Early Teenage Depression: The Causes behind It
Teenage depression is often a temporary response to some situations and stressors. This is caused by a lot of factors. Here are some of the most common causes of teenage depression.
Genetics/Family History
When a member of your family is suffering from depression, then you have to be very careful since you may be at risk for developing this disorder also. You may inherit the chemical imbalances of your family member who is suffering from depression. Usually, teens with a family history of depression have a higher chance of having depression symptoms, but this does not happen to everyone.
Medical or Physical Disorders
Depression is often a result of chemical imbalances in the brain. Neurotransmitters, responsible for communication between the brain and the nerves, when at low levels can cause depression. Imbalances in these neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and others affect the mood of an individual. These may require medication treatment to correct the imbalance.
Some medical conditions have been reported to cause depression. Hypothyroidism, a disorder wherein the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones can mimic the signs of depression. Some symptoms that are experienced are fatigue, sleepiness, general apathy and slowing of speech. Chronic illnesses such as cancers, heart problems, and other conditions that require you to be very careful with your activities can lead to depression.
Environmental Factors
Love and security are two important factors needed for a family to be in good shape. When a family provides you an environment that is full of contention, abuse, and poverty, these may lead to you developing low self-esteem. These negative things that you witness will affect how you look at life. You will carry with you the negativism. This lack of self-esteem will make you unable to cope with the stressors you encounter daily, and eventually will lead to depression. Teens with low self-esteem often result to substance abuse, since this will provide them the temporary escape that they need from the outside world. This is actually a battler towards the victory of self-esteem and control.
Trauma and Life Stressors
What may seem like a simple problem to an adult might mean a huge one for a teen. Teens often have unstable emotions while at this stage of life, so the way they deal with problems is through a different approach. Grieving should be allowed but facing reality is an important thing that should be done.
Some life stressors that may lead to teenage depression are the death of parents, a loved one or a pet, divorce or separation of parents, moving to a new area, transferring to another school, and the challenge of finding new friends. Accidents such as vehicular accidents when encountered by an adolescent may also lead to depression. Reliving that traumatic event can cause you to be much stressed, which in time may lead to depression.
The four factors mentioned above – genetics, medical or physical disorders, environmental factors, traumas and life stressors are among the main causes of teenage depression. Knowing these things would be beneficial for a parent, a friend, a teacher, and you yourself. Once you have one of those conditions, then you will know how to take care of yourself so that you will avoid getting depressed in the future.
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