Teen Depression-Why? What Can Help?

"WHEN I have a bout of depression," says Anna, "I have no motivation to do anything, not even the things I usually love to do. All I want to do is sleep.  I often feel that I am unlovable, worthless, and a burden to others."

"I thought  about suicide,"recalls Julia.  "I didn't really want to die. I just wanted to stop feeling this way. I'm normally a caring person, but when I'm depressed, I care little about anyone or anything."

Anna and Julia were in their early teens when they first experienced depression.  While other young people might occasionally feel down, Anna and Julia had periods of depression that persisted for weeks or months at a time.  "It's like being stuck in a deep, dark hole with no way out," Anna says. "You feel like you are losing your mind, losing who you are." 

Anna and Julia's situation is not uncommon. The diagnosis of depression among the young appears to be increasing at an alarming rate, and depression is "the predominant cause of illness and disability for both boys and girls aged 10-19 years," says the World Health Organization (WHO).

The symptoms of depression can appear during the adolescence and may include changes in sleep patterns, appetite and weight. Feelings of despair, hopelessness, sadness, worthlessness may also appear. Other signs include social withdrawal, trouble concentrating or remembering, suicidal thoughts or actions, and medically unexplained symptoms. When mental-health professionals suspect depression, they usually look for groups of symptoms  that persist for weeks and that disrupt a person's everyday life.

Next time:  Teen Depression-Why? What Can Help?/POSSIBLE CAUSES OF TEEN DEPRESSION

From the Awake! magazine