Maintaining teen mental health is important to the overall well being of adolescents. Yet knowing just how to get your teen to talk to you when they are struggling emotionally is no easy feat. The teen years can be really tough as our teens navigate the physical and emotional changes that they go through.
The issue of teens and depression can be challenging for many families to cope with, I shared my own experience of depression as a teenager before in the post depression in teenage girls. I was hospitalised which is a pretty traumatic experience when you are 18. Adolescents are experiencing physical and emotional changes that can cause them to have mood swings. It is normal for adolescents to occasionally feel depressed due to the changes they are experiencing.
The typical mood fluctuations that many teens experience are usually not a cause for concern. However, depression in teenagers requires immediate attention if it interferes with a teen’s ability to function. Parents who suspect their teen is depressed should seek treatment right away. Without treatment, a depressed teen may become suicidal. Check out this site for a better understanding of depression relapse.
Teen Depression Symptoms
Hormonal changes, self-esteem issues, struggles with identity can all contribute to teen depression. Symptoms are sometimes hard to recognise because the teen years are a challenging time for most people. According to the National Institutes of Health, parents should be concerned if their teen appears to be extremely sad or discouraged for an extended period of time.
A depressed teen may start behaving differently by acting out in school or by skipping school altogether. The teen may become aggressive and start fights with peers or engage in criminal behaviour such as stealing. Risky, irresponsible, or inappropriate behaviour can also be symptoms of teen depression. Not all behaviour is this extreme. Some teens who are depressed may simply withdraw from friends and family.
Emotional changes can also occur as a result of depression. Teenagers who are feeling depressed may become irritable or burst into tears frequently. They may have an overwhelming sense of sadness, worthlessness, or guilt. Self-hatred, thoughts of suicide, a lack of enthusiasm, problems sleeping, and fatigue are also signs of depression.
How to Get Your Teen to Talk to You
Getting a depressed or sad teenager to open up and talk to you can be challenging. Following these tips can encourage opening up the conversation.
- Start early – don’t wait until the teen years to start talking. Talk about emotions from when the children are young. Give them the vocabulary for how people feel.
- Be a good listener – it is really important that we model active listening skills. This includes giving your teenage your full attention when talking. Switch off the TV, put your mobile to the side. Show that you are listening with eye contact and positive body language.
- Pick out positives in what your teen is saying. It can be easy for a teen to only see the negatives. We can help by acknowledging the positives we see.
- Don’t judge when trying to get your teen to talk to you. It is important to understand that there is so much focus on achievement that teenagers feel judged all the time, whether it’s by their friends or teachers, then don’t need their parents chiming in too.
- Value and acknowledge your teens feelings. There feelings are valid and theirs alone. We may not understand but it is important that their feelings are validated.
Teen Depression Help
Parents should take action as soon as they notice signs of teen depression. Help is a very important part of the recovery process. Offer assurance to the teen that it is okay to open up and talk about problems and challenges. Be willing to listen without being judgmental.
Have an honest discussion and address concerns about the teen’s mental state. Understanding how to get your teen to talk to you may feel tricky at first, you should aim to catch them at a quiet time and when you are all feeling calm. Use open-ended questions to encourage a conversation and make sure that you show active listening skills, don’t try to rush a conversation, often it takes time and patience to
The National Institutes of Health recommends getting medical help for a teen who has symptoms of depression that last for more than two weeks. This will help determine if there is an underlying medical condition. The teen may also be tested for substance abuse since depression sometimes leads to drug use. A psychiatric evaluation may also be given to determine if there is a mental disorder or risk for suicide.
Therapy can help the teen get to the root causes of depression and deal with those issues. The depression may be caused by a traumatic event such as a death in the family, past abuse, or the loss of a friendship. Family members may be asked to participate in some of the sessions.
In extreme cases, medication is used to treat depression. Teenagers and children are more susceptible to having an adverse reaction to certain types of depression medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), which can cause suicidal thoughts or tendencies in teens and children. Certain antidepressants can also be harmful to young people. Parents should discuss the risks and benefits of these medications with a physician.
