Is adolescent depression just a normal phase?
Virginia's parents just couldn't understand how their daughter had changed. She had been such a nice quiet girl up until age twelve. She had done well in primary school even though she was very shy and seemed to worry excessively. Now that she was in High School she had become angry, irritable, rebellious and was skipping classes. The slightest thing could set off her very bad temper. She spent too much time alone in her room listening to music. What had gone wrong? Her parents wondered if this was just part of being a teenager but it was disrupting their entire home life.
Virginia was depressed.
Depression and other mood disorders are very common in the teen years and it is estimated that up to 20% of teens have depressive symptoms. The rate of suicide in adolescents has risen two hundred percent in the past ten years so it is now the third leading cause of death in that age group. Depression is not a normal developmental phase that will pass. Adolescent mood disorders cause serious disabilities in academic progress and personality development.
Most adult mood disorders begin in adolescence but they are not detected due to the public perception that it is normal for teens to have emotional instability and that "it's just a phase." Frequently it will be assumed that a depressed irritable teen merely has "normal youthful rebellion" and then will not be considered to have a treatable illness. This is tragic. Depressed teens will respond to medications as well as adults do, so they are suffering needlessly. Without treatment, they may have developmental, academic and social problems with destructive lifelong consequences.
The teen years are when Attention Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.) children begin to develop mood instability so it is very important to treat them. The symptoms of adolescent depression are the same as in adults, with perhaps a greater degree of irritability, defiance, lack of interest in school and low self esteem. Depressed teens lose the ability to enjoy activities, they change their eating habits, complain of constant fatigue and become worried or withdrawn. They may also show antisocial behavior with stealing, fighting and trouble with the law. Depressed teens have few friends since they are considered socially undesirable. Many will turn to drugs and alcohol to calm their minds from the constant stream of unpleasant negative thoughts. Addictions are very common in this condition. Families with depressed adolescents are often in constant turmoil and conflict due to the irritability of the teenager.
Adolescent depression is also strongly inherited. Fifty percent of children with depressed parents will also become depressed. In my experience, teens respond to the same medications that are used in adults and with the same rate of success. It is very hard however, to convince a teenager or their parents that medications are needed. As a result, the vast majority of adolescent mood disorders remain undiagnosed and untreated, causing years of unnecessary disability and in some cases death. In the "Am I normal" section on this web site you will find a checklist of depressive symptoms common to adolescents. If you see these symptoms in a teenager, they need help quickly. Take the teenager along with the list of symptoms to a doctor and therapist to begin treatment.
The text of this section contains excerpts from "Healthy Moods".
Illustrations by Rev. Jim Keddy
For more information visit Answers to common mental health questions.
Copyright Dr. Grant Mullen. No part of this website can be reproduced without the written permission of the author and publisher.
