Teen Depression - Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

What Is Teen Depression?

Depression is a serious mental illness affecting individuals of any age group; however, symptoms are different between adults and teens. Teen depression, as the name suggests, affects teens. Feeling low on energy, sad thoughts, feeling hopeless, and pity (or self-pity) is a common feeling that occurs with professional (schoolwork or part-time job) and personal life stress. However, the recurrent inflow of these emotions and the increased severity of them might be alarming signs of teen depression. Depression is more than feeling hopeless and sad. It is an inflow of all these emotions but at a stronger force and at a much deeper intensity.

Conditions such as peer pressure, academic stress (feeling anxious over their grades), sexual orientation (difficulty understanding sexual preference), attaining puberty, difficult childhood or difficulty at home, and changing bodies are like a roller coaster that brings about different emotions and but in certain conditions, feeling of darkness and hopelessness is overpowering and consuming and which might lead to depression or teen depression in case of a teenager. Teen depression is not a temporary emotion or illness, nor is it a sign of weakness or an illness that goes away with time. Teen depression needs attention, care, and proper medical treatment.

What Causes Teen Depression?

Even with the research and experiments, the exact cause of depression is yet to be pinpointed. An amalgam of the factors can cause depression, either individually or in adjunct to each other. Some of the causes of teen depression are-

• Brain: Neurotransmitters are the brain chemicals that carry signals to the part of the brain that carries functions of our body. Fluctuations in these chemicals, either being abnormally high or low or the chemicals are impaired, cause dysfunction of the neurotransmitters, nerve receptors, and nerve systems which leads to depression. Neurotransmitters linked to understanding or causing (at low levels) depression are serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine.

• Hormones: The imbalance of hormones can be a triggering factor of teen depression, and since the suffering individual is a teen, puberty is the hormonal high of the age, and the imbalance of hormones is in accordance with the age.

• Childhood Trauma: Experiencing childhood trauma such as physical, verbal, sexual, or emotional abuse are trigger factors for teen depression. The traumatic incidents can be the loss of a parent or a close relative that triggers depression or feelings of depression in an individual.

• Negative Thinking: Depression has often been linked to feeling blue, sad, hopeless, or depressed. Feeling negative or down is consuming a set of thoughts that tends to trigger depression in teens. Negative thinking can be triggered due to divorce or death, difficulty accepting sexual preferences (LGBTQIA - lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and others), having no support emotional or social, and a history of being bullied.

• Family History: A positive family history of depression.

What Are the Symptoms of Teen Depression?

Teen depression portrays signs and symptoms that are distinctive and are different from the original or previous behavior and attitude of the individual. Symptoms of teen depression are subcategorized into three categories. They are-

1. Behavioral Changes: Depression manifests itself by altering one’s behavior. Some of the behavioral changes experienced by individuals suffering from teen depression are-

• Fatigue.

• Loss of energy or dip in general energy level.

• Sleeping disorders (such as insomnia and sleep deprivation or hypersomnia).

• Changes in appetite (such as increased appetite and weight gain or loss of appetite and weight loss).

• Substance misuse or dependence (alcohol or drugs).

• Aggressive behavior (getting restless and easily agitated).

• Leisure body movements, cognitive capacity (thinking), and speaking.

• Infrequent body aches and traumas, along with frequent episodes of headaches.

• Poor academic records.

• Poor personal hygiene.

• Episodes of public outbursts (portrayal of angry, disruptive, and risky behavior).

• Suicidal tendencies (such as self-harming activities, cutting, or burning).

2. Emotional Changes: A shift in one’s emotions is an alarming sign of depression. The oscillation between feeling high and low is quite common in teen depression. Some of the symptoms of emotional changes are-

• Feeling blue or sad (repetitively including episodes of crying for no said reason).

• Feeling frustrated, angry, and aggressive over no or small matters.

• The feeling of loneliness and hopelessness.

• Loss of interest in daily activities.

• Loss of concentration.

• Low or no self-esteem.

• Feelings of remorse, worthlessness, and guilt.

• Frequent thoughts of death.

• Compulsive thoughts of suicide.

• Extensive level of self-criticism.

3. Common Symptoms: Except for the behavioral and emotional changes, there are some common symptoms observed in a teen suffering from teen depression; they are:

• Apathy.

• Faces difficulty making a decision.

• Irresponsible behavior.

• Rebellious attitude.

• Compulsive eating or overeating.

• Symptoms or complaints of memory loss.

• Anxiety disorder.

• Panic attacks.

• Withdrawal from family and friends.

• Unexplained episodes of crying and freaking out.

• Scared of rejection or sensitivity towards rejection.

What Are the Warning Signs of Teen Depression?

It is essential to identify the trigger factors and the warning signs one portrays. Detecting warning signs helps with getting help early on and coming up with an official diagnosis and a treatment plan to manage and reduce the severity of the symptoms a teen feels while suffering from teen depression. Warning signs of a teen suffering from teen depression include:

1. The feeling of hopelessness.

2. Giving up on life, future, and family.

3. Prepping up for death, considering suicide attempts.

4. Defiant or ridiculed behavior.

5. Acting out or violently.

6. Excessively focusing on killing oneself and others.

How to Diagnose Someone With Teen Depression?

According to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, there is a criterion for an individual to be officially diagnosed with teen depression; the criteria consist of:

An individual must have two or more major depressive episodes for at least two weeks. The depressive episode must include a minimum of five of the following symptoms:

• Agitation or retardation.

• Depressed or depressive mood.

• Decreased cognitive capabilities.

• Reduced or no interest in routine activities.

• Fatigue.

• The feeling of worthlessness, guilt, or remorse.

• Insomnia or hypersomnia.

• Suicidal tendencies (recurring thoughts of death).

• Involuntary weight gain or loss.

Based on the following criteria and the questionnaire prepared by a licensed psychologist and a psychiatrist, an official diagnosis is made to help the patient understand the situation and manage everyday symptoms.

What Is the Treatment for Teen Depression?

Treatment for teen depression includes medicinal therapy and psychotherapy.

1. Medicinal Therapy: Therapy for teen depression comprises:

• Antidepressants - Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Fluoxetine and Sertraline. Medications should be considered after a thorough assessment and only if the patient suffers from moderate to severe depressive symptoms. Young people taking these medications need regular monitoring and follow-up by their doctor.
• Antioxylicts.

2. Psychotherapy: Teens suffering from teen depression need therapy to talk about their issues, conditions, and symptoms they suffer from. Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy includes-

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

• Interpersonal therapy (IPT).

Along with medicinal therapy and psychotherapy, lifestyle changes have proven to be effective in minimizing the severity of the conditions and making it easier for the individual to weave through personal and professional life.

3. Lifestyle Changes Include:

• Indulging oneself in exercising.

• Following or making a sleep pattern.

• Dietary regulations (maintaining a diet to control binge eating and controlling weight gains and losses).

• Restrict caffeine intake (to better up the sleep pattern and maintain psychological balance).

• Restrict or ban alcohol intake.

What Are the Complications of Teen Depression?

Untreated cases of teen depression increase in severity. The complications following teen depression are:

1. Alcoholism.

2. Drug dependency.

3. Family issues.

4. Often involved with vandalism and violation of laws.

5. Suicidal tendencies and behavior.

6. Suicide attempts and death.

Conclusion:

Teen suffering from sad thoughts and blues is regular as they live a life full of ups and downs, including academic outbursts and the social peer pressure they face every day. Symptoms of teen depression cause an individual to withdraw from family and friends, making them a social outcast or isolating themselves, which further increases the seriousness of the symptoms and, in some cases, leads to complications. Adjusting to trigger factors and ignoring the warning signs can worsen the case and deteriorate the health of the one suffering.

Hence, recognizing the warning signs and visiting a licensed healthcare professional is important to deal with teen depression. If not treated, teen depression can be a fatal, life-threatening condition. Teen depression is a serious mental health disorder that is treatable when precautions and treatment are taken precariously.