Teenage Depression

I am sure you have heard or seen the commercial stating that "Depression hurts".    While at first you might wonder, "Depression.......hurting???"  Once the light bulb goes on,  you realize that mental anguish is also physical so yes, depression can hurt.   So, what do teens have to be depressed about?   By simply remembering your teenage years, you know why teenagers can become depressed.   The constant need to perform and to live up to expectations permeates the teenage life.  Not every teenager is going to feel that they measure up to the level of expectations placed on them by their parents, family, friends, school, and society.   Teenagers might also not know that what they are feeling is depression  versus a phase that will go away.  The lack of knowledge about available resources is also a concern that needs to be addressed.  One interesting fact is that 14-17 year old teenage girls have higher incidence rates than boys that same age.   Whether this has to do with hormone levels and gender differences, is not known.  One interesting issue is that teen depression does not present in the same way as adult onset depression.  For this reason I have included the following video that shows how depression differs with age.  I learned a lot and I hope you do as well.

A friend of mine told me of an experience she had with a young teenager who was prescribed medication to help with sleep.  Two side effects of the medication are suicidal ideation and tartive dyskinesia.  The teenager after taking this new medication for a week developed both.  Why do I bring this up?  Because the chemistry within the brain is sensitive to changes or imbalances.  These imbalances or changes can result in symptoms that are not of the individuals creation but from stimulus out of their control.  I found this one piece of information astounding.  I had never connected the fact that sometimes people experience their symptoms side effects.  Medications are chemicals and when ingested and metabolized they will change the user by producing either a desired effect or one that is unintended.  For this reason it is extremely important for clinicians to listen to their patients about how medications are making them feel.  Good education about the medications prescribed is extremely important in order for individuals to take medications appropriately and responsibly.  There are a lot of wonderful medications that enhance and enable people to live happier purposeful lives.  We should not throw the baby out with the bathwater, but rather be proactive in seeking information regarding the medications we take.   Today depression is treatable with medications that less than 20 years ago did not exist.  These new medications have given clinicians options in treating depression and other mental illnesses.  While depression hurts, there are options available that stop the pain.