Teenage depression and its consequences. The article highlights the question of the reasons for this phenomenon, as well as methods of dealing with mental illness in a child. Teenage depression is a common concept among a new generation of rebellions against adult dogmas. The fashionable word "indigo children" today best describes the model of behavior of modern adolescents. It is necessary to understand why such full of vitality children develop depression and how to prevent its development among the younger generation.
Causes of Adolescent Depression
Adolescents are the contingent that has left the happy period of childhood, but has not yet become a part of the society of adults. At the same time, it is they who become the main problem for their parents, who are amazed at the transformation of their child from a sweet creature into a rebellious person.
Depression in adolescence is quite common and has the following causes:
- Hormonal changes in the body … We often hear that a pregnant woman is capricious and scandalous due to understandable changes in her body. At the same time, we forget that it is in adolescence that the child begins to receive a massive blow from hormones. This restructuring of the body greatly affects its cardiac system, affecting the functioning of the nervous system.
- Congenital pathologies … To take this lightly is to put a fat point on the child's future. It is during childbirth and a difficult pregnancy that a baby lies in wait for many dangers. In the case of brain damage, which can even cause intrauterine infections, fertile ground for depression in an older child can form.
- Family environment … At the same time, I immediately recall Larisa Dolina's song "The most important thing is the weather in the house", which is not an empty sound for sane people. Nothing forms the psyche of a child like an example of the married life of a father and mother. With constant conflict situations in the family, the teenager tries to protect himself from this and withdraws into himself. Alcoholic parents are also not a bright prospect for the development of a child at a difficult age for him. Another tangible blow can be the departure of one of them in search of a new life. This is most terrible for a teenager when, in a desire to find a new soul mate, a mother betrays loved ones. In this case, the child begins to blame himself for what happened, which can lead to runaway and even suicide.
- Wrong sex culture … The problem needs to be looked right in the face, which includes timely counseling of the adolescent in terms of the upcoming sex life. Nobody offers him to foist the Playboy magazine with the air of a connoisseur or close his eyes to watching porn films. In this case, a confidential and very correct conversation with a child on this topic, starting from the age of 8-9, when he still wants to listen to his parents, is best suited. In addition, today there is enough specialized literature that will help you deal with all the nuances of the correct presentation of information. The main thing is not to let the process take its course, because in this case the child will receive information from the Internet or from friends on the street. Against the background of the knowledge gained, a mass of complexes and, of course, depression can form.
- Public opinion … As scary as it sounds, teenagers often flock to bully weaker classmates. Let us recall the film by Vladimir Menshov "The Joke" or the production of Rolan Bykov "Scarecrow", in which the issue of teenage cruelty in the collective was raised with merciless criticism. Not every teenager can resist this factor, which is able to trigger the mechanism of depression. This is especially true for children with non-standard appearance, weight problems.
- Unhappy first love … Some people are skeptical about this phenomenon, considering it a whim and a whim of a spiritually immature teenager. However, this is not entirely true, because with hormonal insanity in the body, the child begins to show an increased interest in the opposite sex. At the same time, parents do not need to be afraid, because all this is an adequate reaction of a teenager to the changes taking place in him. The child's first feeling will not always be answered by the chosen one, which can lead to despair and depression. If ridicule from classmates is added to this, then the problem will arise in 80% of cases. Unrequited love becomes the main impetus for bullying yourself, your body. If you don't help your child cope with depression, the consequences can be too dire.
- Frequent moving from one place to another … It is possible to win the respect of the children's collective with a strong character, but repeating this over and over again is very problematic. There is only one justification for this fact in the form of the professional activities of the parents. Servicemen often do not belong to themselves, so it is inappropriate to blame them for their frequent change of residence. However, at the same time, their adolescent children may suffer mentally, who simply do not have time to adapt so easily in one place, make new friends. They can withdraw into themselves, limit communication, because why do this if they will soon move again and start all over again.
- Problems in obtaining secondary education … The reasons for adolescent depression may lie in this factor, which is often overlooked. Many parents, who are not indifferent to the fate of their child, try to strictly control his studies. This is a very positive nuance, if it does not turn into a mania for studying the diary from cover to cover, calling the class teacher at a later time, and also going to school regularly. Everything is good in moderation, so you should not provoke the onset of depression in your child. This is especially true for parents who regularly attend an educational institution. By their behavior, they cause a lot of complexes in children, make them a laughing stock among their peers. With this behavior of parents, there are two options: either the child becomes a real rebel and refuses to study at all in order to gain his rating among classmates, or he turns into an outcast, an introverted person who is depressed almost constantly.
- Additional load … Parents on a large scale like to plan the daily routine of their offspring to the maximum. The argument in this case sounds iron: more busy - less foolishness in the head. Therefore, they try to enroll their teenager in all the circles available in the city. Bottom line: the child goes to dances, vocals, English courses and at the same time attends the martial arts section in parallel with the crochet community. After all the lessons that are necessary from the point of view of parents, he should do his homework brilliantly. The result is clear to all sane people, because not every adult can withstand such a load.
- Internet test … It's no secret that our children love to explore the world wide web up and down. For some, this becomes an easy pastime, but often such leisure turns into a serious problem. There are a lot of temptations in the internet, because it offers a wide variety of sites and games. At the same time, the teenager ceases to adequately perceive the surrounding reality, becoming a victim of depression in case of failures in the portals of social networks.
- Death of loved ones … This problem is beyond the reach of even an adult, because it carries a destructive beginning for the psyche. Strong and self-sufficient people try to pull themselves together with this, but the teenager does not have enough life experience to block very painful sensations. In this case, he withdraws into himself, giving rise to the development of depression.
- Seasonal depression … Not only adults, but also some adolescents are subject to this negative phenomenon. Winter is good with its holidays and fluffy snow, which delights children. But at the same time, she can be too cold and gloomy, and even at this time of the year, children practically do not have time to visit the street in the daytime. This provokes depression. Spring fills the soul of any person with admiration for the beautiful landscapes of blossoming nature. But even during this period, due to the stress of graduation, as well as a lack of vitamins, psychological problems can arise. Summer is a favorite time for teenagers, because school is over and a delightful time of entertainment has begun. But even at this most beloved time, problems can arise against the background of dissatisfaction with their appearance. As for the autumn season, the situation here is much more complicated. “It's a sad time! Enchantment of the eyes! " acts on adolescents in a radically different way. The carefree summer holidays are over, so you have to set yourself up to study the new school curriculum. And the endless dull rains are not encouraging. All these reasons can be easily identified by parents, teacher or simply acquaintances. At the same time, it is necessary not to passively watch the impending tragedy, but to urgently take measures to eliminate it.
Important! Parents should pay special attention to spending time on the Internet. Of course, it is categorically impossible to do this openly. But every parent can register on social networks and at least sometimes view the groups in which the child is sitting. More recently, a group was exposed that initially involved adolescents in the game, and then the organizers, probably excellent psychologists with a sick mentality, pushed the children to commit suicide.
Types of depression in adolescents
A child in a depressed psychological state is quite easily recognized by both psychologists and ordinary people. In this case, the symptoms of adolescent depression can be described as follows:
- Zombie teen … It doesn't sound appetizing, but the fact remains. Children with such a position in life are fixated on some particular occupation. An excellent way out of the situation would be fanatical sports that brings results. However, more often than not, our children spend time on the Internet with all the ensuing consequences in the form of a wandering gaze of a teenager due to basic lack of sleep.
- Mystery teen … In this case, we are talking about the fact that parents rarely see such changes in the psychological state of the child. It is a rather sad fact that we sometimes panic from a high temperature in a teenager, but we do not see an obvious bias in the worldview of our beloved child. If his inclinations do not cause alarm, then you can calm down about the situation. However, parents should always be alarmed by the strange behavior of a child who has completely changed his habits in a short period of time. This can be involvement in a sect or an informal youth group, which is quite dangerous.
- Teenage victim … In this case, I recall the film "Plumbum or Dangerous Game", in which a young guy brought his adoring girlfriend to death. Some will say that in the dubbed film, the teenage girl was not a victim of depression. However, this is not so, because it was the feeling of her inferiority against the background of the created idol that led her to fall from the roof of the house. Ruslan Chutko turned out to be just a little Napoleon with a very nasty character, but the life path of his girlfriend was predetermined by her acquaintance with him.
- Teenage screen … At first glance, children of this type do not cause any fear. However, behind the apparent well-being may hide the suffering soul of a teenager. Let at the same time he will become the star of the team, but in this case he will not receive pleasure. His entire beginning life will be transformed into a continuous race for success against the background of the formed depression.
- Teenage problem … This type is also called "young old men", because they were initially bored with everything. They can do well in school, while annoying their teachers with tediousness and off-topic questions. In a family, such children usually do not create problems, but they also have no emotional contact with their parents.
- Rebel teen … This type of child is a prime example of prolonged adolescent depression. In this case, there will be no suicide, because such children love themselves too much and cherish an incredibly inflated Ego. However, they will not bring joy to anyone either due to the fact that they themselves do not value life, which only annoys them.
Features of the treatment of a depressed teenager
Children at this age are always a risk for every full-fledged family. At the same time, the expression is very appropriate that offspring are good when they are placed across the bed. Small children and the same size of trouble are also a great statement in this case. However, we all love our babies, even if they are already a whole head taller, so the treatment of adolescent depression must be applied unequivocally.
Medication for adolescent depression
Everyone knows that self-medication is sometimes a one-way ticket. We can smile on this score, if it is not about our children. In this case, the following therapy will help after the child has been examined by a doctor:
- Adaptol … Quite often, parents who have discovered depression in their child complain of aggressive sedatives. Their psychologically difficult teenager, after taking such drugs, simply sleeps and does not react to anything. However, a drug such as Adaptol does not have such serious consequences for the body of children. This remedy should be taken three times a day during the time indicated by the attending physician.
- Glycine … The sounded drug will help improve the child's memory, which is so important for his further development. A medicine of such a pharmacological group is quite cheap, so it will not significantly hit the family budget.
- Tenoten for children … After consulting a specialist, you can try to give the child this drug (not to be confused with the analogue "Tenoten", since it is allowed from the age of 18). It calms the overexcited psyche, giving the beloved child the opportunity to take a sober look at what is happening. It also helps you focus and study better without causing drowsiness and lethargy.
Important! The help of a psychotherapist in a child with adolescent depression is often simply necessary. However, in this case, it is strictly forbidden to give a sedative on the advice of a wise neighbor.
Psychological Tips for Treating Adolescent Depression
Psychologists have developed a clear system for dealing with depression in children. Many methods have been created on how to deal with adolescent depression. First of all, experts advise you to do the following to eliminate the blues in a child:
- Positive example method … In this case, the image of an honest Pavlik Morozov is unlikely to fit, but there are many heroes to be guided by. To get a teenager out of depression, you need to show him his peers who achieved a lot at a young age. In no case should a parallel be drawn, which can only aggravate the children's inferiority complex. Strong-minded adults will always command respect even from the most desperate teenager. This method always works if it is reasonable to approach its application.
- Family help … In a difficult period for a teenager, it is very important for him to feel the support of loved ones. Nothing can replace the warmth of parental hearts for a child, although at the same time he will pretend to be indifferent. Therefore, it is necessary to surround the teenager with maximum care in order to get him out of the state of depression.
- Improving self-esteem … For this, work with a psychologist, and body shaping is suitable (a subscription to a cool gym will help not only restore the correct proportions, but also increase the rating among peers), and contact a beautician, etc.
- Competently organized leisure time … An active teenager will have no time to be depressed if he is passionate about something. In this case, it is worth listening to the child's preferences. It is categorically impossible to force him to do what he does not like. Playing the violin is just wonderful, but sculpting Paganini out of a natural-born athlete is very risky for a child's psyche.
Folk remedies for depression in adolescents
In this case, emphasis should be placed on a soothing tea, which is able to somehow correct the child's behavior. Traditional medicine recommends ways to treat adolescent depression:
- Ginseng infusion … In this case, the roots and leaves of this plant are taken and filled with a glass of boiling water. It is necessary to insist on such a healing extract for an hour. After that, you need to give the problem teenager to drink it three times a day, a tablespoon.
- Mint tea … Taking this plant is an excellent soothing treatment. You need to drink it exclusively on an empty stomach in the morning in order to achieve maximum results. It is prepared according to the same principle as the ginseng infusion.
- Warm herbal baths … Everyone knows that nothing relaxes a person like a tonic water procedure. In this case, pine needles will be very useful if you pour a kilogram of such raw materials with 3 liters of boiling water. Then it is recommended to add this infusion to the bath that the child will take.
- Treating depression with delicious foods … The hormone of joy is very often produced by taking such things. The people will not advise bad when they recommend introducing everything useful, but tasty at the same time, into the diet of a teenager. However, a measure should be taken so as not to cause an allergic reaction and not to harm the stomach of a teenager.
How to treat teenage depression - watch the video:
Teenage problems are a factor that should alert caring parents. There is an urgent need to figure out how to get out of adolescent depression and not harm the child. In this case, the help of a specialist will not hurt, because the consequences of such an age blues can be very serious.
