Thursday, December 20, 2007

Depression and the Risk of Suicide

  • Three million teenagers consider or attempt suicide every year.
  • Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents.
  • Approximately one-fourth of adolescent deaths are the result of suicide.
  • While girls are more likely to make attempts BUT boys are more likely to complete the act.

Do I have your attention? This is a very real problem in this century. Even if it doesn’t seem to apply to your teen at this time, please read this section carefully. You may be able to assist another parent help a teen at risk. Suicide is hard to talk about and hard to think about, but please don’t skip this section. Adults who are well informed are a teen’s best ally in times of crisis.

How can you determine whether your teen is at risk to commit suicide?

It is important to take the warning signs of teen suicide seriously and to seek help immediately if you think that you know a teenager who might be suicidal. Here are some of these symptoms to look for:

1. Extreme personality changes
2. Loss of interest in activities that used to be enjoyable
3. Significant loss or gain in appetite (changes in eating habit)
4. Sleeping too much or too little.
5. Fatigue or loss energy
6. Withdrawal from family and friends (losing the desire to go out)
7. Neglect of personal appearance or hygiene
8. Sadness, irritability, or indifference
9. Having trouble concentrating or pay attention in class
10. Extreme anxiety or panic
11. Drug or alcohol use or abuse
12. Aggressive, destructive, or defiant behavior
13. Feeling worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness
14. Feeling negative or pessimistic
15. Crying frequently
16. Loss of interest in school or schoolwork / drop in school performance
17. Preoccupation with death and dying
18. Self-injury or self-destructive behavior.

Tragically, many of these signs go unrecognized. And while suffering from one of these symptoms certainly does not necessarily mean that one is suicidal, it’s always best to communicate openly with a loved one who has one or more of these behaviors, especially if they are unusual for that person.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

The Differences between Anxiety and Teen Depression

Anxiety

About half the children experiencing depression also experience anxiety. Anxiety is easy to overlook because a child may not talk about his fears, especially if he’s an adolescent. Young children tend to be much more open and at ease in sharing their fears and worries.

Anxiety usually takes one of two forms:

1. A generalized anxiety disorder
2. Anxiety related to panic attacks.

Symptoms of generalized anxiety relate to feelings of restlessness, being on edge, being overwhelmed, having difficulty concentrating, and experiencing muscle tension or sleep disturbance. With generalized anxiety, there may be more fears, but they aren’t as intense as when a panic attack is involved.

The most common forms of a panic attack in children relate to school phobia or separation anxiety when a child is asked to leave the physical proximity of a parent. Children in these situations may become so anxious that they throw up, have major temper tantrums, and act defiant, even if they’re usually well behaved.

The Differences between Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety differs from depression in that an anxious child usually has more energy and doesn’t have as much negative attitude toward life. Instead, the anxious child is afraid and has fears that impede his ability to meet the demands placed on him. Anxiety can have a negative impact on his ability to attend school, engage in social activities, and simply be able to relax.

While the anxious child may avoid participating in activities, he does so for a different reason than the depressed child. The anxious child tries to avoid dealing with situations that make his nervous. The depressed child avoids dealing with a situation because he lacks the energy and frustration tolerance to deal with it. The anxious child also experiences the stress of perceived negative events more intensely.

But there’s one way in which anxiety and depression are similar. Threats regarding the negative consequences of a child’s behavior almost never produce the desired results. Instead, they’ll probably make the situation worse. Threatening an anxious child will only cause more anxiety and lead to an “Oh, on!” response. The depressed child may not react to the threat because he doesn’t have the energy or motivation to care, which results in a “So what?” response.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Myths about Depression in the Young


When dealing with children and adolescents, it is important not to write off their feelings or brush them aside. There are many myths about depression in the young, which we must be careful not to fall prey to:

1. It is normal for teens to be moody. This is not true. Feeling sad is different from having a depressive disorder. Normal mood swings of adolescence will not impair the person’s functioning or cause them to commit suicide.

2. Depressed people are mentally weak and need to pull themselves together. Depression is an illness that needs treatment. Teenagers with this illness cannot just pull themselves together and get well. They need help.

3. Talking about depression only makes it worse. Part of helping children and adolescents with depression is to allow them to talk through their problems and help them to process relevant issues in their thinking patterns or difficulties in their interpersonal relationships. Talking about depression gives them an outlet and can make things better.

4. People who talk about suicide do not commit suicide. In a local study of teens who committed suicide in 2003, it was found that about 50 per cent wrote a suicide note. In a much larger study by local psychiatrists, many depressed teens also informed people close to them of their sadness and intention to kill themselves.

5. Telling on a friend is betraying a trust. When a child or adolescent is depressed, he/she sees the world in a different light. If he/she needs help, he/she may not know how to ask for it. Helping a friend who is depressed is not betraying their trust. Without help, your friend may have very little hope of getting out of it.


Tips for Parents

There is no such thing as a perfect parent, just as there is no such thing as a perfect teen. Don’t blame yourself if you find that your teen is depressed. Here are some things you can do to find a solution:

i) Understanding Your Teen. You understand your teen best. Your teen’s temperament will determine how she/he can be handled. Different techniques work for different teens. Recognize that your teen has feelings too.

ii) Understanding Yourself. Be aware of your own emotions. If you are stressed, it would be difficult to look after your teens. Taking care of yourself is the first step to being a good parent. If you cannot handle your own emotions, neither can your teen.

iii) Understanding Techniques. A variety of techniques are available to help parents deal with teens.

  • Behavior modification is based on reinforcing good behavior and avoiding reinforcement of bad behavior. This is commonly used in young children who respond rapidly to rewards and punishments.
  • Older children may need more subtle handling through using responsibilities and consequences. Read up on different techniques from books on parenting, and apply them to your teen, bearing in mind the first two points.


Getting a Grip on Depression

1. Children and adolescents can be depressed.

2. Depression is a medical condition and needs a medical evaluation.

3. Depressed children and adolescents may be missed because they are quiet and withdraw.

4. Depression can lead to suicide.

5. Depression can be treated but needs to be identified first.

6. Good relationships protect against depression.

7. Depression can be prevented by good parenting that promotes resilience and protects against excessive stress.




Sunday, August 12, 2007

How Depression Affects School Performance

When a teen is failing or doing poorly in school, parents may react with understandable frustration and try all sorts of strategies, from bribery to punishment, to get their teen to turn things around. When all things fail, tension rises and everyone becomes exasperated and at a loss to figure out the cause – and a cure – of the problems at school.

Depression, and not willfulness or laziness. Approximately 4% to 12% of school-aged children (depending upon their age) meet the criteria for being depressed, and since depression isn’t just experienced at home, it’s likely to affect a teen’s performance at school, too. Teenagers experiencing symptoms of depression usually have difficulty completing schoolwork and are at risk for academic underachievement and failure. Without early diagnosis and treatment, a teen is likely to have a negative cycle of depression > school failure > increased depression because of the failure.

School failure has a negative impact on a teen’s self esteem. A depressed teen is apt to have difficulty working to his academic and intellectual capability. He seldom completes his homework, and his test grades are likely to go down because he is tired and has trouble concentrating. To complicate matters, his teachers nay not recognize the symptoms of depression.

School may also be s source of stress for your teen. For a depressed teen, school may be the primary situation in which substantial demands are placed on her. Significant social stress might result if your teen has difficulty fitting in with his peer group.

Depression is likely to affect your teen in the following areas in school:

1) Ability to focus and pay attention. The depressed teen is often preoccupied with negative thoughts and feelings and finds it hard to put his full attention on schoolwork. Problems with concentration at school are one of the major complaints for teens experiencing depression. A depressed teen can improve his ability to sustain attention if he gets a good night’s sleep and feels rested.

2) Completing class work. When a teen is depressed, he has little energy to apply to activities that he perceives as being stressful or of low interest. A depressed teen may withdraw from typical activities and become resistant to teacher requests to participate in classroom activities. In this situation, it is good that the teachers can provide daily feedback to parents regarding a teen’s completion of assignments. It works better if this is used in a positive instead of a negative way, so that it doesn’t add undue pressure to the teen’s stress level. if he has a bad day, you can ignore it and try to focus on the next day being a better one.

3) Completing homework. Teenagers who are depressed often have great difficulty finishing their homework because they lack focus, energy and motivation. Most teenagers, of course, prefer to have no homework, but they do it because they know they have to. They’re also aware that if they don’t get it done, they may pay a price in the future. The depressed teen is stuck in an unpleasant here and now. He’s not thinking about the future, and when he does, it’s without much hope or interest. You might create a behavior plan to set up rewards for good homework completion. If homework continues to be a problem, you can try to enroll your teen in an after school homework program or suggest finding a peer study buddy.

4) Getting to school. Many depressed teens have difficulty getting up in the morning and going to school. Because they are tired and have a hard time dealing with stressful events, they may try to avoid school. You can help by encouraging your teen to develop good routines for going to bed and waking up. The less your teen has to think about what he has to do in the morning or at night, the better. The process should become automatic, so that it goes smoothly.

5) Peer Relations. Depressed teens often have difficulties that lead to social isolation. It’s another depression cycle. A teen may withdraw and isolate him from friends and classmates, leading to loneliness, which may perpetuate the depression. Having friends and social support system can be of great help to a teen dealing with depression. You should encourage your teen to attend after-school activities that teach a mix of social and academic skills, through activities such as non-competitive sports, special interest clubs or skills enhancement programs.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Warning Signs of Teen Depression


It is not easy to recognize the signs of depression in teenagers, especially since some of the same behaviors may simply behaviors may simply indicate that a teen has had a bad day. But if your son has experienced five or more of these symptoms for more than two weeks is diagnosed as having a depressive illness.

1. Persistent sadness; or feeling down gloomy

It is a feeling of sadness that lingers for days and will not simply go away. Teenagers describe a sense of “heaviness” or “weariness” in their hearts. This feeling is often worse in the morning.

Sadness

- Complains about being unhappy
- Frequently cries
- Does not take pleasure in things


2. Difficulty falling asleep or stay asleep; or sleeping excessively

Sleep disturbances are very common in depression. Teenagers have difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, or may feel that the little sleep they get is not refreshing. On the other hand, some teenagers feel tired and lethargic all the time, and may sleep more than usual.

Problems with Sleep

- Sleeps too much
- Has difficulty falling asleep
- Frequently wakes up at night
- Has difficulty getting up in the morning


3. Changes in Peer Relationship

- Avoids getting together with old friends
- Has new friends who seem to have a lot of problems
- Frequently complains about how other teens treat him


4. Feeling tired and lacking in energy

Together with the loss of interest in activities, they often feel tired more easily. They have trouble getting through the work day, and may lack energy to complete tasks.

Low energy

- Always seems tired
- Doesn’t seem to get things done like he or she used to
- Doesn’t participate in activities like he or she used to
- Avoids engaging in activities that require effort


5. New Difficulties in Concentration

- Complains about being unable to concentrate
- Spends less time on things that used to be of interest
- Doesn’t seem to be listening when spoken to

6. Recent Decline in School Performance

- Does poorly on tests
- Does less well than usual in school grades
- Spends less time than usual on homework
- Exhibits a decline in school behavior

7. Irritability

- Directs more mean-tempered remarks toward others than usual
- Lacks patience with parents or siblings
- Has significantly more difficulty dealing with negative events
- Yells and screams at others often
- Is easily frustrated

8. Pessimism

- Talks about the future being hopeless
- Expects to fail or do poorly
- Makes frequent negative comments about himself / herself

9. Negative Body Language

- Rarely seems to smile or laugh anymore
- Seems to have lost his sense of humor
- Has little facial expression when spoken to
- Frequently walks with his head down

10. Weight loss or weight gain; or decrease or increase in appetite

This is one of the most common symptoms. Loss of appetite is more common than increased appetite. Teenagers find food tasteless and have no desire to eat, causing them to lose weight. Alternatively, some teenagers eat more to cope with their sad feelings and may gain weight as a result.

Changes in Eating Routine

- Eats a lot less than usual
- Eats significantly more and has gained a lot of unneeded weight
- Does not sit down to eat meals with the family anymore

11. Frequent thoughts of death or suicide

Teenagers may feel that life is meaningless and wish that their lives would end. While passive thoughts of suicide may be common, actual attempts are less so. However, any verbalized suicidal ideation should be taken seriously and discussed with a doctor or counselor.

Suicidal Comments or Self-Abusive Behavior

- Talks about wanting to be dead
- Is obsessed with death in art and music
- Makes cuts on her body


** Depressed children have expressed great relief when they realize that the bad things happening in their lives aren’t their fault.