Is It Teen Angst or Is It Depression?
I recently gave a talk to a local high school about the differences between normal teen angst and clinical depression, and how depression presents differently in girls and boys. Depression is a common form of mental illness, but among adolescents it is often overlooked because sadness, moodiness, and other symptoms of depression are common among teenagers. Hormonal changes along with other pressures of adolescence make this a challenging time in a young person’s life, which often results in mood fluctuations (see my previous post discussing some of the issues facing typical teens). But sometimes this moodiness turns into diagnosable depression, and parents and friends should know when to recognize the signs.
As a therapist whose work focuses on working with adolescents/teenagers, I am often surprised at how parents and adults in general forget or lose track of all of the challenges of that period. This brief summary is to help us all focus on the formidable transitions faced by our adolescents/teenagers just in their normal development.
