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.

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.