- anxiety
- depression
- anger troubles
- school concerns
- grief/loss
- law breaking behavior
- isolation/social concerns
- self-harming and/or suicidal behavior
TEEN DEPRESSION
The two main causes of depression are:
- Unresolved grief due to death, loss of relationship, loss of hopes and dreams, abandonment, or traumatic event
- Emotional detachment from fear or inability to connect with another or others
- frequent sadness, tearfulness, crying often
- hopelessness - teens can feel apathy towards their future and when this happens their motivation towards achieving in school, developing and maintaining relationships, and resolving unresolved feelings decreases
- Decreased interest in activities or inability to enjoy previously favorite activities
- Persistent boredom; low energy - not going to school and/or drop in grades can be due to the loss of concentration and slowed thinking
- Social isolation, poor communication - Lack of connection between friends and family. Teens often feel alone and may not share their feelings with others as they may feel that no one cares
- Low self-esteem and guilt - Teens may feel as though they are not good enough and can often blame themselves for negative events and circumstances in their lives.
- Extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure - Teens may become increasingly depressed when they perceive rejection or lack of success
- Increased irritability, anger or hostility - Depressed teens may take out their anger and irritability towards their families. In order to protect themselves, they may reject others before their family and friends reject them.
- Difficulty with relationships - Depressed teens social relationships change. They may stop spending time with friends.
- Frequent complaints of physical illnesses, such as headaches and stomachaches
- Frequent absences from school or poor performance in school
- Poor concentration
- A major change in eating and/or sleeping patterns
- Talk of or efforts to run away from home - running away is usually a cry for help
- Thoughts or expressions of suicide or self-harming behaviors
- Alcohol and drug abuse
UNDERSTANDING SELF-HARM
Who self-harms? Self-harm is correlated with the following behavior/symptoms, but is NOT caused by these:
- depression
- loneliness/isolation
- hopelessness
- perfectionism
- impulsivity
- anxiety
- self-blaming
- low self-esteem
- hypercritical parents
- awareness of self-harm by peers
- impaired family communication
Why do teens self-harm?
- to stop bad feelings
- to feel something
- to avoid doing something unpleasant
- to get a reaction
- Typically teens who self-harm are trying to feel better, while a teen who attempts suicide is trying to end all feelings, BUT
- The intent of the behavior can vary and needs to be assessed
- Self-harm can be a risk factor for suicide; the higher the frequency of self-harm, the greater risk for suicide
- Don't react with criticism or horror
- Remain non-judgmental; let the teen know that you care
- Understand that the behavior is a coping mechanism
- Validate the emotion that triggered the behavior, not the behavior
- Get professional help that will provide the teen greater insight into their emotional states and replace the self-harming behavior with effective coping skills