Key Symptoms of Teenage Depression and Teenage Stress

Increasingly common problems that teenagers face are teenage depression and teenage stress. Whilst a lot of the problems like drug abuse, eating disorders and teenage problems like ADHD, learning disorders, short height etc can ultimately result in depression; there are other factors, which can cause depression. These factors could be related to family or personal relationship stress, excessive academic pressure at school or home, bullying at school or even depression caused due to hormonal changes in the body. It is extremely important to recognise this problem at an early stage as teenage depression and teenage stress are the biggest reasons for teenage suicides or self-harm. In some cases it could also lead to reckless behaviour or violence on part of your teen. In most cases of depression the sufferer experiences low teenage self-esteem or a lack of confidence, which can severely impair a teenager's future growth and success.

Below are some of the symptoms that can help you recognise if your teenager is suffering from teenage stress or teenage depression.

Physical Characteristics: You can tell that your teenager is suffering from teenage depression or teenage stress if they often feel hopeless and angry, cry a lot more than usual, are constantly worried, lack energy and always feeling tired, suffer from insomnia, lack appetite, feel restless, show a complete lack of motivation or enthusiasm and stop doing things they used to enjoy. Similarly if they constantly complain of unexplained aches and pains like stomachache or headache, without any medical cause, it could also indicate stress or depression.

Social Habits: Another common symptom of teenage depression is avoidance and withdrawal from relationships and friends. Your teenager might try to avoid going to school as the teachers are too strict, or they do not have friends, or others make fun of them. They may also try and avoid other social gatherings and prefer to spend and increasing amount of time alone. Teenage stress can also be manifested in the form of reduced overall communication and introvert behaviour.

Performance: Your teenager could also show complete lack of concentration and try to find reasons not to do their homework or avoid school when they are suffering from teenage stress. In these circumstances it is crucial to probe if they are having a bad experience at school which is causing them excessive stress.

In most cases teenage depression is either the trigger or a result of some of the other teenage problems. Hence you need to understand the symptoms of all other teenage problems like eating disorders or drug abuse to understand the root cause of depression. When looking out for symptoms it is therefore important to look at all of them together, rather than individually, so you can get the best understanding of the state your child is in and can take corrective action if necessary.

In the book "Solving Teenage Problems" all the possible teenage problems, their causes and symptoms have been discussed in detail. Along with this exercises are provided so that parents can understand the severity of problem they are facing and then work through various tips provided to deal with these problems.