Seeking a Better Understanding for Teen Depression

Depression is an often misunderstood and misdiagnosed disorder that many individuals, adults and adolescent alike, suffer from. While many people feel depressed at one time or another during the course of their lifetime, the frequency, duration and intensity of someone’s depression is what parents, teachers and other adults in a community need to be on the look out for when interacting with teens.

According to Dr. Dan Hoover, former staff psychologist for the Adolescent Treatment Program at The Menninger Clinic in Houston, teen depression is similar to adult depression in many ways but he notes there are some differences. “Teenagers who become depressed are more likely to show signs of behavioral problems and irritability that looks like opposition to authority, rather than clearly depression.” He goes on to state, “because they are just developing the ability to have insight into their emotional states, some teens are rather poor reporters about their depression. They don’t recognize it in themselves. They see it as purely anger, or as occurring largely outside of themselves.”

This is often the case with the adults who interact with teens as well. Many parents, teachers and counselors may state that a client is angry or acting out, without understanding the deeper issue of depression in these youth.

According to the National Institute for Mental Health’s (NIMH) Web site, other signs of teen depression are frequent and/or vague non-specific physical complaints, talk or efforts to run away, outburst of shouting or crying, boredom, substance abuse, isolation, fear of death, extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure, recklessness, anger, hostility or irritability and difficulty with relationships.

While many of these symptoms describe most teens at some point, it is important to remember the frequency-duration-intensity rule when assessing whether or not a teen needs professional help.

NIMH also states that 8.3 percent of teens suffer from depression, and that research indicates that the onset of depression is occurring earlier in life today that in past decades.

One of the major concerns when dealing with teen depression is the risk of suicide

According to Margaret Mathis, Director of Education at CrisisLink, a non-profit organization that specializes in suicide prevention in the DC area, suicide is the 3^rd leading cause of death for people between the ages of 15-24. “It is only exceeded by accidents and homicide,” states Mathis. “What concerns me most is that people need to take a suicide threat seriously,” states Mathis. “Too often, people think the teen will just snap out of it, or that it is part of being a teen because teens are known for being emotional, but due to the impulsivity of a teen, depression and/or suicide threats or gestures make it that much more dangerous.” She goes on to state that if someone is clinically depressed, they are “20 times more likely to commit suicide.” Mathis states she works closely with The American Association of Suicidology and that is where CrisisLink derives much of its research and statistics.

If you know or suspect that a teen is depressed, intervene as soon as possible. According to Dr. Hoover, “we do find that kids are much more dependent on family members/parents to support them in getting treatment. Generally, if a parent doesn’t present a teen for treatment, he or she won’t get it. When given support for treatment by parents and family and after settling impulsive behavior that sometimes gets in the way, kids respond to many of the same interventions that adults do.”