The symptoms of depression in general, not only in adolescents but also in adults, are a depressed mood, ie sadness, hopelessness, a feeling of emptiness and loss of interest in activities. Those are the main symptoms. But it is true that these symptoms are accompanied by some behavioral or emotional changes that may be different in adolescents.
In adolescents, depression causes changes in the way they think, feel and behave. And that leads to emotional, functional and physical problems. What changes occur? The first is usually sadness; Crying can occur for no apparent reason and feelings of hopelessness, emptiness, and frustration. We also see social isolation, introversion; Low self-esteem is also common in adolescent depression. Because they are self-critical, and they are also very sensitive to mistakes, they need approval, especially social approval, that of the group. And sometimes they need the approval of their teachers at school too. Then recurring thoughts of death or suicide can occur. And feelings of guilt are also often present.
As for behavior, they sometimes have outbursts of anger. If we see a very angry teenager throwing a lot of tantrums, he might have a symptom of depression. This is much less common in adult depression.
They also often have changes in sleep times or sleep a lot or have trouble sleeping. And changes in appetite, either from eating little or eating much, which can also lead to changes in body image. Another symptom is the onset of anhedonia, which is the difficulty in feeling pleasure, causing them to stop doing activities they used to enjoy. This is one of the symptoms that best helps moms and dads realize that their daughter or son may be suffering from depression.
Poor academic performance or substance use also usually occur. And as a result of Covid-19 there appears to be an increase in self-harm, although it is not yet known if this is a real increase or if it is now better recognized.
There is another symptom that is fairly common and it is like slowness, slowness in thinking, moving, speaking, reasoning. Sometimes it is they or themselves who recognize this, but other times it is others who appreciate it. And along with this seeming slowness, there can be a sense of restlessness, as depressive symptoms are often accompanied by anxiety symptoms.
The big question is how to distinguish these symptoms of depression from the normal changes that occur in the vast majority of girls and boys during adolescence. Therefore, one of the main symptoms is that they stop doing activities that were previously enjoyable. What you need to identify is when there are changes from their previous behavior.
In terms of gender differences, depression is much more common in female adolescents than in male adolescents, twice as high. Depression is equally common in girls and boys, but when puberty hits, it becomes more common in women than men. This may be due to hormonal changes, as those that women experience in adolescence are not comparable to those that men experience.
This can lead to a hormonal imbalance that can lead to depressive symptoms. And it can also be caused by the pressure women feel because they are women. It must be borne in mind that the changes that occur at the body level are suffered by women much earlier than men. It’s not the same to start having a breast at 11 or 12 as it is to start growing a little beard at 15, an age when you’re already more mature. Since women mature earlier than men, they are exposed to this pressure earlier.
A mother or father who discovers depressive symptoms in their adolescent son or daughter should seek psychological help. It’s basic. The problem should not be minimized. That if you don’t talk about it, it seems like it’s not going to happen is a mistake. They should speak to their daughters or sons, who will likely need to see a psychologist. And certainly mothers and fathers also need psychological support in order to be able to help their daughters and sons. And there are times when teens with depression also need psychiatric help because they need medication. No problem. If symptoms are treated, depression has a good prognosis.
You need to know that depression is a serious illness and that after one depressive episode you are likely to have another, but if left untreated the consequences can be very serious and even lead to suicide or the chronic illness.
Paola Herrera Mercadal She is Professor of Evolutionary and Educational Psychology at the Department of Psychology and Sociology, University of Zaragoza and Researcher at the Mental Health Group in Primary Care of Aragon.
Question emailed by Esther Inaraja
Coordination and writing: Victoria Bull
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