Teen depression or depression in teenagers is very much on the rise. India is leading the world in teen depression. And yet, most of us are still ignoring it and consider it a taboo.
The problem at hand is very serious as every 1 out of 4 teenagers in India is suffering from depression, according to a leading news source. About 1 student or teenager in India commits suicide every hour.
Over 40,000 teenagers committed suicide in the last 5 years in India and more than 8000 students committed suicide in India in the last year.
The gravity of the situation is so much so that suicide rates in India among teenagers has increased by more than 33% in past decade.
Causes of Depression in Teenagers
Academic pressure
Fear of rejection
Bullying at school
Physical changes
The feeling of loneliness
Pressure to perform
Social media
Inability to make friends
Obsession of having good looks
Academic pressure
We all want our children to excel in Academics. The highly competitive environment creates additional pressure from family or peer groups or teachers to perform at academics. The willingness to push the extra mile, to live up to others’ expectations may lead to teen depression.
Fear of Rejection
Many times, when children practice too hard for something, they tend to believe that result is everything, which often is not the case.
In such situations, we need to make them understand that the learnings they get from failures are equally important.
Bullying
Pranks sometimes can get too serious. A child continuously being the victim of ‘pranks’ at school, can have self-destruction thoughts and needs to paid attention to.
Physical changes
A lot of physical changes happen during the adolescent years, which leads to a change in mood, and behavior. These years are a tough part of growing up.
Not being able to explain such issues can be frustrating for both boys and girls. Some children may feel alone and depressed because of it.
Feeling of loneliness
At teenage, we try to be at our best to be accepted by certain groups and when that doesn’t happen, the sense of not being accepted is overwhelming. This may affect their self-esteem.
Also, Teenagers when exposed to bad relationships or breakups, tend to feel lonely which can be depressing for some teenagers.
Pressure to perform
Nowadays, they are expected to perform in every situation or competition. This highly competitive environment can push to depression in teenagers.
Social media
Social media has become an inseparable part of the life of students and even younger children. They are usually judged by their friends and peers upon uploading a pic or a video on social media. So they are under constant pressure to look good wherein they seek acceptance.
The constant stress and pressure may lead some children to depression.
Inability to make friends
Some people find it easy to make friends and for some, it is the hardest part of their lives. They fear to go to new schools, new places, or joining a new hobby.
When they feel they are unable to be around people they like or love this creates a feeling of self-doubt. This can ultimately result in depression.
Obsession with having good looks
Teenagers or students envy their friends or peers for good looks and other things. This is exaggerated by social media that play a big role in your child’s life.
If this desire becomes an obsession, they may have an inferiority complex, which in turn can impact their lives in a lot of serious ways.
The causes may seem “too trivial” to adults but the resulting trauma is multi-fold.
One of the main reasons which stop an adult from reaching out to students or teenagers is that they think the above causes are not worth discussing. We need to come out of the shell and break this stigma.
Signs are observed by other people whereas symptoms can be felt only by the person having it.
Signs of Depression in Teenagers
Difficult to concentrate on schoolwork
Lack of focus during extra curricular
Excess fatigue or Restlessness during the day
Teenagers are unable to sleep during nights if suffering
Temptation or urge to self-harm
Thoughts of running away from family or friends
Day on day decreasing confidence
Dwelling of negative thoughts
If you are seeing any of the above signs you should talk it out with your family.
The issue may seem negligible or may not seem worth discussing as of now but it could result in a serious problems.
Symptoms of depression in Teenagers
Wanting to withdraw from family and friends
Loss of appetite
You may feel lost or tired all the time
You may feel irritated at everything
So, if you are observing these signs, then you should visit a Psychologist or seek a mental health professional.
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