TEENAGE DEPRESSION AND HOW TO DEAL WITH IT

In this harmful world of social media, peer pressure, body negativity, adult expectations, low self-esteem and the lack of transparency, teenagers are prone to affect their mental state. They are influenced, they are humiliated, they are judged and they are not understood. The rate of increase in teenage depression is frightening. Almost every teenager has gone through terrible symptoms at least once, many of them have been diagnosed with depression but only a handful are being medically treated. Bullying in school, not feeling accepted and fulfilling social standards are one of the major reasons for teenage depression. Even though the internet has started promoting body positivity in order to contribute to the betterment of emotional wellbeing, 50 percent of all girls and almost 30% of all boys suffer from body image issues. This is because of constant teasing by fellow schoolmates, society’s idea of the perfect body and tonnes of comparison. 

Even the teachers, families and friends play a humongous role in this situation. The lack of proper mental health education has resulted in parents and teachers inability to cope up with this issue. Adults do not have the proper sources to be able to gain the necessary knowledge to distinguish between a normal bad day and depression. Teenagers are unable to talk to their parents without feeling judged. Some parents ignore the symptoms and mistake it for an ordinary teenage experience. They tend to blame it on social media. Not being properly talked to and understood leads to the teenagers dealing with these serious issues silently and alone. Some might even use methods like drugs and smoking to deal with their condition. These methods instead contribute to worsening the situation. The increase in suicides by teenagers is the most horrendous result. 

Society needs to change. The teenagers need to be accepted. 

Everything that happens to teens isn’t related to puberty and the regular mood swings. Some things are severe, some things need to be spoken about, some things need to be accepted and some things need the necessary treatment.

Mental health education is very crucial. It is more necessary for adults than it is for children. Parents need the required knowledge to deal with their child’s mental health. They need to understand that times have changed. Things which were not accepted in their childhood might need to be acknowledged now. They should know the right people to contact in case of symptoms and the right words to use to generate the child’s comfort.

If the parents aren’t well versed in the field of depression, mental coaches and psychologists need to provide services directly to the struggling teen. Schools need to inculcate the necessary knowledge regarding this issue. There are plenty of mobile applications, there are plenty of people at work but the masses aren’t aware. Free services are essential for kids who secretly deal with their issues and want treatment but aren’t supported by their parents. Everybody deserves to feel accepted, everybody deserves love. 

The best way to deal with teenage depression is through involvement in activities that a person is interested in. This both distracts and heals the mind. It is necessary to make sure that no teen loses hope. They should be willing to cure themselves, they should be willing to find happiness again. They should believe that they are strong enough and that they have a whole life ahead of them.

Suicide helplines need to be promoted. Suicidal thoughts need to be spoken about. People who have battled through depression can become a great source of motivation. 

Enough adult support should be made available to every child. The teens need to be made aware about the right people to contact when in need of help. 

There is a need for a proper platform for the depressed to voice themselves. These teens need to be heard, understood and handled with care. 

One more solution to this is spending time with a few special people in one’s life. Love, care and affection from loved ones cure all problems. 

Lastly, Teens need to know that they are not alone. Though, they might feel like there is no body they can count on, they should know that a bunch of fellow mates are battling or have battled through the same. They need to know that it is possible to survive through this.

The world is a very dark and harmful place but no one deserves to suffer through it by themselves. Society can be turned into a better place just through the abolition of stereotypes and generation of acceptance.

By Aanya Kachroo