Teen Depression: An Introduction
Adolescence
The most crucial stage of a person’s life is the adolescent period. It is a transitional stage of physical and mental development that happens between childhood and adulthood. A lot of changes happen during this period – biological, social, and psychological changes. How well a teenager adapts to these changes will determine how you will be as an adult.
Adolescence is the stage when a person is between 12 to 18 years of age. According to Erik Erikson’s Stages of Human Psychosocial Development, an adolescent’s task is to discover yourself as an individual, separate from your family and your origin, and as members of the society. With this, the ego development outcome then for adolescents is identity versus role confusion.
Achieving the task for this stage would depend on your upbringing – what is taught to you, and what you see. This would also be the time when you would begin to question issues on morality, you struggle with social interactions and of course, find your own identity. When you were unable to navigate this stage role confusion and upheaval would result.
Depression
Occasional sadness is a normal part of our lives. With all the things happening to us, we can’t help but feel sad sometimes, especially if these things concern us and our loved ones. However, when this sadness interferes with our usual daily activities and normal functioning, this may be depression already. Depression is an illness that is very common, but it is a serious one so treatment is necessary.
There are several types of depression. Major depressive disorder is characterized by a combination of symptoms that interfere with a person’s ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy pleasurable activities. This is disabling and a person’s ability to function normally is interrupted. Dysthymic disorder, also called dysthymia, happens for a long time, but with less severe symptoms, and these may not disable a person. Psychotic depression occurs when a severe depressive illness is accompanied by symptoms of psychosis such as hallucinations and delusions. Postpartum depression happens to new mothers within one month after giving birth to a child. Seasonal affective disorder happens during winter months when there is less natural sunlight.
Teenage Depression
With all the changes and adjustments that an adolescent has to go through, depression is likely to happen during this life stage. Coping up with stress is quite difficult in this stage especially if there are a lots of demands being placed on your shoulder – from your parents, your teachers, your friends, and all of society. Dealing with these issues is not an easy task. If these are not dealt with accordingly, then these may lead to teenage depression.
Teenage depression, is simply depression that happens to people in their adolescent stage. If not treated promptly, teenage depression may lead to serious problems such as substance abuse, school troubles, work problems, risky sexual behaviors, unwanted pregnancies, relationship problems, and the worst is, suicide. With all these effects of untreated teenage depression, it is important that it is to be dealt with accordingly, in the soonest possible time once diagnosed.
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