Recognizing and Treating Teen Depression

You find it hard to get up in the morning. You feel this heavy bulldozer-like feeling in your chest. You keep thinking of your girlfriend who left you for another boy months ago. You are probably a star athlete and you feel your teammates are turning against you. Your teacher embarrassed you in class for sleeping. You cannot sleep until 4 am, but you try to go to bed at 1 am.

You feel there is no point in going to school, the teachers are boring. You forgot your school ID. You were sent to detention. The attendance clerk in your high school called your parents for excessive tardiness. Your parents are over your head on not doing your chores. Your computer is taken away by your parents for having a messy room for weeks.

You talk to your parents about your principal who seems to be at your back all the time. You think about the hot chick that has begun to notice you. She has given you some inkling that she is very interested to casually date you. You fantasize about her the whole night convincing yourself that you are now a man. You entertain thoughts of drinking. You have nightmares of death. You fear riding the airplane for you think it will crash. Actually, you feel like you want to die but you fear dying.

Common Remarks

Your common remarks are variations of the following:

"Who cares?"

"I don't know why I bother, what's the point of anything."

"I wish I were dead"

"I can't do anything right. I'm worthless."

Lifestyle

Your typical day after school is "instant messaging" your online friends. You log on in the Internet and you entertain yourself at diggs.com, myspace.com, facebook.com, etc. with topics that interest a teen like sexy pictures of women, cars, and video games. You chat with your online friends until the "wee" hours or listen to music.

You get very irritated when parents knock at your door or when your little siblings gate-crash your room. You just want to be left alone.

You drag yourself to sports practice. In fact, you are thinking of quitting. Everyone in your team, including your coach, insist that you do things the wrong way. You dread not making it to Championship Finals.

The voice of your parents irritates you and you think it is probably the reason you don't feel good about yourself. "It's their fault." You breathe these words and follow up with more. "It's maddening."

What Do You Need to Know

If you are experiencing the above for at least two weeks or more, your might be experiencing teen depression. The good news is that it is very normal thing to happen to a teenager. The bad news is if you don't take medications and you continue to bottle up your concerns, the depression will not disappear.

Dr. Gary R. Collins stated in this Christian Counseling Library Manual that depression is simply "a healthy response to a disturbance in our lives. Otherwise, we would have no other way of knowing that something else is wrong. Depression is a scream in one area of our lives that is neglected."

What You Need to Do

1. Know more about teen depression

While you are at the computer, you can google or type "teen depression". You will find a list of resources on signs and symptoms, effects, suicidal warning signs, treatment options and where to get help.

2. Talk to Someone

Contrary to what you think, your parents want to help you feel better. You are their pride and they want you to be successful. Though, sometimes you think they contribute to your negative thoughts, your parents are great allies. If not, who among your family member can you trust? Is it Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt or a cousin? Call them up.

Depending on your comfort level, you can also talk to your school counselor. But, you feel paranoid that someone in your school will think you have a problem. Or you probably feel your school counselor is too busy. The fact is the school counselors have graduate degrees in psychology or counseling teens. You will be impressed how they can relate to your problems right away.

If your family introduced you to a clergy in the past, make an appointment with them. They will give you spiritual guidance and pray for you. They will uplift your spirits. You will feel like a new person.

After talking to your parents, trusted relatives, school counselor or pastors, you will likely see your family physician. The family physician will interview you on your eating habits and sleeping patterns. The family doctor will rule out other illnesses that exhibit the same symptoms of depression. The family physician may recommend you to a counselor for therapy. The counselor and family physicians may eventually refer you to a psychiatrist. Do not worry, psychiatrist are experts on all types of depressions. They have studied the effects of prescription drugs so well that they will try to minimize the side effects to you. Having a depression doesn't mean you are a mental case.

Life Strategies for Teens to Avoid Depression

Jay McGraw wrote a book entitled "Daily Life Strategies for Teens" showing a day-by-day guide to boost self-confidence, build friendships, resist peer pressure and achieve your goals.

The author listed 10 important life laws. Many of these will be useful in your life. The essence of his book leads to 3 essential tips that will make a difference in your life right now.

1: Play the game of life

War Craft is one of the popular games among teenagers in this decade. You probably spent 2-5 hours playing it with your friends. What if you do not know the rules of this game? What if the objectives or what skills you must have to win this game is unavailable to you? Everything is easy when you know how the game works.

Life is like a game. It has rules. There are penalties if you make bad decisions. There are rewards if you play it well. In any game, you can be a passive player or you can be a driver or a leader.

You must have a strategy in the game called Life. How are you going to play Life's game as you encounter risks? You must have a strategy if you get stuck along the way.

2. Be a person who "gets it"

If you "get it", then you know how to win life's game. You can research other people's experience or listen to advice of those you admire. If you "get it" you know that life is not about luck. There is a certain way of doing things in the game of life. Those who realize this early on and do something about it, gets ahead of their peers.

In strategizing in life's game, you must not put yourself at a disadvantageous position. You will try out on areas where you know you have great potential. And, shortcuts are not always the fastest route to success. Perseverance is the surest way.

3. Get excited, have passion

You know the rules; you "get it" . What now? Hey Dude, refuse to be unhappy. You don't wait around floating expecting great things to come. The winners do not go dilly dally. Take action. Make things happen. Decide to be a champion. Do not rely on caffeine to give you a burst of energy.

New York Times best selling author Jay Gray said that "the goals to win life's game are from the heart. Your daily attitude towards life comes from the head." If you are not excited to win in life, you will naturally be a loser. If there is a loser, there is a winner. So which side are you on?

Conclusion

In conclusion, being in denial is the worse that can happen to any individual. This is because the prospect of change is dim. Once you have made a self-check if you actually have teen depression, seek a trusted individual for help. It may take courage but it will be the best decision you can make in your life. Your willingness to change will move you forward in life.

The best way to pull your head out of the clouds is to have faith that this will all pass. You are not the only one in this world experiencing teen depression. It is not because you lack God in your life. In fact, when you feel your burden heavy and you are too sad to move forward, be assured that God is carrying you in His arms through it all.

Sources:

"Daily Life Strategies" , Jay McGraw
"Depression", Norman Wright, Christian Counseling Library Manual