Girls Life - How to Recognize the Signs of Depression in a Teen Girl

How to Recognize the Signs of Depression in a Teen Girl

I want to do this! What's This?

Here's a scary statistic: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that suicide is the third leading cause of death among teenagers aged 15 to 24. For ages 10 to 14, it is the fourth leading cause of death. Depression during these years could be caused by family dysfunction, inability to connect with friends and peers, and even bullying. Teenage girls are especially prone to depression because they rely on friends to provide them with a feeling of self-worth. Here's how to spot signs of depression in a teenage girl.

 

 

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

How To Look For Depression

1. A sudden mood change is one of the first signs that something could be wrong in a girl's life. Someone who was once a bubbly, outgoing teen could now be short-tempered and angry. Some girls show depression by withdrawing into themselves and isolating.
   
   
2. Girls are much more reliant on a circle of friends to provide support and a sense of self-worth. A teenager who is depressed may spend less time with her friends or spend time with only one or two other people. If she's spending less time on the phone, texting or emailing, these could also be signs of an underlying problem.
   
   
3. A report by the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill shows that 90 percent of people with an eating disorder are females between the age of 12 and 25. Eating disorders often grow from feelings of depression. Girls tend to link their sense of worth to their appearance. Signs parents can look for include measurable weight loss or weight gain and also if they sense the teen is restricting their diet or hiding food in their bedroom to binge and purge.
   
   
4. The majority of people who self-injure are girls, and an estimated 70 percent of teens who cut themselves are female. Self-mutilation includes hitting oneself, pulling out hair, burning or deliberately causing pain in any number of ways. Experts say that self-injury is a way for a person to soothe their pain. Self-injurers also harm themselves as a form of punishment. Signs include unexplained scratches and cuts. Newly bandaged wounds could indicate a teenager has been burning herself or picking at her skin.
   
   
5. If a teen has reached a point of not believing life is worth living, you might hear things like "What's the point?" or even jokes about suicide, "I suck; I should just kill myself." These are comments worth taking seriously. Also, if they are thinking about suicide, they may glamorize people who have committed suicide (whether intentionally or accidentally) like Heath Ledger and Kurt Cobain, or listen to music that glamorizes death, dying and pain.
   
   
6. If a teen is showing any of these signs for two consecutive weeks or longer, it is important to talk about depression with them or offer to take them to a counselor.
   
   *Teens who cut themselves can be masters of deception. If you see more than two or three suspicious cuts or find drops of blood in the bathroom on more than one occasion, ask their pediatrician or family physician to determine the cause of the injuries.