My tip this week is to
Watch out for teen depression >>Listen

I know – it’s December, the holidays. So why do I want to bring up such a grim topic in my usually upbeat 2 minute tips? Because I’ve always heard that depression rates go up during the holiday season, and whether this is actually true or not, parents need to know what depression may look like in your teens. With these short days, long dark cold nights, and bleak news casts, we all may have to work a little harder to keep positive, and it’s important to look past your own issues and tune in to your teens’ mental state.

Depression can be biological, and it can have a hereditary component. Additionally, environmental stressors impact depression…so any or all of these may influence your teenager. The folks at the Mayo Clinic say the three primary trigger points of holiday stress and depression are relationships, finances and physical demands.

Often parents of teenagers are not aware that depression in teens doesn’t always look like the way we usually picture depression. In teenagers, it can present as anger, irritability, decrease in concentration or an increase in guilt, worthlessness or hopelessness. What you need to watch for is an increase in the duration, intensity or frequency of symptoms or behaviors like these that are not typical for your teenager. If you are concerned, the non-profit Families for Depression Awareness has some outstanding resources.  

The holidays will give you an opportunity to spend more time together as a family, and more time one on one with your teenager. Make sure you find time to bake cookies together, do some shopping or go to a movie… reconnecting with your teenager during her break from school will give you a good chance to assess her mental state. Talk about how she is feeling about her relationships with her friends. Is he worried about family finances and what’s happening to his college fund? It’s best to surface the issues that are on your teenager’s mind so you can address concerns together in the light of day. If you are concerned about your teen, I’ve got more links to resources for you here at www.parentingteensinfo.com, so learn more and don’t wait to get professional help.

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Teens…….

Til next time…I'm Sue Blaney.

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