Teen Depression (cont.)

Parenting teens can be very challenging. There are, though, some effective parenting and communication techniques you can use to help lower the stress level for your teenager:

• When disciplining your teen, replace shame and punishment with positive reinforcement for good behavior. Shame and punishment can make an adolescent feel worthless and inadequate.
• Allow your teenager to make mistakes. Overprotecting or making decisions for teens can be perceived as a lack of faith in their abilities. This can make them feel less confident.
• Give your teen breathing room. Don't expect teens to do exactly as you say all of the time.
• Do not force your teen down a path you wanted to follow. Avoid trying to relive your youth through your teen's activities and experiences.
• If you suspect that your teen is depressed, take the time to listen to his or her concerns. Even if you don't think the problem is of real concern, remember that it may feel very real to someone who is growing up.
• Keep the lines of communication open, even if your teen seems to want to withdraw.
• Try to avoid telling your teen what to do. Instead, listen closely and you may discover more about the issues causing the problems.

If you feel overwhelmed or unable to reach your teen, or if you continue to be concerned, seek help from a qualified health care professional.

Teen depression tends to come and go in episodes. Once a teenager has one bout of depression, he or she is likely to get depressed again at some point. The consequence of letting teen depression go untreated can be extremely serious, even deadly.

WebMD Medical Reference

SOURCES:

National Institute of Mental Health: "What is Depression?"

Food and Drug Administration: "The Lowdown on Depression."

Mental Health America: "Factsheet: Depression in Teens."

Medline Plus: "Adolescent Depression."

ParentsMedGuide.org: "The Use of Medication in Treating Childhood and Adolescent Depression: Information for Patients and Families."

SAMHSA: "Major Depression in Children and Adolescents."

Medline Plus: "Teen Mental Health."

American Psychiatric Association, Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Patients with Major Depression, 2000.

American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders: DSM-IV-TR, American Psychiatric Pub, 2000.

Fieve, R. Bipolar II, Rodale Books, 2006.

Reviewed by Joseph Goldberg, MD on February 12, 2012

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Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/teen_depression/article.htm