Depression in Young people : Types, Symptoms, and Diagnosis

It is normal for all of us to feel sad sometimes. But when thoughts of negativity consume a person that it limits his ability to carry on daily activities in a normal way, it could be depression. According to the survey, depression among youth in India ranges from 0.1%-6.94% in community studies, 3%-68% in school-based studies and 1.2%-21% in clinic-based studies.

Depression has some various risk factors that lead to education-related difficulties, economic difficulties, family-related issues such as relationship difficulties with parents or at home, and various other problems. Teen depression is a serious problem that shouldn’t be neglected as, according to the survey, one in four teenagers suffers from a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest in activities. 

What is Depression?

Depression is a mood disorder where a person is overcome with feelings of sadness and irritability. It is the feeling of negativity that hampers your thought process and your daily activities. It can lead to emotional breakdown and can also an active play role in the deterioration of your health.

Depression is not the same as grief or sadness. There are times in our life when we feel extremely sad due to various reasons like – losing a loved one, breakups, loss of a job, failing in a test and so on. The individual going through the difficult times may refer to himself as a depressed person but, this may not be so. The grieving process may share some of the characteristics of depression, but grieving is natural and varies from person to person. In grief, the individual may feel a wave of painful feelings intermixed with the happy memories, but in case of depression, the individual will suffer from all the painful feelings for a prolonged time. He or she may lose their self-esteem and start self-loathing themselves, which is not the same in the case of grief. 

Though grief is different from depression, the pain of losing someone, losing a job, failing in an important exam or difficulties in relationships can lead to depression in some people. Let us brief through what causes depression or what are the major risk-factors that pushes an individual to depression?

Depression can engulf anyone’s life, no matter how well off a person is. These are some of the factors that play a major role in depression:

• Depression can be due to certain chemicals present in the brain that can contribute towards formation symptoms. 

• Many people are not aware of the fact that depression can be genetic and can run in families. Depression is most likely to be shared by siblings and there are also cases of development of depression in an individual if his or her relative is also suffering from depression. According to scientists, 40% of cases of depression are due to a hereditary link and the rest 60% of cases are due to environmental factors. 

• If a person who can’t deal with stressful situations properly or is pessimistic, there is a high chance that he or she will develop depression so the personality of a person also plays a major role. 

• Last but the not the least, environmental factors such as financial problems, exposure to negligence, violence, accidents or any failures can cause depression. 

Although depression can hit anyone at any age, teen depression is different from depression in adults. Teenage is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood where the individual discovers his or her identity and dreams. It is a very delicate period for your kids. When there is an exposure to failures or difficulties in various fields, teens feel sad and this sadness can become persistent if the negative feelings are not dealt with properly. This can affect their perception of life and make them more pessimistic. Their thought process, feelings, behaviour and daily activities are hampered which can cause emotional, functional and physical problems.

Anything can push them to depression such as peer pressure, academic expectations, physical appearance, violence, relationship with their family and so on. Depression comes in various types and has peculiar characteristics specific to that type. 

Types of Depression:

Depression can be of many types depending on how it develops. Major depression, Chronic depression, Adjustment disorder, Seasonal affective disorder, Bipolar disorder and Disruptive mood regulation disorder are the main categories. 

All these terminologies can make you worried and wonder if your teen is mentally healthy and happy or not. These different types of depression may have specific attributes, but there are symptoms that are common to all. 

Identifying signs of Depression:

Identifying signs of depression is not an easy task. One should keep an eye for the following in children:

Emotional Changes: 
• Crying spells for no obvious reason.
• Feeling irritable and frustrated over simple matters.
• Low self-esteem.
• Losing interest in activities that were enjoyed earlier.
• Losing interest in performing daily activities.
• Feeling worthless.
• Unable to overcome past failures.
• Difficulty in thinking and concentrating.
• A general feeling of disinterest in life.
• Thoughts of suicide.

Behavioural Changes: 
• Trying to inflict harm upon oneself.
• Frequent angry outbursts.
• Withdrawing oneself from social interactions.
• Feeling tired most of the time.
• Sleeping all day long.
• Insomnia.
• Frequent headaches.
• Not paying attention to personal hygiene.

If you notice signs of depression in your child, speak to him/her. Older children may want to hide their feelings but try to encourage them to express their feelings to you. Depression develops when feelings of sadness are allowed to linger on for a long time. In the early stages, a good chat with a parent can motivate the child to get himself out of it. However, when the above signs persist for more than 2 weeks, it is better to consult your paediatrician/child psychologist. Depression is a treatable disorder, so contact a good specialist and work with your children to fight it and win the battle. 

“Some changes look negative on the surface but you will soon realize that space is being created in your life for something new to emerge” – Eckhart Tolle  

Always remember to teach your children the importance of being in charge of their happiness. It will go a long way in helping them handle life’s situations with stability. 
 

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