Early Signs of Teenage Depression

What are The Early Signs of Teenage Depression?

Depression is an illness that can case a lot of problems for a depressed teenager and her or his family.

A mild form of depression can go away by it self but it can also develop into moderate or severe depression.

This is why it is important to be able to recognize the early signs of teenage depression.

Early signs of teenage depression:

· Withdrawing from social life: It is not unusual for a teenager to wish to be alone. However if your teenager stops playing sports, going out with friends and spends most of his or her time alone that may be the early symptoms of teenage depression even though everything else may seem alright.

· Excessive complaining: Most teenagers complain about something. However, if you notice a big increase in complaining that means that he or she is quite unhappy with certain things and feels frustrated. If complaining lasts for more than a month it should be addressed.

· Unusual Irritability: One of the most common early sings of teenage depression that is usually misbelieved to be just a teenage passing mood of irritation. If you are not able to talk to your child, without her of him snapping at you there is a problem. That problem may not have anything to do with depression but in any event should be addressed.

· Low self-esteem: Low self esteem is one of the early sings of teenage depression that should never be missed because it is relatively easy to notice and in most cases indicates depression. Also, even if a person is not depressed at the moment, low self-esteem can cause a depressive disorder. This is why low self-esteem is something that should always be worked on. "I am so ugly". "No body loves me". "Everybody hates me". "I’m not good at anything". "I will never find a friend". All these statements are examples of low self-esteem and are alarming if they last for longer period of time.

· Loss of appetite: If you notice that your teenager is refusing to eat and that he or she is losing weight rapidly you should take him or her to a physician. These depression signs are the most common early signs of teenage depression.

If a teenager is showing some of these signs it doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is depressed. However it does mean that he or she should be examined by a health professional.

One thing that makes teenage depression difficult to recognize is the differentiation between early signs of teenage depression and normal teenage behavior. What is normal teenage behavior may be the most difficult question with many possible answers.

This is why differentiation between unusual (depressive) behavior and normal behavior in a specific teenager lays on his or her parent’s shoulders.

A good parent is the best monitoring “device” of her or his children. This is why parents are encouraged to educate themselves as much as possible about children and teenage psychology.

A parent who is educated about youth psychology is very likely to recognize signs of teenage depression and thus provide appropriate treatment. And the appropriate treatment is a treatment conducted by a psychologist or some other trained health professional.

Getting a depressive teenager into therapy at early stage of depression can prevent a lot of hardships and pain. However in order to prevent something you need to be able to recognize the early signs, first, and then to know what you need to do next. Hopefully after reading this article about the early signs of teenage depression you are more capable of doing just that.

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Causes of Teenage Depression / Depression in Teenage Boys / Depression in Teenage Girls / Recognizing Teenage Depression / Severe Teenage Depression Symptoms / Symptoms of Teenage Depression / Teenage Clinical Depression / Treatment for Teenage Depression