The Depression in adolescence Is produced by multiple physical, psychological, sociocultural and cognitive changes, which require young people to develop new coping strategies.
After this difficult stage, the boys and girls will have established a sense of identity, autonomy and personal or social success.
However, if there are changes in the boy or girl, such as a depression disorder, adults may manifest serious problems related With their autonomy or academic or professional success.
Causes and Symptoms of Depression in Adolescents
Adolescence is a time in which patterns of behavior and personality will be established. It is therefore not surprising that many people who have Presented histories of depression during their adolescence present a high percentage of continuity of this disorder.
In general, among the causes that explain the development of a disorder of depression in adolescence are suffering High levels of stress , Have conflicts frequently and have developed some type of interpersonal dependency.
According to the diagnostic classification of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR, American Psychiatric Association, 2000), the Criteria that determine a diagnosis of depression at any vital stage are very similar.
symptom
The most common symptoms found in children and adolescents who have depression are:
Usual state of sadness or irritability.
Inhibition of motor activities.
Insomnia And other sleep problems.
Irritability, mood swings, and behavior problems.
Crying.
Loss of appetite.
Social isolation or loss of interest towards other people.
Ideas of self-deprecation or thoughts or attempts of suicide.
Failure or dropping out of school.
Somatic symptoms such as headaches or stomachaches without organic causes.
However, there are some characteristics that are much more frequent in the adolescent population, such as psychomotor retardation, Hypersomnia And delusional ideas.
In addition, Major depressive episodes Usually associated with Disorders , by attention deficit , Anxiety, substance-related, and Of food behavior (Méndez, Olivares & Ros, 2001).
Depression in adolescence can lead to other types of secondary problems, such as substance use or addiction, unwanted pregnancies Or juvenile delinquency.
As you can see, there are numerous problems that are produced directly and indirectly by a depression disorder in adolescence.
Therefore, it is especially necessary to carry out an early intervention that can alleviate the symptoms and that produces an improvement in the well-being Psychosocial care of the minor.
How to treat depression in adolescence
1. Be understanding and respect your space
Although it is advisable to try to talk to the teenager in question, you will often receive bad replies or ignore you completely.
Taking into account the difficulties and changes that teenagers are going through, entering the game and discussing with them will not nothing.
Another characteristic they show in adolescence is that they are very Emotionally unstable And have a tendency to drama, so it is not surprising that Cry, shout or rebel for everything.
When you find yourself in these situations, be understanding and serene and do not invade your personal space.
Let him relax and reassure himself before resuming the conversation and asking him about the real reason for his emotional state.
If you show empathy, letting you see that you had similar problems when you were a teenager, you will increase your child's confidence toward you.
2. Negotiates the rules of coexistence
Children are taught that there are rules at home and that they have to accept them, even if they do not like them.
For example, you can tell your children that they can not watch TV more than 30 minutes a day or that they have to go home before 8pm.
However, when your child reaches the adolescent stage, he becomes an active being of change, able to reason the rules and analyze them carefully.
It is therefore appropriate that you give him the opportunity to reason the rules that are imposed, to make him see that he is becoming an adult and that Your opinion is important.
In addition, although difficult to control at this stage, it is a positive indicator that Your child rebels , Since in this way he will become an adult Who fights for what he wants, instead of being submissive and abiding by the rules without questioning them.
3. Recommend that you increase your sleep time
In some cases, extreme tiredness or behavioral changes in adolescents are due to drowsiness caused by fewer hours of sleep. What do you need.
During adolescence, the brains of boys and girls undergo a structural change that requires an increase of energy and rest, so that in These ages usually present a characteristic psychomotor slowing - especially when waking up.
These hours of night sleep should follow a pre-established schedule, which should not be over-modified during the weekend and holidays, since, Otherwise, it will be difficult for the adolescent to get used to weekly schedules.
4. Help you find or resume activities of interest
Frequently, when a teenager is going through a depression disorder, he decides to leave the leisure activities he used to do, Which no longer have an interest in them.
At other times, the abandonment of their leisure activities is due to the greater dedication they must have in the face of the study, since it becomes much more Demanding with teenagers.
In order to prevent this abandonment of activities from isolating and influencing your mood , Tries to look for new activities focused on their interests Or try to take back the ones he has abandoned, depending on what he or she prefers.
If among your leisure activities you find sport - especially group activities - it will be even more beneficial, since Boys can Decrease your stress Y Increase your self-esteem , While at the same time acquiring healthy habits of life - at a vital stage in which they are Especially vulnerable to harmful habits such as Alcohol consumption Or drugs.
These extracurricular activities should be distributed during the week so that they do not alter their schoolwork and do not affect the study.
To achieve this purpose, help your child to make a schedule in which the activities are distributed throughout the week.
It also prevents you from starting several leisure activities at once, as you may become overwhelmed and abandoned because you feel you do not have enough time.
It is recommended that you gradually acquire them, so that you get used to the new schedule and new hobbies.
5. Carry out family activities
To achieve a more positive family climate, try planning leisure activities with the whole family during holidays or weekends.
Going for a mountain trip, visiting a new city or spending a day in nature, will make you all feel better with yourselves and with others family integrants.
Create a warm atmosphere, in which Communication is strengthened And you can enjoy your free time, it will make your teenage son or daughter more open and Express your problems and concerns more often.
6. Communicate with faculty
An important aspect that you should know is if your child behaves this way only when he is at home or during school hours.
Like children, adolescents may present situational behavior - behave differently depending on the context in which they it's found-.
Teachers can give you a lot of information that is beyond your direct observation, such as if you are becoming more isolated lately, if you have Conflict with other students or teachers, if their academic performance has worsened, etc.
7. Do not be so picky about your academic performance
When a teenager has a depression disorder, it is common for his academic performance to decline drastically.
This is due to the lack of concentration that they present, in addition to the low motivation before the study.
To help you, you can show understanding and help you deal with daily tasks, distributing study time to prevent several Hours in front of books.
Encourage him to take breaks every 45 minutes and make this break time fun - it's important that you get rewards or prizes Frequent.
Making her favorite candy, allowing her to spend 15 minutes playing a video game or watching TV, will help her Increase their motivation study and Increase their school performance.
8. Learn to value your achievements
Avoid Focus the attention Only on the negative aspects of your child's behavior, since you will only get him frustrated.
In addition, whenever you refer to any Negative aspect of their behavior , It tells you how you should act to get results Positive.
Otherwise, your teenager will feel lost and will not know how to act to get approval from others.
It is also necessary that you know how to value all those achievements you have achieved for yourself - however small - and make you see all those who You can get it if you keep striving.
On the other hand, it is very important that you do not compare with siblings, family or friends, since it can cause stress or jealousy, which will influence Negatively in the performance of the task.
You should also avoid comparing yourself before you present the depression disorder, as you now have to face new challenges before Render as it used to in the past.
What you can do is to have reference models, such as setting an example of a historical or famous person and commenting on obstacles and achievements that Had in his life.
Adolescents often benefit from vicarious learning - that which occurs through the behavior of others - so it is not surprising That develop a special interest towards their idols, characters of fiction or famous.
They idolize other people or characters they would like to resemble - physically or because of the abilities they possess, such as being a singer successful-.
9. Detects if there are changes in your diet and your body weight
A very pronounced weight loss can be an indicator that the teenager is having some physical and / or psychological problem.
An indicator that is usually present in depression disorders in adolescents is usually loss of appetite, so it will be helpful to Be aware of the amount of food you eat and changes in relation to your weight.
In addition, these changes in diet and body weight may be related to another eating disorder - Occur frequently in adolescence.
In this case, it is especially important that the adolescent begin some therapy, since these are problems that can have serious Consequences in your body.
10. Do not underestimate the threats of suicide
In many cases, adolescents make threats in connection with suicide with the sole objective of drawing the attention of the people in their around.
However, it is difficult to distinguish when they intend to draw attention and when they have concrete plans to make a suicide attempt.
Therefore, due to the repercussions of an attempted suicide or consummate suicide, it is necessary that you be especially cautious and take Certain precautions, such as:
Do not leave him alone at home.
Do not have locks on the doors of the rooms or bathrooms.
Keep locked up dangerous medicines and utensils, such as sharp knives.
11. Consult a specialist
If you detect enough indicators that can reveal the presence of a depressive disorder in your child, consult a specialist for That indicates if it is necessary or not to realize some type of therapy.
Do not underestimate this problem or you conceive it as something temporary, since it can have disastrous consequences on the social and emotional development Of the adolescent in question.
As you see, depression is adolescence is a complex disorder and with some specific particularities.
And you, what other tips would you add to treat depression in adolescence?
References
- Rodríguez Sacristán, J. Basic Child Psychopathology (2009). Editions Pyramid.
- Rosselló, J., & Hernández, M. N. B. (2004). Suicidal ideation, depression, dysfunctional attitudes, stressful life events and self-esteem in one Sample of Puerto Rican teenagers. Inter-American Journal of Psychology. Interamerican journal of psychology , 38 (2), 295-302.
- Pardo, G.; Sandoval, A. and Umbarila, D. Adolescence and depression. National university of Colombia. Revista Colombiana de Psicología, 2004, No. 13, 13-28.