let’s talk about teen depression. teen depression approximately 4 out of 100 teenagers get...

Let’s Talk About Teen Depression

Teen Depression

Approximately 4 out of 100 teenagers get seriously depressed each year.

Everyone gets sad now and then That’s not depression

What is Depression?

Depression is defined as an illness when the feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and despair persist and interfere with a person’s ability to function.

Teenage girls are at especially high risk, as are minority youth.

Depression

Most people with depression can be helped with treatment.

Most depressed people never get the help they need.

When depression isn't treated, it can get worse, last longer, and prevent you from getting the most out of your life.

Signs of Depression: When someone has five or more of

these symptoms most of the time for 2 weeks or longer, that person is probably depressed:

Frequent sadness, tearfulness, crying

Hopelessness Social isolation, poor

communication

Signs of Depression:

Decreased interest in activities Inability to enjoy previously

favorite activities Persistent boredom; low energy Alcohol and drug abuse Self-Injury

Signs of Depression:

Poor concentration A major change in eating and/or

sleeping patterns Talk of or efforts to run away

from home Thoughts or expressions of

suicide or self-destructive behavior

Signs of Depression: Low self esteem and guilt Extreme sensitivity to rejection or

failure Increased irritability, anger, or

hostility Difficulty with relationships Frequent complaints of physical

illnesses, such as headaches and stomachaches

WHEN YOU'RE DEPRESSED..

You feel sad or cry a lot and it doesn't go away.

You feel guilty for no real reason; you feel like you're no good; you've lost your confidence.

Life seems meaningless or like nothing good is ever going to happen again.


You have a negative attitude a lot of the time, or it seems like you have no feelings.

You don't feel like doing a lot of the things you used to like-- like music, sports, being with friends, going out-- and you want to be left alone most of the time.


It's hard to make up your mind. You forget lots of things, and it's hard to concentrate.

You get irritated often. Little things make you lose your temper; you overreact.


Your sleep pattern changes; you start sleeping a lot more or you have trouble falling asleep at night. Or you wake up really early most mornings and can't get back to sleep.

Your eating habits change; you've lost your appetite or you eat a lot more.


You feel restless and tired most of the time.

You think about death, or feel like you're dying, or have thoughts about committing suicide

Why do people get depressed?

There is no single cause for depression. Factors include:

genetics environment medical conditions life events certain thinking patterns that affect a

person's reaction to events.

Brain's response to stressful events

Death of someone close to you Relationship problems Low self esteem Poverty Homelessness Substance abuse

What Happens in the Brain

chemicals neurotransmitters assist in transmitting messages between nerve cells in the brain.

Certain neurotransmitters regulate mood.

When they are not available in sufficient quantities, the result can be depression.

Types of Depression

Major depression – short lasting and severe

Dysthymia - longer-lasting but less severe

Adjustment disorder with depressed mood (depressive reaction to a specific life event)

Types of Depression Bipolar disorder (also

sometimes called manic depressive illness) involves periods of major depression mixed with periods of mania.

Mania is the term for abnormally high mood and extreme bursts of unusual activity or energy.

Treatment for Depression

Having depression doesn't mean that a person is weak, or a failure, or isn't really trying... it means they need TREATMENT.

Most people with depression can be helped with COUNSELING, provided by a professional psychologist

COUNSELING

Means talking about feelings with a trained psychologist who can help you change the relationships, thoughts, or behaviors that are causing the depression

When you're depressed, you're in a rut, and you can't see anything good.

MEDICINE Used to treat depression that is

severe or disabling. Antidepressant medications are

not "uppers" and are not addictive.

Medication might be necessary, in addition to counseling.

Most often, counseling alone is sufficient.

YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

With treatment, most depressed people start to feel better in just a few weeks.

There's help out there

Myths about depression

MYTH: It's normal for teenagers to be moody; Teens don't suffer from "real" depression.

FACT: Depression is more than just being moody. And it can affect people at any age, including teenagers

Myths about depression

MYTH: Telling an adult that a friend might be depressed is betraying a trust. If someone wants help, he or she will get it.

Myths about depression FACT: Depression, which saps

energy and self-esteem, interferes with a person's ability or wish to get help. It is an act of true friendship to share your concerns with an adult who can help. No matter what you "promised" to keep secret, your friend's life is more important than a promise.

Myths About Depression

MYTH: Talking about depression only makes it worse.

FACT: Talking about your feelings to someone who can help, like a psychologist, is the first step towards beating depression.

Myths About Depression

Talking to a close friend can also provide you with the support and encouragement you need

Talk to your parents or school counselor about getting evaluated for depression.

The Link Between Depression and Suicide

Majority of suicide attempts and suicide deaths happen among teens with depression

About 1% of all teens attempts suicide and about 1% of those suicide attempts results in death (that means about 1 in 10,000 teens dies from suicide)

The Link Between Depression and Suicide

For adolescents who have depressive illnesses, the rates of suicidal thinking and behavior are much higher.

Most teens who have depression think about suicide, and between 15% and 30% of teens with serious depression who think about suicide go on to make a suicide attempt.

The Link: Depression and Suicide

It's not hard to see why serious depression and suicide are connected.

Serious depression (with both major depression and bipolar illness) involves a long-lasting sad mood that doesn't let up


Depression also distorts a person's viewpoint

They focus only on their failures and disappointments

Exaggerate these negative things. Depressed thinking can convince

someone there is nothing to live for.


Loss of pleasure in things you once enjoyed.

Involves thoughts about death Negative thoughts about oneself A sense of worthlessness


A sense of hopelessness Low energy Noticeable changes in appetite or

sleep.


The hopelessness can make it seem like there will be nothing good in the future


Helplessness can make it seem like there's nothing you can do to change things for the better.

And the low energy that is part of depression can make every problem (even small ones) seem like too much to handle.

What Else Puts Teens at Risk for Suicide?

Teens with conduct disorder are at higher risk

Teens with conduct disorder have problems with aggression and may be more likely than other teens to act in aggressive or impulsive ways to hurt themselves when they are depressed or under great stress


Substance abuse problems also put teens at risk for suicidal thinking and behavior


Alcohol and some drugs have depressive effects on the brain.

Misuse of these substances can bring on serious depression, especially in teens prone to depression because of their biology, family history, or other life stressors.


Alcohol and drugs alter a person's judgement

Interfere with the ability to assess risk make good choices, and think of solutions to problems.


Many suicide attempts occur when a teen is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Teens with substance abuse problems often have serious depression or intense life stresses, too, further increasing their risk.


Social, academic, and personal pressures such as:

Physical or sexual abuse Witness one parent abusing another

at home Lots of arguing and conflict at home. Violence in their neighborhood


Parent with a drug or alcohol addiction

Struggles with concerns about sexuality and relationships


Body image and eating problems Learning problems or attention

problems that make it hard for them to succeed in school

A recent loss or crisis

Types of Suicidal Behaviours

Teen girls attempt suicide far more often (about nine times more often) than teen guys

Guys are about four times more likely to succeed when they try to kill themselves.

Teen guys tend to use more deadly methods, like guns or hanging.


Girls who try to hurt or kill themselves tend to use overdoses of medications or cutting.

More than 60% of teen suicide deaths happen with a gun.

Suicide deaths can and do occur with pills and other harmful substances and methods.


Sometimes a depressed person plans a suicide in advance.


Many times, though, suicide attempts are not planned in advance, but happen impulsively, in a moment of feeling desperately upset.

Suicide attempts can occur under conditions like the following because some teens - at least for the moment - see no other way out:


Situations like: a breakup, a big fight with a parent an unintended pregnancy, being harmed by abuse or rape being outed by someone else being victimized in any way can cause

a teen to feel desperately upset.


Sometimes teens who feel or act suicidal mean to die and sometimes they don't.

Sometimes a suicide attempt is a way to express the deep emotional pain

Hope that someone will get the message they are trying to communicate.


Teens who attempt suicide as an answer to problems tend to try it more than once

Suicide attempts are highest during middle adolescence


By 17 or 18, the rate of teen suicide attempts lowers dramatically

With maturity, teens learn to tolerate sad or upset moods, learn how to get support, develop better coping skills to deal with disappointment or other difficulties.

Warning Signs - What to Look For

Pulling away from friends or family and losing desire to go out

Trouble concentrating or thinking clearly

Changes in eating or sleeping habits


Major changes in appearance (for example, if a normally neat person looks very sloppy - as if they're not taking the usual care of themselves )

Talk about feeling hopeless or feeling guilty

Talk about suicide


Talk about death Talk about "going away" Self-destructive behavior (drinking

alcohol, taking drugs, or driving too fast, for example)


No desire to take part in favorite things or activities

Giving away of favorite possessions Very happy and cheerful moods after

being depressed or sad for a long time (this may mean that a person has decided to attempt suicide and feels relieved to have found a "solution")

Getting Help

If you have a friend or classmate who you think is considering suicide, get help right away rather than waiting to see if he will feel better.

Getting Help

Even if your friend or classmate swears you to secrecy, you must get help as soon as possible - your friend's life could depend on it.

A person who is seriously thinking about suicide is depressed - and isn't able to see that suicide is never the answer to his problems.

Getting Help

Suicide isn't the answer - it's a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

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