Depression Hurts

During the teen years not only does it become difficult to understand what behavior is then teen just being a teenager but it also becomes difficult to decide if the teen is depressed. One of the easiest ways to decide if these mood changes are depression is to take a look at how long these symptoms have been present with the teen, how severe the issue is and how different your teen is acting compared to his usual self. This is a stage in life when you can expect to see several different changes and growing pains because of all of the challenges that face your teen such as school, activities, fitting in with peers and so much more. Here are several other signs that will help you and your teen be able to see what signs and changes are depression and what is just normal growing up.

·         Your teen might be angry, irritable or hostile for long periods of time or often.

·         You may notice that your teen is often sad or has feelings of hopelessness.

·         Depression might cause frequent crying episodes.

·         Depression will also cause your teen to withdraw not only from family but also from his friends.

·         Watch for a loss of interest in the activities that might have been enjoyable prior to the depression.

·         Your teen might experience a change in both sleeping and eating habits. Either in excess or not enough.

·         There may be obvious restlessness or your teen might be easily agitated.

·         A lack of energy or fatigue might be evident.

·         The teen might have difficulty concentrating along with a lack of both motivation and enthusiasm.

·         There might also be thoughts of suicide, death or causing physical harm to themselves.

If you notice any of these signs in your teen in is time to seek professional help. Call your family doctor right away if you notice any of the signs lasting for long periods of time.