Teen Depression

Teen depression is a very real consequence of bullying. Not every teen who is bullied will become depressed and not every bully will become depressed however their chances of experiencing depression are much higher.

The truth about depression

There are highs and lows in everyone's life. We all become unhappy when we experience problems and upsets. These sad feelings are usually temporary. However, for some people the sad feelings last a longer than would be considered appropriate for the circumstances and are quite severe in relation to the situation. Depression is a clinical term used by psychiatrists to describe a long period when a person feels very sad or unhappy to the point of feeling worthless, hopeless and helpless.

Depression can be caused by stress, a loss, a major disappointment or by bullying. Sometimes it seems to happen for no particular reason at all. Depression can be the result of a chemical imbalance in a person's body and some people are born with a pre-disposition to become depressed.

Whatever the reason may be depression can affect all aspects of our childrens live including school, family, relationships, friendships and even our physical health.

Children and teenagers can experience depression just as easily as an adult. Very likely a depressed teen will think that no one else feels the same way and that no one will understand his/her problems. Often a depressed child will feel that he/she is disliked by everyone.

What causes Teen depression?

Depression can be caused:

by stress,
losses including but not limited to loss of someone close passing on or loss of status in a peer group,
a major disappointment like poor grades when they believed they worked har
bullying as a victim or the bully
Sometimes it seems to happen for no particular reason at all.
Depression can be the result of a chemical imbalance in a person's body
Some people are born with a pre-disposition to become depressed.

Whatever the reason may be depression can affect all aspects of our childrens live including school, family, relationships, friendships and even their physical health. It is good for parents to know the signs of teen depression

Children and teenagers can experience depression just as easily as an adult. Very likely a depressed teen will think that no one else feels the same way and that no one will understand their problems. Often a depressed child will feel that he/she is disliked by everyone and there is not hope to ever feel happy again.

Accepting teen depression

Sometimes it can be difficult for adults to understand and accept how hard it is for a teen and just how much their problems effect them. Through adult eyes the problems do not seem so bad.

However, the pressure of school and growing up can be very difficult for some children to cope with successfully. It is important that we remind ourselves while their problems may seem unimportant to us they can be overwhelming to them.

Back to parenting advice

Back to home page