Getting help

Depression is not always the easiest problem to spot or get a child to admit to. Some children can talk about feeling unhappy, but others are only able to show how they feel through the way they behave.

Signs of depression may include:

• Finding it hard to concentrate, losing interest in schoolwork and play
• Refusing to go to school, or playing truant
• Constantly complaining of feeling bored or lonely, even when they have friends
• Irritability and moodiness beyond the normal range
• Tearfulness
• Defiance or violent outbursts
• Lack of confidence and blaming themselves if things go wrong
• Disruptive behaviour at school, bullying, stealing or doing other things that lead to them being punished.
• Becoming very withdrawn
• Self-injury or drinking or taking drugs to excess
• Sleeping very little or too much
• Younger children may appear to take backwards steps in their development, for example with toilet training or eating.

Teenagers and depression

Teenagers are often moody and uncommunicative, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are depressed. It is just part of normal adolescence and is related to hormonal changes and development as they try to find their place in the world.

However, some teenagers get stuck and can find the changes they are going through just too much to cope with. They may withdraw completely, or seek relief by harming themselves or taking risks and refusing to toe the line.

An added problem is that teenagers often refuse to talk to their parents about difficult issues and this can be really worrying for parents.

If your teenager is displaying lots of the signs above and it has been going on for a while, it is best to seek help via YoungMinds Parents' Helpline or by talking to your GP.