Is My Teenager Depressed?

Depression is a commonly used term in today's society, almost haphazardly. Although commonly used to describe the emotions of sadness and depression, clinically, it is a psychological condition which is far more serious than a simple case of "the blues". As parents, understanding the emotions of teenagers can be extremely difficult, if not impossible. However, it is a teenager's depression which may be most profound in terms of social, personal and academic performance.

Depression, in clinical terms, can be defined as a physiological condition in which hormonal imbalances lead to a psychological demonstration of persistent sadness, hopelessness and general despair. While almost everyone in society suffers from some episode of depression during their life span, it is the members of our society with clinical, undiagnosed depression, who suffer the most. In teenagers, with hormones in a constant state of flux, depression is often misdiagnosed, or under diagnosed. Understanding the symptoms which are considered abnormal in a teenager may assist parents in identifying a teenager who is depressed versus one who is simply having a bad day.

When a teenager, or adolescent, is simply saddened by an event, expressions of sadness, through crying, exhibiting tears, are quite common. In fact, this expression of sadness is healthy for most teenagers as they learn to cope with the negative impact of life circumstances and find the ability to freely express themselves. However, in teenagers who are clinically depressed, this sadness is, generally, expressed in terms of actions. Most often, clinically depressed adolescents will wear darker clothing, usually black attire, and engage in songs or music which is melancholy or laced with negative connotations. While this is a common symptom of clinically depressed teenagers, this is certainly not to say that all teenagers, wearing dark clothing and listening to melancholy music, are clinically depressed. However, for parents, when raising an adolescent who exhibits these behaviors, consideration should be given into a diagnosis of clinical depression.