Thursday, December 28, 2006

How Too Help Your Teen Overcome Depression - Mark Gardner

Depression is not an illness that is the sole reserve of the mature adult. These days, there are many potential pressures on young teenagers as they strive to come to terms with life and peoples expectations. Many adolescents will struggle to cope with the various challenges life throws at them and will get depressed at times.



Perhaps you have first hand experience of this. Maybe you’re a parent of a young adolescent who is struggling with depression at this time. There can be many possible causes for this depression. The fact that they are growing up and battling raging hormones can be difficult enough for any adolescent and leave them feeling confused and facing possible mood swings.



Other possible causes for your teenager’s depression are bullying, poor school or college grades, being rejected by a girl or boy they like. This kind of depression is known as being situational. Whilst it is unpleasant and an unhappy time for your son or daughter, it will normally pass as soon as the unpleasant situation passes from their lives.



Of course, there can be more serious reasons for your teenager’s depression. It could be that your child as been experimenting with drugs or alcohol or perhaps even underage sex. Whatever the reason, it’s important that you find out exactly what the problem is.



If your teenager has been acting depressed and you’re concerned about them, then it’s time to take them aside and talk to them. It’s not always easy to get teenagers to open up, but you know your son and daughter better than anyone and it’s up to you to find a way to break the ice with them.



But talk with them and offer a friendly and understanding ear to them. If they have done something wrong, don’t get angry, it will only make things worse. But find out what is causing their depression and find out whether it is situational or a more serious problem. If your teenager won’t talk to you about their problems and their depression is getting worse, then it’s time to get some help without delay.




Mark Gardner is a popular webmaster and publisher of facingdepression.com To learn more about teenage depression check out his website today!



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