Teenage Depression During COVID19

Depression for teenagers is skyrocketing during the pandemic. This makes sense when we look at the developmental milestones of adolescences. Socialization, a need for independence, and beginning to find self-identity are three big components of adolescences. It’s not surprising that the loss of social interaction is wrecking havoc on teenagers.

Signs of Teenage Depression

If you are a teenager or parent of a teenager, it’s very important to know the warning signs of teenage depression. These include:

• Sadness or hopelessness
• Irritability, anger, or hostility
• Tearfulness or frequent crying
• Withdrawal from friends and family
• Loss of interest in activities
• Poor school performance
• Changes in eating and sleeping habits
• Restlessness
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Lack of motivation
• Apathy
• Fatigue
• Difficulty Concentrating
• Complaints of physical pain
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Helping Your Teenager

If you are a parent or caregiver of a teenager and you have noticed any of the above symptoms, there are things you can do to help. First, understand that we are living in unprecedented times. The sudden shift in routine and lack of social support is hard for your teenager.

• Show Empathy–talk to your teen. Let them know you understand that things are difficult. Let them know you are there to support them. That you love them and want the best for them.
• Be Gentle-learn to listen to your teen and approach them with gentleness. They may avoid connecting with you or speaking to you. Be persistent. Don’t become frustrated. Gently reach out and let them know you want to be there for them.
• Encourage Connection with Friends--encourage your child to connect with friends via phone, video chat or text messaging.
• Establish a Routine–do your best to help your teenager maintain a routine. Involve your teenager in establishing this routine. Encouraging them to share their thoughts can be incredibly helpful. Make sure to add in time for healthy meals, exercise, getting outdoors, and proper hygiene.
• Limit Electronics (to a point)– there are huge bodies of research that show excessive screen time is detrimental for developing brains. Even if your teenager is older, there brains are not fully developed. Brains are not fully developed until the mid 20s. With that in mind, schoolwork and social connections are happening via electronics. Be aware. However, teenagers don’t need to spend 6, 7, or 8 hours playing video games to “connect online with friends.” They can pick up the phone and call (old school I know). Also, if your teen is struggling to maintain appropriate sleep hygiene because they are taking their cell phones or tablets to bed and texting, snapping, etc, with friends until early hours of the morning, limit their ability to take their electronics with them when they go to bed.
• Lower Expectations–this can be quite tricky. Teenagers have different circadian rhythms then adults. These rhythms are what control our sleep patterns. In general, teens are wired to stay up late and sleep late. Be mindful of this. That does not mean, however, that your teenager should be staying up until midnight, 1, 2, or even 3 am and then sleeping until the following afternoon. At the same time, expecting a teenager to go to bed at 9 pm and fall asleep by 9:30 is fairly unrealistic. Split the difference, and find a happy medium. Similarly, just because your child is now home during the day, it’s fairly unrealistic to expect that child to spend 4-5 hours on schoolwork, and then 2-3 more hours each day doing chores around the house. It’s also unrealistic to expect your child to want to spend any and all free time with the rest of the family. Remember, adolescence is a time when children are learning how to become independent, and they begin withdrawing from family. Again, that does not mean that they should be spending every moment alone in their bedrooms.
• Know When to Seek Professional Help–if you are noticing increasing symptoms of depression, seek out professional help. Include your child in seeking treatment options. Stay involved in your child’s care.
• Take Care of Yourself–as parents/caregivers, it is easy to become overwhelmed and forget to take care of yourself. Especially with the unknowns related to the current pandemic. However, it’s vitally important that you take care of you and your needs as well. If not, you’ll be ill equipped to help your hurting teen. Reach out to friends for support. Make sure you are eating, sleeping, and exercising well. Engage in activities you enjoy. Manage your stress. Reach out to a professional if you are struggling.

Tips If You Are a Teenager

If you’re a teenager and you think you might be depressed, there are some things you can do. First, it’s important to remember that if these feelings have just started since the changes related to the pandemic, chances are you may be struggling with situational depression. This would be very normal given everything going on. Secondly, it is important to talk to your parents about this so you can get support and help in managing everything. With that, here are somethings you can do for yourself:

If you are unsure where to start, or you feel that you have been progressively feeling worse and worse, please reach out. If you want to connect with me personally about teletherapy services email me at: kjdemuth@gmail.com.

To Health, Hope, and Healing,

Krista