Signs of depression in teenage girls are detected in the adolescent age, usually around 14-16 years. Girls are naturally emotional. Maybe it has something to do with the sudden hormonal changes they experience at this age. They tend to overanalyze things and take problems too seriously. Teenagers are easily influenced by the people surrounding them, especially the peers they hang out with in school. Girls get easily stressed with school, with their friends and with relationships. At this point in their lives, they tend to feel lost, in dire search for their real identity. If they don’t handle these pressures well, it may lead to the development of signs of depression in teenage girls.
Common Signs of Depression in Teenage Girls
• Mood Swings – Most probably this has something to do with the menstrual cycle or the hormonal changes. However, if the mood swings are really to the extremes like sudden crying outbursts for no reason at all, then it’s a different story. Sometimes, they tend to get irritable and then suddenly feel sad and hopeless.
• Changes in eating and sleeping time – among the many signs of depression in teenage girls, the mercurial appetite, weight pattern and sleeping habits are some of the most remarkable. The depressed teenage girl usually loses or gains weight. And with regards to her sleeping habits, she either gets too much or lacks z’s.
• Isolation – this is also common when feeling depressed – when a teenage girl separates herself from her friends, her family and from the crowd and prefers to be alone all the time.
• Pessimistic or negative thoughts – Teenage girls on the verge of depression often think that there’s something wrong with them. They typically believe that they are never enough and that they are a failure. They also often think that they do not belong anywhere and they do not fit in.Also read about anxiety attack symptoms in women.
• Disorderliness – the teenage girl usually feels unorganized in a lot of ways. She would have a hard time concentrating on her school work and would often feel restless and often forgets things.
• Suicidal thoughts – a depressed teenage girl usually thinks that she doesn’t deserve to live and would think of ways on how to die; or think of reasons why she should die.
Treatment and Management of Signs of Depression in Teenage Girls
Overcoming depression is mostly about managing the signs of depression properly and promptly. It is always essential to ask for help. Keeping it all bottled up inside would worsen the condition. Families and close friends are the best persons to help the teenage girl suffering from signs of depression. When the patient feels comfortable with talking it out, the next step is to seek medical help from qualified doctors or psychologists. They are the right persons to help with the medications to control the symptoms of depression. The doctors would usually prescribe anti anxiety drugs like Ativan and Prozac.
The teenage years are usually the turning point in one’s life. This is the time when the teenage girl searches for something she wants out of life. There are plenty of factors that may get in the way, which may lead to depression. When signs of depression in teenage girls persist, seek help immediately.
