How can you tell when someone has depression? Surprisingly, there are more people suffering from depression today than ever before and a large portion of the numbers is teens. “The teen years can be extremely tough and depression affects teenagers far more often than many of us realize.” says psychologist Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. You wouldn’t think teenagers would be depressed but there are lots of social factors that cause them to become depressed. However, for many parents, they do not know the signs and struggle to differentiate between a moody teen and depression. So, what are the signs of depression in a teen? Read more here!
Not Wanting To Talk To Anyone
Everyone can be moody from time to time and say they don’t want to talk to people but there are differences and you will notice them. When someone becomes very quiet or withdrawn all of a sudden and not making an effort to join the conversation, that’s an indication of some problems. Some who are depressed don’t want to talk at all and that should become very noticeable within a matter of hours. Now, people can have off-days but if you notice this goes on for a few days there may be something wrong. “If you’re depressed, you need to fight the urge to avoid friends and sit around,” coach and wellness expert Susan Biali Haas M.D. says.
Changes to Eating Habits
A depressed individual can alter the way they eat. Some can use food as a comfort to them, while others try to avoid it so it’s best to keep a very close eye on their eating habits. Have you noticed a change? Are they looking at food as a comfort blanket? Sometimes, a change to the way people eat or react to food can be a sign something is wrong. A lot of people who face depression often eat to hide their feelings. A surprising number of children do this as they think it’ll solve their problems.
Not Getting Up From Bed
A lot of teenagers stay in bed for hours at a time but there are real differences you have to watch out for. If your teen has been very active and then all of a sudden has changed attitudes and are not getting up, you might want to investigate. Yes, most teens stay in bed until the afternoon but there are differences in terms of just being lazy and not wanting to get up because of something else. It is worth looking into this and seeing if there is depression behind it.
Less Social
Despite what you might think, your teen isn’t just been a bit moody, they might be suffering from depression. One major sign is when a normally social person turns into a less social one. It could be your teen has refused to go to school, meet up with friends or just generally leaving the house. If you have ruled out bullying and other such problems then it might be down to depression. Usually, teens are happy-go-lucky who dislike sitting indoors all day long and want to meet up with friends.
“If the body is tense, the brain thinks something is wrong,” Vanessa McLean, LPC explains. “A lot of people with anxiety don’t know what it feels like to be relaxed.”
Depression is hard to pin down because there are lots of signs and symptoms. For some, they are very anxious and for others, they simply want to do nothing—it can vary considerably. Sometimes, it’s hard to pick up depression as some people are good at carrying on as normal but once they’re alone they feel very sad and maybe even cry a lot. When you are worried about your child, take action and get them help.