Teenagers Corner: Helping your Teenager Overcome Depression

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Mothers with teenage children need to look out for signs of depression in their children because it is bound to happen in some of them. The teenage years can be very trying and challenging for teenagers as they try to find themselves, who they are, what they want to do with their lives in the not so distant future. As they struggle with puberty and its attendant challenges depression might start to set in. All of a sudden, their lives are more tough and complicated than they can handle.

Other issues that could add salt to this injury is the divorce of parents, domestic abuse, bad grades at school, peer pressures, bullying and so on. And parents should be open enough for their teens to approach them with problems facing them. Do not be too busy for your teenager and always keep an open ear to what they have to say to you and most of all, be very observant.

What they need is parental support and encouragement. They need to understand that it is normal for them to feel the way they do. Let them have the assurance that it will all be fine. Sometimes these emotions become so overwhelming and something you as a parent thought would pass or go away, turns your beloved teenager into someone completely different.

Your teenager’s withdrawal to themselves should not be handled with kids gloves as this could signal the early stages of depression. Almost all the time they get angry, easily irritated, upset and cranky. They feel worthless, embarrassed and hopeless. At this stage they feel like no one understands them this is far from true because parents have also passed through that same stage in life. It is known as teen depression.

Depression is not insurmountable, that is the good news. The following are some recommended things for teenagers to do when they are felling depressed.

• They should open up to an adult they trust about the issue.
• Stay healthy by engaging in exercises or sports activities which could also get their minds off their worries.
• They should not isolate themselves but surround themselves with people that love them. Isolating themselves will only compound the issue.
• Avoid being lured into substance abuse because they are not going to solve the problem.

Parents can help them start felling better, by having a candid talk about the problem with them with a view to proffering practical solutions to the problem. They must understand that they can count on you. Teens can also help their friends who are having similar issues by talking to them and advising and encouraging them to get help from an adult

If teen depression issue is not tackled by parents early enough it could lead to long lasting problems like inferiority complex, substance abuse (because they could seek a way out of it on their own), anger issues and sometimes teen depression can turn deadly and they begin to contemplate suicide. So parents should pay close attention to their teens and help them overcome depression if and when it arises.