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What is teenage depression. Take care of your body's health. Symptoms of depression in adolescents

Depression in adolescents is a severe mental disorder characterized by the so-called depressive triad. This triad includes: disorders of mood, thinking and physical activity. This is a serious illness, the outcome of which is often very sad. Treatment of depression in modern medicine is not ideal, and it is not always possible to help the patient.

Causes of depression

When people talk about depression, they usually mean its reactive form. In this form, the disease develops after a traumatic situation (loss of a loved one, a serious quarrel). However, statistics show that often (35%) this pathology is one of the signs of bipolar disorder or even schizophrenia.

As for adolescent depression, more and more children are diagnosed with this diagnosis every year. Recently, child psychiatrists have called depression many conditions of both preschoolers and schoolchildren from the age of two. In their opinion, the development of bipolar disorder is a consequence of attention deficit disorder.

There is a theory that depression occurs due to a lack of certain chemicals in the body (in particular, serotonin, dopamine). In this case, drugs would relieve symptoms, but this does not always happen. The disease is also associated with the lack of a sufficient amount of bright light in the room where the patient lives. But this theory has not been confirmed either.
Certain medications, as well as diseases (flu, atherosclerosis, or traumatic brain injury), can cause depression. With hypothyroidism, the likelihood of the disease is significantly increased (50% of patients suffer from this complication of impaired thyroid function).

Depression in adolescence is closely associated with low self-esteem and feelings of uselessness. If parents pay little attention or, conversely, show overprotection, the likelihood of developing the disease is very high.

According to the renowned psychiatrist and philosopher of the 20th century, Dr. Frankl, depression and its inherent suicidal tendencies are the result of "a lack of understanding of the meaning of life."

If a teenager does not realize why he needs the good grades that his parents demand and a good university, then he will get much more tired of schoolwork, because he will consider them pointless, looking at parents who look unhappy despite their good grades in school. Fatigue will lead to depression. The causes of depression in this case are improper psychological and moral upbringing, a disturbed lifestyle, an inadequate attitude towards oneself (overestimated or low self-esteem).

That is, depression in adolescence is often a psychological problem that has developed into a mental illness that requires treatment.

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Depressive states in adolescents are more common and manifested more and more clearly. Usually, parents take the child to a psychiatrist after detecting suicidal tendencies, but the alarm must be sounded earlier. Symptoms of depression in adolescents can be primary or secondary. If a child has at least two main signs and at least three additional ones (manifested 2 weeks in a row), then he is diagnosed with this violation.

The main signs are:

  • depressed mood for more than 2 weeks (not associated with objective circumstances);
  • the teenager loses interest in everything that used to please him;
  • lack of strength, constant fatigue for a long time (3-4 weeks).

There are many more additional symptoms:

  • poor or increased appetite;
  • feeling of guilt and uselessness, fear;
  • pessimistic attitude;
  • low self-esteem;
  • suicidal thoughts;
  • insomnia (or, conversely, too long sleep, not giving the feeling that you have slept);
  • inability to concentrate, difficulty in making decisions.

Typical signs of teenage depression are:

  • aggressiveness, sharp "depravity" of character, resentment;
  • poor appetite (or heavy overeating);
  • learning problems (if there were no problems before);
  • nightmares, bad sleep.

It is important to notice the first signs of depression in a teenager in time, since the disease is very serious. If a teenager threatens to kill himself - this is not just a reason to attract attention: in some cases, it is a dangerous symptom. Most school suicides were committed after a child voiced these thoughts to parents or friends, but everyone considered this to be spoiled behavior and a manifestation of a difficult age. In the United States, suicide is the first cause of death for children (according to statistics). Five thousand teenagers die in this way every year. In Russia, the number of suicides over the past 100 years has increased by almost 70 times.

It must be remembered that the pain of a teenager who talks about suicide is incomparably greater than parents often imagine. Increasingly, children feel lost: because of the busyness and rudeness of the mother and father, the irritability of the teachers. Loneliness is a scourge of the modern world, and teenagers feel it much more than adults. Helping a teenager to cope with internal pain and get out of depression is the task of parents, doctors, psychologists.

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Depression treatment

Treatment of adolescent depression can be outpatient or inpatient (if the case is severe and neglected and there have been suicide attempts). Therapy for depression is divided into medication, psychotherapy, and social therapy.

To begin with, the doctor determines the cause. If the disease has arisen against the background of hypothyroidism and other somatic pathologies, then it is necessary to treat the primary disease. In almost all cases, lifestyle changes and exercise are recommended, otherwise no medication will help.

It is possible to get a child out of depression only by applying complex, competent treatment. Antidepressants are very serious medicines designed to relieve the main symptoms of the disease. They are prescribed exclusively by a psychiatrist. They often contain St. John's wort, but there are other types of drugs. At the same time, psychotherapy is prescribed, classes with a child psychologist (experienced, and most importantly, so that the teenager likes this person, otherwise the patient will perceive the psychologist with hostility).

Occupational therapy and social therapy are the types of treatment that parents pay little attention to. Sending a teenager to five different sections and circles is not an option. Rest routine should be normal. Classes are ideally chosen for sports (dancing, wrestling, football, swimming). There should be more communication with loved ones. Social methods are help to people (old people, orphanages) that children can provide: for example, make crafts and arrange a charity competition to sell them. Such methods help to get rid of despondency to some extent.

It is very difficult to fight the disease, it is characterized by frequent relapses. The child's psyche is still weak to cope with the problem on its own. However, adult patients also lack the strength to overcome depression without the help of doctors.

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Depression prognosis

In a third of cases, teenage depression is the first symptom of another mental illness, mainly (manic-depressive psychosis). Bipolar disorder often manifests itself after 20 years and is characterized by an alternation of pathologically elevated mood (mania) with depression. Often the patient has to register a disability.

Scientists have proven a genetic tendency to this disease, but it is not always inherited. Treatment for the disorder is complex. Most often, lithium, valprokom (during the period of mania) and antidepressants are prescribed during periods of depressed mood. The patient has to take medications constantly, all his life. Vivien Leigh, Marilyn Monroe, Edgar Poe suffered from this disease. This condition was previously considered a mild form of schizophrenia. Approximately one in seven patients commits suicide.

Depression in adolescents may be a sign of a future schizoaffective disorder. With this pathology, the patient is treated in a hospital. His condition is characterized by a violation of the perception of his personality, the world, as well as hallucinations. The disease is usually transmitted through the female line and manifests itself after psychological trauma or childbirth, more often at the age of 20-25.

With a good prognosis, depression still leaves a "mark" in the child's perception of the world around him and himself in this world. Perhaps in the future it will be difficult for him to find contact with people, difficulties will arise in the future family. To prevent such consequences, you should start therapy as early as possible.

The saddest fatal complication of depression is suicide.

Recently, there have been more and more reports of teenage suicide in the press. Depression is the most common cause of suicide. Such states do not develop in an hour or a day. Depression is a long-term condition. The duration of depression is most often more than two years, however, less short-term conditions (from 2 weeks to 2 years) can also occur.

Causes of depression in children

The following factors contribute to the development of depression:

1. Pathology of the early neonatal period: chronic intrauterine fetal hypoxia, the birth of children with asphyxia, the presence of neonatal encephalopathy, intrauterine infections. All of these conditions lead to brain damage.

2. Family climate: incomplete family, conflicts in the family, "overprotection" by mothers, lack of care on the part of the parents, lack of proper sexual education on the part of the parents. Very often, in single-parent families, children cannot tell their parent about all their problems, especially in families where the daughter is raised only by the father. In such families, children withdraw into themselves, the whole burden of problems falls only on their shoulders, and sometimes they cannot cope with this burden. Frequent conflicts in the family lead to the child's ideas that he is a burden for the parents, that without him they would live much easier. In the presence of "overprotection" on the part of the mother, children are not able to adapt to the environment and society, without the lack of support from the mother, they become completely helpless. Adolescence is a period of experimentation, especially sexually. In the absence of sexual experience, very often problems and failures can arise at the first sexual contact. With sufficient awareness of the child in sexual terms, this circumstance will not cause a negative reaction in the adolescent, however, in the absence of sex education, this situation can negatively affect the adolescent, which will lead to his isolation.

3. Adolescence. As discussed above, adolescence is a period of experimentation. In addition to the previously described problems, hormonal and structural changes in the body occur during this period. Girls have their first menstruation, boys have nocturnal emissions (nocturnal ejaculation), the shape of the body changes, and youthful acne appears. Due to an overabundance of hormones, children become more aggressive, leaders appear in their environment who dictate a particular way of life. If you do not fit this image, you cannot get into a communication group, which means that you find yourself outside the board of public life. All this can lead to the alienation of the child from society, the emergence of thoughts that he is not like everyone else.

4. Frequent change of residence. The child should have a social circle, friends. With a frequent change of place of residence, the child cannot make full-fledged friends with whom he could spend his free time, share secrets.

5. Learning problems. The modern educational process is too overloaded with subjects, not every child is able to cope with the school load. The backlog of the school curriculum isolates the child from his classmates, making him very vulnerable mentally.

6. Availability of a computer and the Internet. Advances in technology have made it possible to unite the whole world, narrowing it down to a computer monitor, however, this has a negative impact on the ability of young people to communicate. Children have a narrower circle of interests, they are not able to discuss anything with their peers, except how much he “pumped” his hero or how many “bots” he “soaked” yesterday. Children become shy when they meet in person, it is difficult for them to find words, because in the computer it is so easy to hide behind a couple of emoticons. In this case, the only form of communication they have is chatting.

Depression in a child can develop as a result of acute or chronic stress (death or serious illness of loved ones, family breakdown, quarrel with loved ones, conflicts with peers, etc.) physical and social well-being, which, as a rule, is associated with disturbances in the normal course of biochemical processes in the brain. There are so-called seasonal depressions, the occurrence of which is associated with the special sensitivity of the body to climatic conditions (often manifested in children who have undergone hypoxia, who received various injuries during childbirth).

Symptoms of depression in a child

Depression is most susceptible to adolescence. There are early (12-13 years old), middle (13-16 years old) and late (over 16 years old) depression.

Depression manifests itself in the classic triad of symptoms: decreased mood, decreased mobility, and decreased thinking.

Decrease in mood throughout the day with depression is uneven. Most often, in the morning hours, the mood is more upbeat, children are quite willing to go to school. During the day, the mood gradually decreases, the peak of the depressed mood occurs in the evening. Children are not interested in anything, they may be disturbed by a headache, in rare cases, an increase in body temperature is possible. Children complain that everything is bad for them, that they have constant problems at school, conflicts with teachers and students. No success makes them happy, they constantly see only negative sides even in the best things.

In addition to the depressed mood, so-called outbreaks of very good mood occur. Children joke, have fun, however, such a high mood does not last long (from several minutes to an hour), and then it is replaced by a low mood again.

Decreased mobility is manifested in unwillingness to move, children either constantly lie or sit in the same position, most often hunched over. Physical labor does not arouse any interest in them.

The thought process in children is slowed down, speech is quiet, slowed down. Children find it difficult to choose the necessary words, it becomes problematic for them to build an associative array (for example, a wedding-bride-white dress-veil). Children answer questions after a pause, most often with just one word or just a nod of the head. There is a fixation on one thought, most often with a negative connotation: no one loves me, everything is bad for me, nothing works out for me, everyone is trying to do something bad to me.

Children have a decrease in appetite, they refuse to eat, sometimes they may not eat for several days. They sleep a little, insomnia bothers, as dwelling on one thought interferes with the process of falling asleep. Sleep in children is superficial, restless, does not allow the body to fully rest.

Suicidal thoughts do not arise immediately, most often for their occurrence a long period of illness is required (from a year or more). The thought of suicide is not limited to one thought. Children come up with a plan of action, think over options for leaving life. This variant of the course of the disease is the most dangerous, since it can easily lead to death.

In addition to psychological disorders, somatic symptoms very often occur. Such children often seek medical help with complaints of general malaise, weakness, pain in the chest, heart, abdomen, headache, possibly an increase in body temperature, which is often regarded as a persistent (circulating) infection in the body.

Due to the presence of psychoemotional disorders, children begin to lag behind in school, they lose interest in any entertainment, children stop engaging in hobbies, even if before that they devoted all their time to it.

As mentioned earlier, the course of the disease is long and it can last for years. Therefore, if the child lives in a family with parents, it is quite easy to notice the symptoms. It's another matter if the child lives in a hostel. During the day, fellow students see him as usual, without changes, since the deterioration usually occurs in the evening, and in the evening the child is most often alone in the dorm room, where no one sees him. For the administration, such a child is of no interest, since he does not violate order.

What should parents pay attention to?

First of all, it is necessary to talk with the child, be interested in his life, problems at school. It is necessary to pay attention to intonation, the presence of plans for the future, optimistic views on the future. Pay attention to whether your child has friends, to be interested in what he does after school. It is necessary to pay attention to how much time the child spends without doing any business. For some children, this is laziness, but even the laziest child can be forced to do something by bribing him, while a child with depression is not interested in anything, neither gifts nor rewards.

Seclusion and lack of friends can sometimes also be observed during masturbation, when children try to retire, to avoid prying eyes. Frequent mood swings can occur when a child is taking drugs. In this case, other signs of drug addiction draw on themselves: preference for wearing long-sleeved clothes, photophobia, increased irritability, inability to concentrate on one activity (restlessness), detection of syringes, needles, and incomprehensible bags.

Evaluation of a child with depression

Treating children with depression

In severe cases, when a child expresses suicidal oils, especially when he has a specific plan for leaving life, treatment should be carried out only in a hospital, in the department of borderline conditions.

For milder forms of the disease, treatment can be done at home. Throughout the course of treatment, the child should live a normal life: go to school, do housework, go to the store to shop.

In pediatric practice, Adaptol has proven itself very well. This drug is very well tolerated, has no side effects, does not cause drowsiness. The drug normalizes sleep, improves mood, strengthens the body's resistance to psycho-emotional stress. It is necessary to take the drug in a dosage of 300 mg, 1 tablet 3 times a day. The duration of treatment is from 2 weeks to a month. With severe symptoms, adaptol should be taken in a dosage of 500 mg 2-3 times a day for 3 weeks, and then switch to a dosage of 300 mg and continue taking it for another month. This drug, in addition to psycho-emotional symptoms, also relieves somatic manifestations of depression well: pain goes away, temperature is normalized. The use of adaptol for frequent headaches, pain in the heart, frequent rises in body temperature is one of the ways to accurately establish a diagnosis and single out patients with depression from the group of children.

Also, on an outpatient basis, you can use a drug such as tenoten. Tenoten is a homeopathic medicine that blocks certain proteins in the brain. Well reduces anxiety, improves sleep, and normalizes appetite. The drug helps to improve concentration, normalize memory.

In severe cases, antidepressants are used: amitriptyline, pyrazidol, azafen. These drugs should be used only under medical supervision, and preferably only in a hospital.

But no treatment for depression in children is complete without positive changes in his family, parents must accept the "real child", his needs and aspirations instead of their own expectations, instead of the "child of their dreams." When conducting psychotherapy, they work to strengthen the child's self-esteem, develop his ability to express his feelings, share them, step by step cope with problems and constructively influence the situation himself.

Prevention of depression in children

To prevent the development of depression in children, it is necessary to organize psychological assistance in schools and colleges, children need to be explained the need to visit a psychologist when problems arise. It is necessary to improve the climate in the family, try to do some business with the whole family (picnics, hiking in the forest, sports games). Take an interest in your child's life, show how interesting his hobby is for you. Try to know your child's friends, however, it is necessary that this be unobtrusive, everything should take place in the form of a conversation, when the child himself tells you everything. Pay attention to the child's behavior, notice all the new addictions in your child.

The child will not be able to get out of the depression on his own., therefore, the task of parents is to pay attention to a change in the child's personality in time and seek medical help.

The child should be outdoors more often, be active in daylight and rest in complete darkness. It has a beneficial effect on the entire body, normalizes biorhythms.

Pediatrician Litashov M.V.

Not only adults are depressed. In 15% of cases between the ages of 10 and 15, there is depression in adolescents. What can provoke it? Why is this carefree period accompanied by depression? The reasons help in finding effective treatments that help eliminate all the main symptoms of this condition.

Readers of the site of psychotherapy site often say that they have a hard time with. This period really becomes difficult, as there is a struggle between parenting and the independence of the adolescent. One important reason for depression in adolescents is the victory of the parents. When the child wanted to prove his independence and ability to decide his own destiny, they suppressed his impulses. The parents forced the child to remain a child and not grow up - it is like a stop in development and the beginning of degradation.

Teenagers are no longer children, but they are not yet adults either. This is a kind of intermediate version of the formation of each person. This is the period when everyone begins to look for their own ways of their own realization in any area of ​​life. It was then that it was hard not only for their parents, because basically only their complaints were heard, but also for the adolescents themselves, because right now they had to balance between what they were taught earlier and what they see and feel for themselves. Oddly enough, it is during this period that teenagers care about what their parents think and say. It's a paradox, isn't it?

Any love incident can be cited as one of the vivid examples. The girl brings the poor guy home and is worried: "How can I explain to my parents that I love him, although he is poor?" The boy brings the girl home and is concerned about how his mother will react to her, having a negative attitude towards all his companions. Despite the fact that adolescents tend to defend their truth, they still cannot completely renounce the opinions of their parents, to which they listened to the previous 13-18 years of their lives.

And if parents do not want to understand and accept the choice of their child, or at least just reasonably discuss such a decision with him, then they are in danger of subsequent distrust and unwillingness to tell anything. Nowadays, the phenomenon of “do not say anything to your parents” is becoming more and more widespread. This applies not only to the mistakes of adolescents, but also to the choice of profession, family partner and other matters. Growing up people simply do not want to open up to their parents anymore, because otherwise they will have to reckon with their opinions, despite their desires and worldview.

In modern books on psychology for adolescents, slogans are often heard: "Do you really care about the opinion of your parents?", "Think with your own head", "Parents have no right to decide your personal life," parents ". If you want your child to use these expressions with the help of books, friends, or come to this conclusion himself, then continue to "press", command and punish him. However, if you want your family to maintain good-natured relations between parents and adolescents, then learn to listen to your child's arguments about this or that choice and sometimes even make his decision, no matter how uncivilized or wrong he may seem to you. If your child chose this answer, it means that he has already seen his prospects in the future.

It is not easy with teenagers, first of all, due to the fact that they no longer want to obey their parents, but they still need their material and spiritual support. The tactics parents choose will determine how their teenager grows up. If the parents continue to instill their opinion, then this threatens either with the complete departure of the child from the family with quarrels and resentments, or the honorary title of "mama's son" or "daddy's daughter." If parents allow their teenager to find their own ways of implementing their ideas, stumble, get into trouble and find solutions to problems again (and parental support is important), then he will grow up to be a responsible and independent person who will not forget his parents and will protect them all his life.

What is teenage depression?

Teenage depression is a psychoemotional condition that is accompanied by a number of specific symptoms. Depression is characterized by the following manifestations:

  1. Indifference to life, lack of joy.
  2. Motor retardation, immobility.
  3. Bad mood with a pessimistic view of the world.

If a teenager has three symptoms at once, then we are talking about depression. Why does it arise? Of course, the causes of adolescent depression are different from the causes of depression in adults. Common causes are:

  • Family problems, lack of normal contact with parents, conflicts, violence.
  • Learning problems, lack of motivation to study, poor grades.
  • Lack of friends at school and at home.
  • Dissatisfaction with yourself and your own life.
  • Lack of goals for the future.
  • Lack of interests that would captivate the teenager and give him a sense of joy.

To eliminate adolescent depression, you need to start by figuring out what causes it. And in each case, everything is individual.

What is the universal longing within? Unfortunately, many people are familiar with this feeling. Some call it loneliness, others call it lifelong boredom, some call it disinterestedness, and some call it a constant feeling of apathy and laziness. It is all these interpretations that define the concept of "Universal angst". Here we are not talking about space or about the regularity of the life of the Universe, I mean your inner self-awareness of how you go through life.

Lack of interest in life, melancholy, joylessness, deep depression and other factors - all this is an inner Universal anguish. Many people face this, from school to old age. Why does this feeling arise? Why does a person fall into such a state?

It is very rare to hear something like this from children. Think why? Even during school years, few teenagers feel bored or alone. However, from graduation from high school or higher education, the risk of such a condition is possible. What's the matter?

Often, only one factor leads to this attitude - the lack of goals in life. Interest, desire, energy, strength, cheerfulness - all this arises when you have a goal. You want to achieve something, to become someone, to receive something and so on - all this mobilizes you, and you are no longer bored. You have no time to get bored and waste time on inner emptiness. What emptiness can there be if you know what you want? How bored can be if you are busy achieving your goals?

Children never get bored, because they pursue one goal - knowledge of the world around them. They are interested in everything, they are surrounded by so many things that still need to be learned, so they do not feel alone. Adolescents do not feel apathy just because, in addition to the employment that school gives them, they are also concerned about such phenomena as relationships with peers, attraction to the opposite sex, puberty and communication problems with parents. During these two periods, a person has no time to get bored, since he solves many tasks assigned to him. However, there are exceptions. Moreover, then life begins, for which not everyone is ready.

All the difficulties that arise during the period of educational and adult life are associated with the fact that not all people are able to set goals for themselves, find activities that are interesting to them, or develop good-natured relationships with others. Initially, people's ability to desire something, set goals and strive to achieve them is lame. Sometimes this is due to the fact that at an earlier age their desires were suppressed, not taken into account, or the goals that they embodied were set before them by other people (parents, teachers). And when they enter adulthood, when they themselves can make decisions about how to live, they do not have such a feature as clearly set a desired goal for themselves.

Following the inability to set goals, interests and hobbies that a person does not have are lame. An individual may not know what is interesting to him, because earlier other people told him what he should do, what to devote time to, suppressing his interests. As a consequence, one's own dissatisfaction leads to the inability to safely communicate with other people. If a person is dissatisfied with himself, then he has a lot of complexes and fears about others.

The universal emptiness inside arises because a person does nothing for his own happiness, does not try to adapt to a new life and allows himself to be weak, irresponsible and helpless. Life boredom arises because a person does nothing with his life and does not even try to change his position. Experiencing an internal vacuum, he focuses his attention on it, not allowing himself to even think that he himself can change such an unpleasant state of affairs. And for this you need only one thing - to set a goal. It should contain your desires, interest and willingness to act. At first it will be difficult and unusual, but then you will like it - and no one else can stop you from being fulfilled, happy and contented.

Symptoms of Teenage Depression

Adolescents themselves are still children with childish manifestations. However, adolescent depression adds its own symptoms:

  1. Enuresis. Accompanied by malice, a tendency to antisocial behavior, immaturity of reactions.
  2. Cry.
  3. Disobedience.
  4. Anorexia.
  5. Intestinal colic.
  6. Headache.
  7. Night screams.
  8. Laziness.
  9. Rejection of joy.
  10. Lowered mood.
  11. Sadness.
  12. Fearfulness.

The longer a teenager is depressed, the more parents may notice the appearance of laziness - when he no longer wants to get out of bed, he sits in one position for a long time, looks at one point.

Signs of teenage depression are:

  1. Anxiety.
  2. Lethargy.
  3. Tearfulness.
  4. Somatic disorders.
  5. Coarseness.
  6. Disobedience.
  7. Decreased learning ability.
  8. Increased fatigue.
  9. Deep longing within.

Treating adolescent depression

Doctors who prescribe the right drugs should be involved in the treatment of severe depression. It is better not to self-medicate here. Psychotherapy is also becoming important, which is carried out for any form of depression.

A teenager needs to receive approval and love in his family, so parents should try to build a relationship with their child, provide him with support and help him find their happiness in this life.

Outcome

Teenage depression is less common. When confronted, however, she becomes dangerous as the teenager begins to contemplate suicide if his depression gets worse. To prevent irreparable from happening, parents should pay attention to the condition of their child and help him, excluding moralizing and constant prohibitions.

Adolescence is a difficult time for both teenagers and their parents. Mood swings and sensitivity to the environment can lead to depression in a teenager. What to do in such a situation?

Signs of depression in adolescents

To find out if a teenager is depressed, you should pay attention to the following signs:

With the manifestation of some of these signs, it can be judged that the teenager is depressed. It is necessary to seek the advice of specialists.

A depressed adolescent is usually always in a bad mood and inhibited physical activity. Slow thinking processes can also be observed.

Causes of depression in adolescents

The main cause of depression in adolescence is hormonal changes in the growing body. All people between the ages of 12 and 18 undergo such changes. However, hormonal changes take place during all in varying degrees of intensity.

Some adolescents go through this period withdrawing into themselves. They can fall into lyrical moods and write sad poetry. Depression in these adolescents is mild and does not require medication. The behavior is easily corrected and they return to their usual measured life.

But some adolescents go through a stage of hormonal surge in a severe form. They may even develop suicidal tendencies. These young people are usually very suspicious and wary of those around them, from an early age. Many adolescents who are prone to depression are seen by a neurologist or psychiatrist.

This group also includes children from problem families and an orphanage. A teenager who is overprotected by his parents may also find himself in this group, since he does not have the opportunity to develop normally and learn responsibility for his actions.

In severe cases, it is imperative to undergo a course of treatment, otherwise it can lead to a deterioration in the mental state. This can result in various psychological disorders and suicidal attempts.

The causes of depression can be associated with intrauterine pathology. Children who have been exposed to infections and lack of oxygen while in the womb are also prone to depression.

Depression can also be caused by strained relationships with peers at school.

The tendency to depressive states can be transmitted through genes. This condition is called endogenous depression. It can arise from a minor cause such as a bad grade or a fight with friends.

How to treat depression in teens

Having noticed signs of depression in their child, parents, starting to scold and conflict, push him even more to suicidal thoughts. To effectively cope with the stage of hormonal changes in a teenager, it is necessary to start treatment on time.

It is necessary to consult a psychiatrist or psychotherapist if:

  • traces of self-harm in the form of cuts or knocked down fists were noticed on the child's body;
  • the teenager refuses to eat for several days in a row;
  • suicidal thoughts are traced through creative work or expressed thoughts;
  • the child begins to behave inappropriately, often fights, enters into aggressive conflict situations and breaks the law;
  • the teenager is isolated from the people around him;
  • he has a progression of lethargy.

Before starting therapy, doctors should conduct studies and tests, based on which a specific course of treatment is prescribed. You can not self-medicate and hope for a solution to the situation.

After the teenager has been examined by a neurologist, therapist and psychologist, treatment begins on the basis of the diagnosis. It can include taking antidepressants, various vitamins, hormones, and stimulants. Pain medications and drugs to restore immune function may also be prescribed.

Classes with a psychologist are mandatory in the course of therapy. They can take place both individually and in a group.

To prevent the manifestation of depression in adolescents, it is recommended:

  • treat your child with understanding;
  • taking time to listen and help;
  • accept the teenager as is, despite his shortcomings;
  • avoid criticism and conflict situations;
  • show ways to get out of conflicts by example;
  • to engage the child in sports.

The psyche and emotional sphere in adolescents is unstable during puberty. They often get depressed.

Depression is a depressed psychological state characterized by frequent mood swings, loss of energy and indifference to what is happening. This disease needs to be treated.

Causes of depression in adolescents

At 12-16 years old, a teenager is going through puberty, accompanied by large-scale hormonal changes. He is no longer a child, but not yet an adult. Any difficulties seem insurmountable, injustice and criticism are perceived more sharply. There is a reassessment of life guidelines and ideals collapse.

At this age, a desire for independence arises, manifested in a swagger of behavior, demonstrative rudeness, indifference and callousness. Youthful maximalism gives rise to the inability to forgive oneself and others, to be more tolerant of one's own and other people's mistakes.

Causes of the depressive state:

  • poor academic performance;
  • unrequited first love;
  • bad first sexual experience;
  • low authority among peers, offensive jokes from classmates;
  • conflicts with friends;
  • family quarrels and parental divorce;
  • discrepancy between desires and possibilities;
  • moving to another school, moving to a new place of residence;
  • real and far-fetched problems with appearance;
  • overestimated expectations of parents;
  • problems with teachers.

These situations lead to depression in adolescents in the presence of 3 factors:

  • hereditary nature- genetic predisposition to mental pathologies;
  • dysfunctional family atmosphere- drinking parents, frequent scandals, indifference, cruelty and totalitarian methods of education;
  • flaws in the personality of a teenager- underestimated or overestimated self-esteem.

Signs and symptoms of depression in adolescents

Psychologists state that it is not easy to distinguish depression from a simple blues or whims.

Emotional and behavioral signs:

  • unmotivated outbursts of anger, irritability and resentment;
  • apathy, melancholy, crying, alternating with excitement and euphoria;
  • indifference to what is happening;
  • complaints about insolvency, worthlessness, painful reaction to comments;
  • gloomy thoughts about the uselessness of life, about death, as an escape from problems;
  • attention problems, forgetfulness, indecision, anxiety;
  • provocative behavior and unnecessary risk;
  • isolation and hostility towards others.

How does depression manifest in girls?

Statistics show that girls are 3 times more likely to suffer from depression than boys. This is due to the sensitivity of the emotional sphere. Girls pay more attention to their appearance, therefore, more often the cause of depression is dissatisfaction with the face and body.

In addition to common signs, there are features:

  • refusal to eat;
  • induce vomiting after eating;
  • interest in the stories of skinny models;
  • tantrums about appearance;
  • anorexia;
  • discomfort in the lower abdomen;
  • prolonged and painful periods;
  • late onset or irregularities in the menstrual cycle.

Girls 15-16 years old in a depressed state show secrecy and drive the experience inside. They relieve stress by promiscuous sexual intercourse, which exacerbate the problem and complicate the way out of the crisis.

How does it manifest in boys

Boys feel relief from violent protests, alcohol and drug use. Often teenagers run away from home.

They look for dangerous situations, take risks and commit crimes - theft, robbery, theft of vehicles or housebreaking.

In search of a way out of aggression, young men often associate with bad company, organize pogroms, fights or show cruelty, thus closing themselves off from problems.

What parents can do

The most obvious answer to this question is to love the teenager, accept him as he is, with problems and weaknesses, be a friend to the child and build trusting relationships. This is the best way to avoid depression.

When the disease overtook a teenager, experts give recommendations to parents:

  • exclude criticism, reproaches and comparison with other children;
  • show patience, avoiding conflicts, take an interest in the life of a child, enjoy even a small success;
  • to strengthen self-esteem, encourage initiative, trust the solution of issues, give the opportunity to choose, unobtrusively teach and advise how to get out of difficult situations;
  • pay more attention, spend joint leisure time - walking, visiting interesting places, playing sports or playing music.