Health & Medical Mental Health

Effective Tips On Depression Teens

Depression is experienced by every individual at one time or another. Being a teenager is probably the happiest phase in ones life but it is also the phase when a person goes through feelings of infatuation, confusion, pressure, and wrong decisions. A typical teenager would feel the pressures brought about by changes in his or her body during puberty, peer pressure, and questions about love, identity, and where they belong. Also, this is usually the time when children begin to develop conflicts with their parents as they begin to assert their independence. Here's the common symptoms for depression teens go through and subsequently effective treatments.

Common symptoms of depression teens include:

Pulling away from the things that they used to love to do.

Not eating well. While they may eat normally, they may lose weight. Or, they may not be eating at all.

Not sleeping well. Waking up still tired is not okay.

Pulling away from friends and social situations. This is a key sign of teen depression. Teens are social creatures and need constant interaction. If they are not allowing it to happen, they may be depressed.

The blues that last. While everyone feels bad sometimes, teens with depression feel bad most of the time. You need to get them some help in these cases.

Effective Tips For Helping Depression Teens

The first thing to do is to converse with your teenager in a loving manner. Make him or her realize that you are there to show support. Make your teen open up to you about the phase he or she is going through and make him or her realize that you are always there when you are needed. If your teen does not budge, do not be tough. Instead, be gentle and caring. Once he or she starts to converse with you, just listen. Do not scold or reprimand him or her even if his or her source of depression is unreasonable. Acknowledge the pain your teen feels instead of forcing him to quit depression. Doing so will make him or her realize that you are serious about helping. You should always trust your instincts as well.

Make sure your child is active. Depression is no excuse for not making his bed or other chores or homework for that matter. Encourage them to be active, stay with them and try to bond more.

Don't let them avoid responsibilities. Just because they are down, they still have to get on with schoolwork. Staying in bed is another no-no.

Encourage optimism and physical activities for depression teens. Being active is a great way to get endorphins (the happy chemicals) into the brain. Tell your struggling teen that people who do sports are much less likely to be depressed.

Psychotherapy should be a part of the treatment plan for depression teens. It can help your teen to learn different ways of solving problems and recognize and change negative thinking. It is important to find a psychiatrist and/or therapist that can develop a rapport with your child.

Natural Remedies For Depression Teens

Herbs for depression teens are most definitely an option for treatment. Many herbs are used as seasonings and others can be blended into supplements. Other herbs like Chamomile can be brewed into teas and others such as Dandelion Root can be used in salads as well. As with any change to a health plan you should consult with your child's doctor to determine if herbs are acceptable in treating your teen's depression and if there are any conflicts with prescriptions they may be taking. A high quality will have had the interactions of the ingredients studied.

St. John's Wort is perhaps the most researched herb in the treatment of depression teens. In fact, many studies have results that show that the herb is very effective in its treatment of depression and that it is very likely that the herb has similar results as tricyclic antidepressants but fewer drawbacks or side effects. The side effects that were experienced from using St. John's Wort were not too difficult to handle. They included oversensitivity to the sun, stomach problems, fatigue, and more. St. John's Wort is great for depression although if mixed with other drugs it can be very dangerous. It should never be mixed with oral contraceptives, other antidepressants, warfarin, reserpine, theophyline, indinivir, as well as others.


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