The Truth about Teenagers and Depression
Teenagers often experience strong emotions for the first time, and for them, everything feels like the end of the world. It’s a time of life where, as humans, we tend to exaggerate every emotion we have; teenagers are emotional vampires. We’ve always been this way, it’s in our nature; except now, teenagers now have a voice that reaches billions of people.
The teenagers of today can broadcast their mood swings publicly, for all to see. You’ll notice on Twitter, almost every teenager claims to have some mental disorder, as if it’s a badge of honor. You might hear your teenager claim to have OCD because she doesn’t like a messy room, or maybe she’s lonely and sad, so she determines that it’s depression. These are very serious problems that ruin the lives of many, and they shouldn’t be minimized by those seeking attention.
Chances are, if your son or daughter is really struggling through something, he or she probably won’t broadcast it in public. However, some people do use twitter when they’re suffering from depression, to connect with others in the same boat. So you have to know the signs to tell if it’s a genuine problem, or if you have to talk to your child about the magnitude of his or her attention-seeking habits.
How can you tell if your teens tweets are legit or an over dramatization of a bad day? Check some of the signs below.
When Your Teenager is Deeply Depressed You May Notice…
- Comments or a belief that life is pointless
- A lack of interest in things he or she once loved
- Dramatic changes in weight or appetite
- Physical laziness/lethargy
- Self-loathing, overly critical of self
- Poor attendance/performance at school
- Writing about death, giving away things
- Frequent complaints of physical pain
- Withdrawn behavior
- Possible self-harm or drug usage
When Your Teenager is Just “Twitter Depressed” You May Notice…
- Your son or daughter is still interested in hobbies and family
- He or she also posts about how great life is only a few days after several depression tweets
- A coincidence between certain events and the “depression” that seems to come and go with it
- Several other mental illness claims such as “anorexia” or “OCD”
- He or She often tweets about how hard it is to have [insert various disorder here]
