Signs Your Teen May Be Depressed
Learn how to recognize warning signs in your teen and help them get their mental health needs met. With the right treatment and support, they can develop positive coping skills and resiliency they need to make it through adolescence and pave the way to healthful adulthood.
Feeling sad all or most of the time and the feeling does not go away
Frequent crying
Feeling guilty for no apparent reason
Losing self-confidence; feeling they are ‘no good’; being over self-critical
Feeling that life has no meaning or purpose
Feeling nothing good will happen; feeling hopeless or helpless
Having a negative attitude most of the time
Self-blame
They seemingly have no feelings
Failure to enjoy things that used to bring enjoyment
Difficulty concentrating, making decisions
Getting irritated frequently and easily
Getting angry easily; increase in aggressive behavior
Being overly sensitive to criticism (especially in high achievers)
Changes in eating habits (loss of appetite or weight loss; overeating/weight gain)
Changes in sleeping habits: insomnia, sleeping too much, not feeling rested
Feeling tired most of the time/fatigue/lack of energy
Physical pain
Social withdrawal/becoming withdrawn from family
Sudden loss of interest in personal hygiene
Self-harm including excessive use of drugs and/or alcohol*
Thoughts about death, feeling like he/she is dying, wishing to die, increased talk about dying, preoccupation with death
Having thoughts about committing suicide or making suicide attempts
Treatment for substance abuse should be obtained if:
Use has resulted in a failure to fulfill responsibilities
Use has resulted in being placed in dangerous situations
Use has resulted in legal action
Use has continued even though problems have resulted from use
If you suspect that your teen may be struggling with depression, remember it is a very treatable condition, and the sooner treatment is sought out, the more effective it will be. Reach out to Avenues of Counseling and Mediation to get set up with a counselor who specializes in teen depression and get him or her back on track. Convenient locations in the Medina and Akron, Ohio area