Teenage Depression: What Parents Should Know

Depression may lurk at any given point in your child's life, but is usually peaks in the teenage years. Parents should take note of subtle hints that could indicate that a teenager is suffering from depression.

Teenage depression does not only revolve around mood swings and unpredictable behavior as it can be something deeper. Depression among teenagers may be common, but parents should be keen enough in noticing the symptoms and ask for immediate resolution.

Be open and available in discussing situations

Parents should be available for their children, Mayo clinic noted. Keeping a constant communication and an open relationship is a great way to make the child feel comfortable in talking about his/her depressive situation. Encouraging the child to talk about his/her feelings is a great way to minimize the risk of depression development. It is important to establish trust and maintain a positive relationship with your child.

For depression risk reduction, it is important to check or have an idea on what your teen is up to; but respecting their privacy is a must at the same time. Get a glimpse of the teenager's whereabouts to make sure that he/she surrounds his/herself with positive people, in a positive environment as teenagers can easily be influenced.

Is Screening Necessary?

Due to the massive increase of depression among teenagers and their vulnerability to get depressed, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force suggest that screening for depression among teenagers should be implemented, according to CNN. Dr. Alex Krist, an associate professor of family medicine stated that depression screening among teenagers follows the same pattern as depression screening among adults (18 and above).

Dr. Gary Maslow, the assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University, pointed out the importance of having teenagers screened for depression. In one of his statement, Maslow mentioned that teenagers are challenging to detect as they tend to suffer silently. It was emphasized that without proper screening, teenagers can potentially go through a deeper phase of depression which can worsen their depressive conditions.