Knowing the Difference Between Difficult Teens and Depression
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios

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Defined Tag: Teens And Depression.

Teenagers can be difficult to deal with and their occasional sullenness or difficult behaviour is generally put down to their hormonal changes but its necessary to make a distinction between teens and depression; since there is a big difference between natural hormonal change and newly independent behaviour, and actual depression. Depression in teenagers will display itself as persistent bad or sad moods, sense of hopelessness or inadequacy, an inability to feel pleasure or enjoy themselves which may also result in sleeping or eating problems, over reaction or over sensitivity to criticisms, irritability, health complaints and missed school and even substance abuse.

Often the early signs are difficult to notice or diagnose since Adolescents tend to be already trying to cope with their life changes but there is a distinction to be made between their natural mood changes and symptoms of depression. Sometimes their behaviour might be the sign of problems but certain events are typical triggers for depression so it is worth paying attention when certain scenarios occur to see if they might have triggered a depressive state.

The most obvious trigger of teenage depression is a significant event such as the death of a relative or friend, parental divorce or marital difficulties, or the teen’s split up with a boy or girlfriend. Experiencing negative or abusive behaviour is a frequent cause of teenage depression such as being bullied or experiencing other abuse. A teenager, while becoming more independent, is still reliant upon others, family and friends, for their sense of security and care and the loss or disruption of these sources can cause stress and insecurity which might lead to depression, especially since they are going through a hormonal change which can be disorientating. More obvious physical conditions, allergies and illnesses can also cause depressive symptoms as well as allergies, nutritional deficiencies and inheritance by genetic disposition if there is depression in the family.

The effects of an adolescent’s depression can be to lead them to substance abuse such as alcohol and drugs, and eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulimia. Self abusive behaviour such as cutting and otherwise injuring themselves, low sense of self and self esteem and suicidal thoughts and thoughts of death are all the results of depression as well as ‘acting out’ through aggression or overt acts of bravado. While the teen years can be a difficult time even for balanced individuals, experiencing depression at such an early time and not having it diagnosed or properly treated can mean a lifetime of problems so it is necessary to understand the difference between being a normal teen and depression in order that problems can be dealt with early if they occur.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.