Why Most Teens are not Diagnosed with Depression
Statistical reports state that out of the 20 percent of teens who suffer from teenage depression, only thirty percent of them are treated. The other seventy percent are not given adequate therapies and medications. A lot of factors contribute to this alarming statistical data regarding teenage depression.
Ignorance and Misconceptions
Most people are unaware that there is a disorder called teenage depression. Teenage depression is not yet known as a disorder by most people. When teens exhibit these odd behaviors, most people would say that this is just a typical teenager attitude. While it’s true that teens often demonstrate bad moods and acting out behaviors, these only happen on occasion. These are normal. But when these behaviors are constant, these need to be evaluated carefully and deliberately. These may be signs of teenage depression.
Because the signs and symptoms of adult and teenage depression are different, people often say that what you are currently going through is not depression but a mere part of adolescence. They often attribute these to hormones that are increased during adolescence or the physical and behavioral changes that you have undergone. However, they are wrong. What you are feeling is much more than that.
No One Cares Enough to Notice
Lots of times, parents are too busy to attend to their children. They’re so caught up with providing you your material needs that they forget to give you two of the most important things that you need – love and security. As teenagers, you undergo a lot of changes, and when these changes happen, you need to be sure that whatever change should happen to you, you have someone beside you who will serve as your guide. You need your parents to assure you that what is happening is normal and it happens to everybody. This situation then, can lead to teenage depression.
When a teenager is depressed, the first people who should notice are the parents. However, since they are very busy, they don’t notice the changes in behaviors that are being shown by their teen. Though there are verbal and non-verbal signs, these are often overlooked because the parents are always rushing in the morning, and when they come home at night, they are already too tired to talk about it.
In school, because of the number of students that a teacher handles, these signs may not be noticed. The teacher is always busy, attending to students here and there, that you don’t find the time to talk to him already. This is tragic, because teachers often give sound pieces of advice.
Diagnosing teenage depression is not quite as easy as it seems. With all the factors surrounding a teenager, it is hard to say if you are depressed or not. Clinical expertise is needed, together with a thorough physical and psychiatric evaluation. An extensive history taking is also needed. Since teenage depression signs and symptoms are different from those of adults, this makes diagnosing even harder. What is important is that once the signs and symptoms were recognized, then prompt action should be taken.
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