Signs Your Teen Is Dealing With Depression

Benefits of Massage Therapy

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression affects about 13% of individuals aged 12-27. Depression is a mood disorder that is extremely common in the United States and can affect individuals abilities to function normally and carry out their regular tasks. Not only does this affect regular tasks on a day to basis, but it also interferes with major life events thus causing more episodes. Depression involves a hormonal imbalance in the brain and can be triggered by trauma, life events, sudden changes in routine, or can even come about at random. Depression can be dealt with during teen counseling as well as massage therapy, so it is important to see the signs your teen is dealing with depression. Massage therapy is a known therapy that can assist teens with symptoms of their depression.

Teenagers go through a lot of change in their adolescent years through school and life at home. Whether it be a divorce, stress at school, trouble in their extracurricular, or any other It is helpful for teens to seek help during their depressive episodes, but it may be hard as they may not quite have the courage or stability to request assistance. Family members may need to look for signs in their teenagers behavior to spot if they are being affected by depression or a depressive episode. Read below to see what signs you can look out for to see if your child is going through a depressive episode and is in need of treatment.

Mood Changes Can Show That Your Teen is Going Through Depression

When we think of depression we automatically think of mood changes and that is probably the most noticeable aspect of depression. A lot of the times, people going through depression experience a loss of interest and general discontent in the usual activities they participate in. If your child doesn’t want to go shopping with you anymore, don’t jump the gun and assume they are depressed, it could just mean that they don’t find that interesting anymore. To determine if this loss of interest is related to depression, it is often paired with anxiety and hopelessness. Mood swings and sadness are not uncommon as well when dealing with depression.

Mood changes can also affect how your teenager begins to behave or react to certain situations. Teens with depression have trouble tapping into their reasonable means of mood and behavior and end up reacting in an irregular way. This can be seen when teens have increased sense of agitation and irritability. Excessive crying is the norm attached to depression and that can be seen in some cases. Another way to check on behavioral changes in your teen is to check in on their social skills. Teens with depression sometimes resort to social isolation and distancing themselves from their peers, friends, and family. Restlessness may go hand in hand with their social isolation.

Signs of Physical Change

Aside from behavior and mood, there are physical changes that may be noticed when teenagers are suffering from depression. A common factor of depression is extreme fatigue. Teens may suffer from not wanting to exercise, do their chores, homework or anything that exerts any sort of energy. This often not caught until grades in school begin to decline and it may be too much work to pass that year. With fatigue affected your teen, it would be hard to dig out of a whole of multiple missed assignments when the first assignment was a hard task. Be patient with your teenager. Fatigue caused by depression should not be conflated with laziness and you should not chastise your child.

When it comes to hunger, that can differ from teen to teen. Sometimes teens with depression tend to overeat due to excessive hunger and sometimes they have an extreme loss of appetite. Patterns of eating should be something you should take note of as a parent checking in on their teenager. A lot of the times, irregular eating patterns can lead to sudden weight gain or weight loss and this can be hard to immediately change if fatigue is still largely affecting your teenager.

Attention, Focus, and Rest

Cognitive behavior and rest are important aspects to take note of in your teenagers life, especially if it is suspected that your teen may suffer from depression. It may be hard, but thoughts of suicide may be a symptom of your teens alleged depression. It is important to sit down and have a chat with your teenager and ensure that they are not in harm's way. This can be complicated for some because not all families are ready to have such an open dialogue.

In relation to cognitive behavior, your teens attention span may be off. It can be hard for teenagers with depression to exert their energy on staying focused and attentive. It is normal for their minds to wander during these times. This can lead to a lack of rest or sleep at night or insomnia. When teens are having trouble staying focused, sometimes they are overthinking and that can keep them up at night. On the other hand, symptoms of depression may lead to too much or an excess of sleep. It is not unheard of when people with depression oversleep through their alarms and miss important events.

Massage Therapy and Depression

Massage Therapy is the process in which a certified professional Massage Therapist will rub and release tension in your body. As the therapist rubs your body and creates friction in tense muscles, soft tissues, and body parts, many patients find themselves in an increased state of relaxation and will promote healthy physical function. Aside from healthy physical properties that massage promotes, it is shown that it can increase morale and a positive state of mind. The benefits of massage therapy can aide in decreased and or healing of the symptoms of depression. This can make the process of dealing with depression easier for you family and whomever is dealing with depression.

Aside from visiting a massage therapist regularly to increase a sense of calmness and improvement of mood, it is also common for patients dealing with depression to find themselves a goal to focus on. If someone dealing with depression finds themselves confident enough in the process and healing properties of massage therapy, they can find themselves inspired in the concept of healing. A good idea that would leave your teen dealing with depression is getting them to begin to take control of their mental illness and journey of upward momentum.

One way to do this is to inspire people dealing with depression to begin to heal others. Enrolling in a massage therapy program can help survivors of depression begin to take control of their healing and begin to assist others in getting rid of physical pain and the various symptoms of mental illness.

If you believe your teenager is going through depression, it may be hard to deal with. Not to worry, there are professionals ready to help and guide you through this trying time. Southern California Health Institute can help ensure that families suffering with mental health issues get the necessary help they need to experience their journey of healing. Through massage therapy and focus, people suffering with depression can get the confidence they need. For more information, go to the SOCHi website or call 818-980-8990.