Ways to help your teenager with depression- Blog on parenting advice, raising teenagers and teenager depression
By- Ishita Sharma
Teenage is a period of transition during which physical and psychological changes take place in an individual. During this period, teens go through a lot of phases, some difficult while some that are worth remembering. During this time, the brain has the maximum capacity to learn about the various things that are present around an individual. Thus, it is the duty of both parents and teachers to guide them to move on the right path, and contribute to being an asset in the society.
This growing and developing world is full of competitions and responsibilities which are contributing to the symptoms of depression among teenagers. Undoubtedly, the etiology for issues faced by teenagers in today’s world is a lot different from what teenagers actually experienced a decade or even two decades back. An analysis by the Pew Research Centre reported that depression rates grew among adolescents, especially in girls; over the previous decade when about 8% of teens reported being depressed in 2007. This also shows that how most of the teenagers suffer from depression, or at least from a few symptoms before they even reach adulthood. This indeed is a high-priority concern that requires immediate attention.
Sometime, depression runs in families, but mostly it is developed as a consequence of certain event that one undergoes. Thus, it is of utmost importance for the parents to keep up with their child especially during the difficult phases experienced during the period of adolescence. The first step towards this is to communicate with them about everything they find problematic, be it drugs, relationships, sexual activities, alcohol, academic pressure etc. It is further necessary to educate them about the same, not as a parent but as a friend, by creating a safe and comfortable environment for them, wherein they can discuss about any random thing.
As already discussed above, the reasons that cause teenage depression have been evolving with time. These days major issues that contribute to it include- bullying (body shaming, slut shaming), social media, peer pressure, ignorant parents, on-screen violence, obesity, identity crisis, financial concerns in family, child being a victim of Post- traumatic stress disorder and a lot more. With the development of social media, including various apps such as tinder, instagram, snapchat, bumble etc. which are now easily accessible to almost every teen, the ways of making friends, getting in a relationship, expressing ourselves to a random person, sharing our pictures are all getting really common and even problematic. Social media majorly contributes to creating negative impacts on teens, as it is the medium for cyber bullying, body shaming and slut shaming.
Various social media influencers sharing their wardrobes (full of expensive attires), vacation vlogs, diet plans and make-up tutorials that have an immense influence on the life of a teenager. While these might be inspirational for many, they also contribute as a distraction for others. They tend to compare themselves with the life of certain social media influencer and also, develop similar habits as them. When unable to do so, it results low self-esteem, isolation, feelings of sadness, anger, irritability, worthlessness, overthinking which further contribute to the symptoms of depression.
Now, what could help the parents in taking care of their child during such phases? Initially to it is crucial to check for differences in behaviour, expressed emotions like persistent negative moods, reckless behaviour or does the child stays upset or irritated most of the time? Or whether he/she prefers staying alone? Or is there a loss of interest in activities? Or are they running away from certain problems? It is necessary for a parent to keep a note of all this and discuss with them the problem, if such behaviours continue for a long time.
All they need during this time, if for someone to be mentally present for them and support them. They shouldn’t have fear of being left out or being different than others in a negative way. Parents should make them aware and at the same time, teach them the right way to deal with it. If required, professional medical help should be provided to the child.
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