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Depression:
A Guide for Teens
Having bad days once in a while is normal, but what if you feel
down in the dumps for a few weeks, or even a few months? If you
have been having feelings of sadness or irritability that won't
go away, you might be dealing with depression. Depression is very
common and can affect any person at any age, including teens. This
guide is designed to help you understand depression
better, so that you will be able to recognize the signs of depression
in yourself or people who are close to you and you will know how
to find help.
Use the links below to jump to the section you are interested in.
Facts: Causes and Effects
How to Get Help
Treatment Options
Coping with Depression
Facts: Causes and Effects 
What is depression?
Depression is a psychological condition that affects your feelings,
behaviors, and thoughts. You may have feelings of sadness or irritability,
a lack of energy, trouble sleeping, feelings of hopelessness or
worthlessness, or unhappy thoughts about yourself or your life. Depression may also affect you physically. You may have trouble sleeping, eating, or concentrating. You could also have aches and pains such as headaches or stomach aches .
Who gets depressed?
Depression affects children, teens, and adults of all ages. No
one knows the exact number of teens affected by depression, but
we do know that it affects a large number of teens, both male and
female, from all ethnic and racial backgrounds.
What are the symptoms of depression?
You may:
- feel sad or "empty" a lot of the time. These feelings may come
and go, but last for at least two weeks.
- not feel like doing things you used to enjoy, like playing sports,
hanging out with friends, or studying. It is harder to have fun
than it used to be.
- feel really irritated (things get on your nerves more easily),
or you may get angry or lose your temper more easily.
- feel tired or have less energy, or you may be restless and edgy.
- experience changes in your eating habits. You may eat more or
less than you did before you started feeling depressed.
- experience changes in your sleep, either sleeping a lot more
or a lot less than you used to, and/or having trouble falling
asleep or waking up.
- find it harder to concentrate and make decisions.
- not feel good about yourself or about anything you do.
- often feel guilty about things that you do or don't do.
- feel that things will never get better.
- have thoughts about not wanting to live or about hurting yourself,
or you may have tried to hurt yourself.
How do I know whether I am depressed or just sad?
It is normal to feel depressed or sad sometimes. However, if you
have some or all of the above symptoms most of the time for at least
two weeks, you could have depression. If you are depressed, you
may or may not notice changes in yourself, but usually people who
are close to you will notice a change in you. Likewise, if you are
close to someone who is truly depressed, you will usually notice
a big change in that person's behavior or mood.
There are no laboratory tests that can be done to prove that you
are depressed, like there are for illnesses such as strep throat
or diabetes. But if you think you may be depressed, it is worth
talking with someone about it. A professional who is trained to
understand depression, such as your health care provider or a counselor,
will be able to tell whether you have depression.
What are the effects of depression?
Depression has many different and powerful effects on people who
have depression and on the people around them.
Depression can:
- make it harder to work at a job or in school.
- make it more difficult to make and keep friends. It can also become more difficult to get along with family members.
- affect your physical health. For example, you may feel tired or run down all the time.
- make you feel tempted to turn to drugs, alcohol, or sex as a way to escape from your feelings.
- make you feel extremely irritable and cause you to act out in ways that can get you into trouble, such as yelling or fighting.
- cause you to have trouble paying attention, which can lead to car accidents and other mistakes.
- lead to serious injury and even suicide if left untreated.
What causes depression?
No one knows for sure what causes depression. The most important thing to keep in mind is that it is not your fault if you become depressed. Most likely, depression is caused by a combination of things, some of which have to do with the chemicals in your brain and some that have to do with what's happening in your life. Some factors that may put you at risk for depression are:
- Genetics - If other people in your family have had a depressive illness, you may have similar genes and be more likely to get depressed.
- Family problems - A major loss in your family or conflict among members of your family may cause you to feel depressed.
- Feeling bad about yourself - If you are constantly being put down, abused, or neglected, or if you are having difficulty at school or other activities, you may be more likely to feel depressed.
- Feeling alone - Feeling that you are different from others or that your friends and family don't understand you can make you feel depressed. Some examples of people who may feel alone or isolated from others are teens who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual, teens who have just broken up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, or teens who have a parent with a mental illness or a substance abuse problem.
These are just a few common examples, but there are many circumstances that can lead to feelings of depression. You may experience many of these things and yet not feel depressed. Or you may not have any of these problems but still feel depressed.
How to Get Help
What should I do if I am depressed?
If you think you are depressed, it may help you to tell a friend, but it is also important to tell a parent or an adult that you feel comfortable with. Friends are great to talk to and often very helpful, but for serious issues, it is important to talk with an adult. If you don't feel comfortable telling an adult on your own, you might ask a friend to help you.
Adults you might feel comfortable talking to about being depressed:
- parent, guardian, or other adult relative
- teacher or coach
- school counselor
- health care provider
- minister, priest, rabbi, or other spiritual leader
Any of these adults should be able to help you get treatment from someone who works with depressed teens. If you tell one of these people and they are not able to get you help, tell someone else. Sometimes even adults may have a hard time accepting that someone is depressed, or they may not know what to do.
Even if you don't think you are "depressed," but you are having a hard time coping with something, it is important to talk about it with other people. You may also want to think about meeting with a counselor to help you deal with whatever is making you feel bad. |
What if I am thinking about hurting myself?
Anyone who has thoughts or feelings about hurting themselves should be taken seriously and should get professional help immediately. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in teens and young adults but it can be prevented with proper treatment.
It is important to realize how serious suicide is. When you are very depressed, you are not able to see clearly and may become confused about what to do. You must remember that hurting yourself is never the right answer, and that there are people who can help you.
If you think you might hurt yourself, it is very important that you talk with a parent, an adult you trust, or someone else who can get you help right away. If you are unable to get someone to help you or the adult is unsure what to do, call your local emergency room or 911. |
What should I do if I think that one of my friends is depressed?
If you think your friend is depressed, you should try to get her or him to tell an adult such as a parent, school counselor, or health care provider. If your friend will not get help you should talk to a trusted adult. This is especially important if your friend has told you or another close friend that they don't want to live anymore.
You might worry that your friend will be upset with you if you tell an adult. In fact, they may have asked you not to tell anyone. You must remember though that it is better for your friend to be angry with you at first for telling someone, than for your friend to possibly hurt him or herself.
If you or your family has a hard time finding resources, you can look in the yellow pages under "mental health," or you can talk to your school nurse or counselor or your health care provider.
Treatment Options
How is depression treated?
There are many different kinds of treatment for depression. Deciding on the right treatment for you depends on how much difficulty you are having, what treatments are available to you, and your personal choice.
- Counseling or Psychotherapy. Counseling or
psychotherapy is something that can help with depression. It includes
talking about your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in a confidential
setting. This means that the therapist cannot tell anyone what
the two of you talk about, unless you are a danger to yourself
or others. Talking with a counselor can help you realize that
other people understand how you feel and that you are not alone.
When you talk about your feelings with a therapist, you can also
learn to understand yourself better.
When you have depression, it is common to see your life in an
unrealistic way. For example, you may start to think that you
are not good enough, that others don't like you, or that you are
the cause of bad things that are happening. A therapist can help
you learn to look at these situations differently. Therapists
can also help you find ways to cope with tough situations and
ways to feel better about the things that are happening in your
life.
Therapy can be done in a few different ways. It can be done with
a group of teens together, which is called "group therapy"; with
a teen and her family, which is called "family therapy"; or alone
with a therapist, which is called "individual therapy."
- Medication. If your depression is causing problems
in your life, or if you feel that therapy isn't helping enough,
your health care provider may suggest medication. Depression is
affected by the levels of certain chemicals in your brain. For
many people with depression, taking medication helps the chemicals
become more balanced, which makes you feel less depressed.
A doctor, a psychiatrist, or a nurse practitioner can prescribe
medications. There are many different medications that treat depression.
If you decide to go on medication, it does not mean you will be
on it for the rest of your life. Once you have been feeling better
for a while, you and your health care provider can talk about
decreasing the dose or stopping the medication. Remember that
even if you are feeling better, you should always talk with your
health care provider before making any changes with your medicine.
You might be worried about taking medicine for your depression,
or you might worry what other people think about it. But many
people have found medications to be very helpful. It is very likely that you know and respect someone (like a teacher
or doctor) who uses medication for depression, too. Taking medication
for depression is just like taking medicine for a physical
problem-it is just a way to help yourself get better.
- Day Programs and Hospitals. If you become so
depressed that you have trouble with your every day life, or if
you are having thoughts about hurting yourself, you may need more
help than regular counseling sessions can give you. In this case,
you may enter a day program or a hospital. In a day program, you
arrive in the morning and spend all day in counseling, group discussions,
and activities with mental health professionals and other patients.
In a hospital you receive professional care all day and overnight.
Both treatments are used for teens that are severely depressed.
Sometimes this can happen when you first feel depressed, or it
might happen if you have been very depressed for a while and things
have not gotten better.
A hospital is a place where you can get a lot of support and where
mental health professionals can keep you safe. People don't have
to be "crazy" to be in a hospital. Hospital programs have scheduled
activities to help you understand your emotions and figure out
how to manage the problems in your life. Often, your family can
also get help for themselves or learn how to help you feel better.
Coping with Depression
Strategies that may help with depression:
- Talking with a family member about your feelings can often be
helpful. Sometimes your family members may seem very busy and
you might think that your feelings aren't important enough to
take up their time, BUT THEY ARE!!! In order to make sure you
have time to talk about your feelings with your family member,
you may want to set aside a special time to talk.
- Try to keep up with your daily activities. Be sure to include
things that you enjoy and activities that help you relax. Staying
busy and in touch with others is especially important if you are
depressed.
- Eating healthy foods and being active can help improve your
mood. Try to get some kind of exercise for at least 30 minutes,
3 to 4 times a week.
- Keeping a journal about your feelings, drawing, and writing
poetry are some ways you might like to express yourself. Often
being able to express your feelings will improve how you feel.
- Add some of your own strategies to the list, or ask a friend for
ideas:
- _________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________
- _________________________________________________________
What else do I need to know?
Depression is more common than you think and most people who receive treatment for depression get better. Unfortunately, many people who are depressed don't get help. There are many reasons people don't get help. Some people think that seeking treatment is a sign of weakness. Others are afraid to be seen as "crazy" for seeing a counselor or taking medication. Some people feel that their thoughts and feelings aren't important enough to bother others with. Don't be one of these people! Depression is real and with help you can get better.
Remember that you are a worthwhile person who deserves to be heard and understood. Making the choice to get help is the first step to overcoming depression and being the best you can be! |
Written by the Center for Young Women's Health Staff
Updated 10/31/2005
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