the necessary treatment in time, will be discussed in this article.

Depression: definitions

Depression is a depressed state characterized by a breakdown, indifference to public life, refusal to perform important tasks and assignments. Such a psychological condition is considered a disease that needs to be treated. Quite often, a person cannot get out of depression on his own, so he needs outside help.

Like any disease, depression has its own symptoms and causes. Teenagers, like adults, are prone todepression, which often becomes a factor in psychological disability or mortality. Therefore, it is so important to recognize this disease in order to help in time and return the joy of life to the student.

Causes of teenage depression

Depressive state usually occurs not from scratch, it can have both objective and subjective factors. The main causes of depression in teenagers are:

1. Hormonal changes in the body of children. During this period, they change quite physically, the ongoing chemical processes can cause mood swings, anxiety, anxiety.
2. Failures in school life. Underachievement, rejection by classmates, "attacks" by teachers, increase emotional instability, make a teenager unhappy.
3. Social status. If a child is not respected among peers, friends constantly make fun of him, do not value his opinions, then this attitude suppresses the student, makes him lonely.
4. Unfortunate first love. Adolescents react very sharply to the feelings that have arisen, which most often remain unanswered, so children develop a critical attitude towards their appearance and body. They cease to respect themselves, they believe that there is nothing to love them for, as a result, such an attitude leads to despair and depression.
5. High demands of parents. An overestimated bar, unbearable for a student, makes him feel insecure, fear of punishment for an unachieved result, fear of even greater demands.
6. Family trouble. Family relationships are importantrole in the emotional state of the child. The development of depression in adolescents may be associated with the indifferent attitude of parents who are not interested in the life of a student, do not support him, and are not happy with the achievements of the child.

Depressive symptoms

Any disease has its own signs by which it can be recognized. Depression is manifested by the following symptoms:

• permanent state of apathy;
• appearance of various pains (headache, stomach, back)
• not passing feeling of fatigue, loss of strength;
• student cannot concentrate on a certain task, becomes forgetful;
• sadness, anxiety, excessive anxiety appear;
• irresponsible or rebellious behavior - teen skips school, doesn't do homework, stays out late;
• insomnia at night, daytime sleepiness;
• dramatic decline in school performance;
• avoiding peers, ignoring activities;
• lack of motivation to perform any duties;
• malnutrition - the student either refuses to eat or abuses it;
• excessive agitation, frequent outbursts of anger, irritability;
• obsession with death, the afterlife.

In general, signs of depression in adolescents cause changes in their behavior and mood. Schoolchildren become closed, most of the time they spend in their room, do not communicate with other people. Lose interest andmotivation to previously loved activities, become gloomy and hostile.

Age characteristics

Growing up, children change not only externally, but also internally, they look at the world differently, see and understand new relationships, relationships between people. Therefore, it is at this time that they are prone to a depressive state.

The peak period for depression in adolescents is between 13 and 19 years of age. At this time, schoolchildren are subject to stress, they have unstable and heightened emotionality, the world around them is perceived through a magnifying glass, all problems seem insoluble.

At the age of 15 years, severe and moderate forms of the disease are rare, but this does not mean that you do not need to pay attention to the child's depression, since a mild stage can quickly turn into a more severe one.

Children aged 10 to 12 generally show symptoms such as general deterioration in he alth, digestion and nutrition. In addition, the behavior of schoolchildren is changing, they become more withdrawn, lonely, may complain of boredom, lose interest in their previous activities.

Teenagers aged 12-14 hide their depression, but it manifests itself through mental and motor retardation. Children cannot clearly formulate their thoughts, difficulties arise in the communicative process. Symptoms of depression in adolescents also appear, such as poor academic performance, lack of discipline, anger, spending more time on the street. Students are in constanttension and fear that they will be scolded, lectured, humiliated.

The most problematic depressive states occur at the age of 14 - 19, the age when schoolchildren face difficulties in choosing a further path, passing exams. In addition, they tend to think about the meaning of life, which they still cannot understand and find, such thoughts become self-sufficient. During this period, such symptoms of depression in adolescents as insomnia, loss of appetite, irritability, fear of making decisions, anxiety, and others can be most acute.

Types of manifestations of depression

Depending on the behavioral characteristics, symptoms, the following types of depressive state can be distinguished:

• Zombie - a teenager's obsession with a certain activity that does not bring any benefit, but is absolutely fruitless. A prime example is spending time on social media, constantly refreshing the page in anticipation of a new event. The child turns into a "zombie", feeding on meaningless information.
• Riddle - the student does not show any signs of illness, but he changes dramatically in a short period of time. Transformations can affect appearance, habits, worldview.
• Victim - depression in children and adolescents often takes the form of a victim, when they, feeling their worthlessness or inferiority, easily succumb to the influence of a more successful, from their point of view, person, under whose influence a depressive state onlyintensifies.
• Screen - schoolchildren hide true experiences, fears, pain behind visible success. This form of the disease can lead to the fact that the child will constantly strive for success, but this will not bring satisfaction.
• Problem - teenagers do not feel the taste for life, everything is boring and uninteresting for them, they can always be depressed. At the same time, they study well, do not lead an asocial lifestyle, however, such children do not have spiritual harmony either.
• Rebel - this kind of depression speaks of its protracted form. The student does not value life, it irritates him, while he is practically not subject to suicidal behavior, because he loves his Ego too much and takes care of it.

Depression in boys and girls: gender differences

Teenagers who are in a depressed state, unable to withstand it, often try to find some way out that will help ease the suffering and drown out the pain. At the same time, the answer to the question of how to get out of depression is seen by a teenager in rebellious and antisocial behavior, and for a girl - in isolation in oneself or in causing even more suffering.

Boys most often associate with bad company, try all kinds of drugs, alcohol, closing in this way not only from personal problems, but also from the world as a whole, from its injustice and misunderstanding. In this state, the child feels absolutely happy. There are no responsibilities, no teachers, no overprotective parents.

Depression in a teenage girl has a slightly differentmanifestations. She withdraws into herself, closes herself from external influences in her inner world, becomes unsociable, withdrawn, lonely. Often this behavior is associated with low self-esteem, when a girl does not know what to respect herself for, what is her attractiveness, while she tries to drown out the pain through promiscuity. Most often, such an underestimation of oneself as a person, of one's capabilities comes from the family, when the child was little told about how wonderful and good she is. Indeed, in relation to a girl there is not much love, it will not spoil her, will not make her a hypocrite.

However, such exits from this state only worsen the situation: after the end of the drug or sexual intercourse, the pain becomes even stronger, self-esteem drops to zero. Therefore, it is important to start fighting depression in adolescents in time to avoid voluntary death.

Treatment for depression

If you find the above symptoms, you need to consult a doctor so that he can determine the right treatment, which can be medication or advisory.

From medicines, various sedatives are usually prescribed, which do not have a detrimental effect on the child's body as a whole, do not lead to drowsiness and renunciation. Any drugs must be taken strictly according to the doctor's prescription in order to avoid various unpleasant consequences.

However, most often it is enough to conduct a course of psychological counseling, where the treatment of depression in adolescents is carried outthrough the search for the causes of the disease, learning to recognize negative thoughts and the ability to cope with them. Such consultations are carried out both separately with the child and with the whole family, if difficult relationships with relatives become the causes of the disease.

Parental help for a teenager

The main role in the prevention of depression in children is assigned to their parents, whose behavior and attitude will help either not to know this disease at all, or to easily cope with it. To protect a teenager from a depressive state, parents need to choose the following parenting tactics:

• It is not recommended to constantly punish or humiliate a child, otherwise he will grow up insecure, clamped, will consider himself useless.
• Do not overprotect children, make decisions for them, which provokes teenage depression, the symptoms of which are manifested in the inability to make choices, to be independent.
• You can’t pinch a child, restrict his freedom, he must feel his independence, but at the same time know that his parents are always there.
• Give the opportunity to choose a creative circle, sports section, friends, you should not impose your unfulfilled dreams on a teenager.
• It is necessary to talk with the child, the best way to do this is through joint activities. Here it is recommended to choose something that both a teenager and parents like to do: it can be family skiing, ice skating, creating interesting crafts, reading books and much more.
• If the childshares his difficulties, it is important to listen to him, in no case should you make fun of a problem, even a trifling one. It is better to discuss everything and find a solution.
• Constant moralizing can also cause depression in adolescents, so it is recommended to teach by deeds, not words, you must be an example for your child.

Signs of suicidal behavior

Teenage depression can take a rather dangerous form - a voluntary departure from life. All the problems that arise in schoolchildren are considered insoluble and insurmountable, causing unbearable pain. Among them are the most popular: school failure, unrequited love, problems in the family, constant failure in various matters. Teenagers, unable to withstand such emotional stress, go to the extreme step - suicide, which solves all difficult issues at once.

Among the main signs of such behavior are the following:

• lack of faith in a good and joyful future, the child loses all hope;
• indifferent attitude towards oneself, depression in adolescence manifests itself through phrases such as "no one needs me, no one cares about me";
• student stops doing what he loves, loses interest in learning;
• often talks about death or even threatens to kill himself.

If a teenager shows at least one of the above signs, then you can not leave it unattended, you need to talk with the child or go to a consultation with himpsychologist.

Underestimating and overestimating the situation

Depression is not always easy and simple to recognize, but one should not go to extremes, which consist in underestimating or, conversely, in overestimating what is happening.

All teenagers are subjected to psychological stress, this is a normal process that has the same symptoms as depression. However, it is shorter, the child does not close in himself, he easily makes contact. In this case, it is not necessary to overestimate the situation and take the student to the doctor, a confidential conversation at home is enough. Here parents can tell about themselves, how they experienced certain problems at this age.

At the same time, children who really need help are left without attention, parents let the problem take its course, signs of depression in adolescents are not noticed. Here there is an underestimation of the situation, the child is left alone with his problems, which is fraught with psychological disorders or suicide.

Hence, it is important to correctly recognize the first and second, provide them with support and, if necessary, treatment.

Thus, depression is quite common among adolescents, which is explained by their internal and external changes, when children are not ready to accept the new rules dictated by adult life, cannot understand the established relationships between people, find their place in society. The development of depression in adolescents is dangerous for their mental he alth and life, since help, parental ormedical, can provoke suicide as the only way out of this situation.