Teenage depression is just as serious as clinical depression suffered by adults of any age. Yet because of the unique situation most teens find themselves in — at a sensitive stage of their development and becoming comfortable with their own personality — it’s often hard for a teen to get help for feeling depressed.
We’re not talking feeling sad because of a breakup with their boyfriend or girlfriend. We’re talking about serious feelings last 2 weeks or longer of sadness, lethargy, lack of interest or pleasure in the usual activities in a person’s life, and even suicidal thoughts. These are the hallmarks of untreated depression.
Psych Central’s Ask the Therapists Daniel J. Tomasulo, Ph.D. & Marie Hartwell-Walker, Ed.D. in this video talk about teenage and adolescent depression. Young adults experience depression more often than many adults, but there is hope for getting better. Here’s how.
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Great discussion. I particularly like the metaphor about the lobster and the transitional stage from innocence to adulthood. In that short discussion, it is obvious to me that teenage depression is the most vulnerable time of a youth’s life. Signs and symptoms should be watched constantly by their loved ones and their school teachers without being too obvious to the teen. Help, support, psychotherapy and anti-depressant are all very helpful adjunct to treatment. But the demonstration of love, concern by teachers and parents and siblings and friends are very important outside the therapist’s office. Most important for any teen and adult is the ability to have control of their life, which can be instilled during the psychotherapeutic session by teaching discernnment, judgment, decision making and other executive function to help him think through situations and control his own life and destiny.