Everyone experiences emotional highs and lows - it 's an inescapable fact of life. With maturity and experience, we learn to roll with the punches, to take things in stride. We learn to appreciate the good times without taking them for granted - knowing that even in bad times, as a friend of my family used to say, "This too shall pass." True depression, however, does not work that way. It doesn 't "just pass". True clinical depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain, a real upset of a person 's ability to cope with what would be minor annoyances to a non-depressed person. Depression - to reinterpret a quote by Jack Nicholson 's character in the movie As Good as it Gets - can make you feel evicted from your life. Activities that the depressed
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Though frustrating (for one thing, depression can cause your friend to withdraw from social activities, leaving you feeling abandoned or as if you 've done something wrong), there are many things you can do to help your friend through this difficult time. And you can do this without missing out on your own life in the process. Don 't Blame Yourself Like diabetes, the flu, or a bad kidney, depression is an illness beyond the control of the person suffering from it - and certainly beyond yours. In fact, many people suffer from depression for a lifetime(or its cousin, bipolar disorder, to name one), despite their best efforts to seek out treatment for their illness. While lacking a reliable support system can hamper a depressed person 's recovery, it is also true that taking your friend 's depression as a burden on yourself can hamper his progress just as much. After all, how can you be helpful to your friend in need if you have not first taken care of yourself? Although it is difficult sometimes, if you refuse to feel guilt for not being "good enough" or not saying "the right things" to your friend, you will both be healthier for it. Your friend is only human - but so are …show more content…
Did the report card of your teen show mostly C 's, D 's or F 's? Do you find your teen awake until after midnight? Is your teen having a hard time waking up for school? Did your teen get a detention for excessive tardiness? Does your teen complain of some falling out with friends? Does your teen bug you with moving to another school? Did your teen drop out of sports, hobbies or music lessons? Does your teen admit trouble concentrating? Does your teen feel irritable and indecisive? Does your teen start paying less attention to their appearance and hygiene? If the answer to the questions above is mostly "yes" for the last two weeks, set an appointment with your mental health provider for a counseling session. Your teenager is definitely experiencing adolescent depression. Statistics on Teen Depression An article in www.about-teen-depression entitled "Statistics- Adolescent Depression" revealed the seriousness of this illness. The article noted that "one in eight adolescent may suffer from depression. Around 70% simply struggle through the pain of mental illness or emotional turmoil, doing their best to make it to adulthood." If left untreated, teen depression will contribute to juvenile delinquency and an increase in criminal episodes. The worse scenario, if there is no intervention; many teens may resort to
Though frustrating (for one thing, depression can cause your friend to withdraw from social activities, leaving you feeling abandoned or as if you 've done something wrong), there are many things you can do to help your friend through this difficult time. And you can do this without missing out on your own life in the process. Don 't Blame Yourself Like diabetes, the flu, or a bad kidney, depression is an illness beyond the control of the person suffering from it - and certainly beyond yours. In fact, many people suffer from depression for a lifetime(or its cousin, bipolar disorder, to name one), despite their best efforts to seek out treatment for their illness. While lacking a reliable support system can hamper a depressed person 's recovery, it is also true that taking your friend 's depression as a burden on yourself can hamper his progress just as much. After all, how can you be helpful to your friend in need if you have not first taken care of yourself? Although it is difficult sometimes, if you refuse to feel guilt for not being "good enough" or not saying "the right things" to your friend, you will both be healthier for it. Your friend is only human - but so are …show more content…
Did the report card of your teen show mostly C 's, D 's or F 's? Do you find your teen awake until after midnight? Is your teen having a hard time waking up for school? Did your teen get a detention for excessive tardiness? Does your teen complain of some falling out with friends? Does your teen bug you with moving to another school? Did your teen drop out of sports, hobbies or music lessons? Does your teen admit trouble concentrating? Does your teen feel irritable and indecisive? Does your teen start paying less attention to their appearance and hygiene? If the answer to the questions above is mostly "yes" for the last two weeks, set an appointment with your mental health provider for a counseling session. Your teenager is definitely experiencing adolescent depression. Statistics on Teen Depression An article in www.about-teen-depression entitled "Statistics- Adolescent Depression" revealed the seriousness of this illness. The article noted that "one in eight adolescent may suffer from depression. Around 70% simply struggle through the pain of mental illness or emotional turmoil, doing their best to make it to adulthood." If left untreated, teen depression will contribute to juvenile delinquency and an increase in criminal episodes. The worse scenario, if there is no intervention; many teens may resort to