What Are Possible Complications Of Major Depression In A Teen
Without treatment, major depression can last for weeks, months, or years. It can cause relationship and social problems. Depression is also linked to a higher risk for suicide. This risk rises when the depressed teen has other mental health problems. These include conduct disorder and substance abuse. This is especially true for teen boys.
Key Points About Depression
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Depression is a serious mood disorder that affects your whole body including your mood and thoughts.
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Its caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some types of depression seem to run in families.
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Depression causes ongoing, extreme feelings of sadness, helplessness, hopeless, and irritability. These feelings are usually a noticeable change from whats normal for you, and they last for more than two weeks.
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Depression may be diagnosed after a careful psychiatric exam and medical history done by a mental health professional.
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Depression is most often treated with medicine or therapy, or a combination of both.
Depression: What You Need to Know as You Age
Get the help you or a loved one needs, and get the latest expert insights on coping and preventing this mood disorder.
How Is Depression Different From Sadness
What is the difference between depression and sadness? Given that the primary symptom associated with depression is sadness it can be hard to know how to make a distinction between the two psychological states.
But depression is more than just sadness, and not simply by a measure of degree. The difference doesnât lie in the extent to which a person feels down, but rather in a combination of factors relating to the duration of these negative feelings, other symptoms, bodily impact, and the effect upon the individualâs ability to function in daily life.
Sadness is a normal emotion that everyone will experience at some point in his or her life. Be it the loss of a job, the end of a relationship, or the death of a loved one, sadness is usually caused by a specific situation, person, or event. When it comes to depression, however, no such trigger is needed. A person suffering from depression feels sad or hopeless about everything. This person may have every reason in the world to be happy and yet they lose the ability to experience joy or pleasure.
With sadness, you might feel down in the dumps for a day or two, but youâre still able to enjoy simple things like your favorite TV show, food, or spending time with friends. This isnât the case when someone is dealing with depression. Even activities that they once enjoyed are no longer interesting or pleasurable.
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Feelings Of Worthlessness Or Guilt
Depression can put a negative spin on everything, including the way you see yourself. You may think of yourself in unappealing and unrealistic ways, such as feeling as if you are worthless.
You may also find that have trouble letting a past mistake go, resulting in feelings of guilt. You might become preoccupied with these “failures,” personalize trivial events, or believe that minor mistakes are proof of your inadequacy.
An example of this would be a relationship that ended after you had a fight with your partner and said some not-so-pleasant things. This could lead you to consider yourself the cause of the breakup while potentially ignoring other issues in your relationship, such as a partner who is abusive or a poor communicator.
Excessive, inappropriate guilt and feelings of worthlessness are common symptoms of major depressive disorder. In some cases, the feeling of guilt may be so severe that it leads to delusion, which is an inability to see things for what they really are, therefore holding onto false beliefs.
Symptoms Of A Major Depressive Episode
Major depressive episode symptoms include both physical and mental health issues. Thus, signs of a depressive episode may include any or all of the following teen depression effects:
- Loss of interest in activities or relationships that used to be enjoyable
- Fatigue and lack of energy
- Insomnia or excessive sleeping
- Recurring thoughts of suicide or death
- Trouble concentrating
- Aches and pains, cramps, headaches, or stomach problems without a clear cause
- Changes in eating habits, which may lead to significant weight loss or gain.
With a major depressive episode, these symptoms are typically present for more than two weeks.
In addition, teens with severe cases of depression are at increased risk of suicide. Hence, early diagnosis and treatment of major depression is vital in order to save teens lives.
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Causes Of A Depressive Episode
The causes of depressive episodes are complex and varied, involving social, psychological and biological factors. Depression may occur as an isolated episode or as part of a chronic depressive condition. While the exact causes are not yet fully understood, the following may increase a personââ¬â¢s likelihood of experiencing a depressive episode:
- History of depressive episodes
People who have recently had a baby may experience postpartum depression.
Sometimes, there is no obvious cause for the occurence of a depressive episode.
Some health conditions, such as hypothyroidism, can cause symptoms of depression. While uncommon, adverse reactions to certain medications can also cause depressed mood. However, treating these underlying causes and disorders should alleviate the symptoms.
Only Women Get Depressed
Depression can occur in people of any race, ethnic, or economic group, and at any age. Women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression, but the jury is still out on how much of this is due to women reporting and seeking treatment more often than men.
Children and adolescents can also be at risk for depression. Unfortunately, many children with depression go untreated because adults don’t recognize the warning signs, which are often different when compared to adults.
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Prevention Of Depressive Episodes
Speaking to a healthcare professional and following the treatment program they recommend is very important in managing depressive episodes.
While there is no known way to prevent a depressive episode, certain positive behaviors may be helpful. These include:
- Talking about feelings when upset
- Staying active, e.g. exercising and getting outdoors
- Eating a balanced diet
- Writing down factors that may be causing the depression and trying to find solutions
Make A Bedtime Routine
Sleep can have a huge impact on mood and mental health. A lack of sleep can contribute to symptoms of depression, and depression can interfere with sleep. To combat these effects, try to go to bed and get up at the same time each day, even at weekends.
Establish a nightly routine. Start winding down from 8 pm. Sip chamomile tea, read a book, or take a warm bath. Avoid screen time and caffeine. It may also be helpful to write in a journal before bed, especially for those whose racing thoughts keep them up.
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How To Help Severe Depression
When someone is in the grip of depression they may not even be aware of how serious their condition has become. More often than not it is a loved one who becomes alarmed at the increasing severity of the individuals depression symptoms who reaches out to get them help. There is a distinct difference between feeling down in the dumps for a short period of time and a major depressive episode. Understanding the signs of severe depression can alert you to the urgency of this serious disorder so you can obtain treatment for yourself of your loved one.
What Is A Major Depressive Episode
A major depressive episode is also known as major depression, major depressive disorder, or clinical depression. It is one of the forms of depression that has the most severe symptoms.
Major depressive disorder in teens can rise in bouts and last for a long period of time. Hence, it significantly affects quality of life in all areas. Furthermore, major depression is marked by significant and pervasive feelings of sadness. And such feelings may be associated with suicidal thoughts.
Therefore, a severe depressive episode impairs a teenagers ability to concentrate or engage in normal activities.
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Depression Only Causes Mental Symptoms
Depression certainly includes mental symptoms like sadness, anxiety, irritability, and hopelessness. But physical symptoms are also a reality for many people living with depression.
This can include fatigue, body aches, headaches, and digestive troubles. People with depression can also have a weaker immune system, potentially putting them at greater risk of catching the latest bug or virus.
Structure Of Mood Disorders/depression
Mood Disorders can be unipolar or bipolar. A person may experience only one or both depending on many factors such as the biological make up, psychological state and social interaction or conditions of a person.
The following are some specifiers for mood disorders/depression:
· mixed features ambivalence or feeling depressed or anxious to some degree or depressed with symptoms of mania at the same time
· dysphoric characterized by feelings of anxiety and depression
· psychotic features With hallucinations and/or delusions. This can be somatic , auditory hallucinations may also manifest and other types might have delusions of grandeur .
· anxious distress accompanied by anxiety
· melancholic features characterized by anhedonia, weight loss, early morning awakenings, loss of libido and may signify a severe or higher level of depressive episode
· atypical feature It is characterized by oversleeping and overeating. May not necessarily show lethargy or loss of interest. Common among people others think will not commit suicide.
· peripartum onset occurs surrounding the time of pregnancy and birth. May be associated with high levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone, part of the HPA axis.
· catatonic specifier Catalepsy or absence of movement. This is a rare among people experiencing depression/mood disorders.
· seasonal pattern Symptoms are associated with changes in weather. A person may be depressive during the winter and seem normal during summer.
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What Is Major Or Clinical Depression
Most people feel sad or low at some point in their lives. But clinical depression is marked by a depressed mood most of the day, sometimes particularly in the morning, and a loss of interest in normal activities and relationships — symptoms that are present every day for at least 2 weeks. In addition, according to the DSM-5 — a manual used to diagnose mental health conditions — you may have other symptoms with major depression. Those symptoms might include:
- Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day
- Feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day
- Impaired concentration, indecisiveness
- Insomnia or hypersomnia almost every day
- Restlessness or feeling slowed down
- Recurring thoughts of death or suicide
- Significant weight loss or gain
How Is Mild Depression Diagnosed
Its not easy to determine when a person is suffering from dysthymia. There is no blood test or imaging scan that give doctors a definitive clue that the patient has mild depression. The presence of co-occurring disorder can also make getting an accurate diagnosis more difficult. When it comes to diagnosing any depressive disorder, including mild depression, clinicians go by symptoms. The doctor will make a diagnosis based on the length of time symptoms have been present, and also based on whether or not the symptoms are less severe than those present in major clinical depression. Also, doctors must rule-out physical disorders that can mimic the symptoms of mild depression. Those often include hypothyroidism, diabetes, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Usually, blood and urine tests can rule out these conditions.
Research provides professionals with evidence about what works for treating PDD. According to a recent report that reviewed three different studies, a combination of medication and therapy is more effective than medication or therapy on its own for treating PDD. Medication can help to correct some of the chemical imbalances in the brain that can lead to depression, whereas therapy provides an opportunity for people to develop coping skills and healthy ways of responding to stress and learn how to manage symptoms of depression.
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How To Combat Major Depressive Disorder
Sometimes medication can help teens who are experiencing a severe major depressive episode. However, studies show that clinical and holistic methods can be equally or more effective than antidepressant medication. In addition, such methods bolster teen mental health and ward off major depressive episodes. These include the following evidence-based approaches.
Clinical therapy modalities: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and interpersonal psychotherapy are proven to be effective in treating depression in adolescents.
Exercise: In one 11-year study of 33,908 adults, researchers found that just one hour of exercise each week prevented 12 percent of depression cases. Moreover, another study found that only 30 minutes of exercise three times per week was as effective as antidepressant drugs.
Nutrition: The meal can be medicine. In other words, diet is a powerful method for relieving teen depression. In one trial study, one-third of participants experienced remission from depressive symptoms after three months of a healthy diet.
Mindfulness practice: A review study at Johns Hopkins found that meditation is just as effective as medication for teenage anxiety and depression. Meditation reduces depression by calming the nervous system and reducing wandering mind, which is associated with unhappiness.
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Tips For Living Well With Major Depressive Disorder
Living with major depression can feel lonely. People may be fearful or ashamed of being labeled with a serious mental illness, causing them to suffer in silence, rather than get help. In fact, most people with major depression never seek the right treatment. But those struggling with this illness are not alone. Its one of the most common and most treatable mental health disorders. With early, continuous treatment, people can gain control of their symptoms, feel better, and get back to enjoying their lives.
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How Can Tms Help People With Mild Depression
Since persistent depressive disorder lasts for two or more years, it is often considered treatment-resistant, meaning it can be hard to find a treatment that works for everyone with PDD. Fortunately, TMS is FDA-approved for treating depression, and studies show that it is effective for cases of treatment-resistant depression. A recent study found that 60 percent of patients with treatment-resistant depression responded to TMS treatment, and TMS sessions that tapered off in frequency over time seemed to be effective for preventing relapse to depression. This provides evidence that TMS is promising for cases of treatment-resistant depression, including persistent depressive disorder.
A second study, published in a 2020 edition of Psychiatry Research, found that TMS treatment reduced symptoms of depression as well as thoughts of suicide. It also improved patients ability to recognize their emotions. This is important, given the fact that persistent depression can increase the risk of suicide and result in inappropriate emotions like guilt.
Are you or a loved one living with the symptoms of mild depression? Feeling persistently sad and tired isnt an inevitability, and there is hope. The caring doctors at Pulse TMS have helped hundreds of dysthymia patients find relief from painful depression symptoms. Technicians are standing by. Please contact Pulse TMS today to learn more about how TMS can help you manage depression.
Common Myths Or Misconceptions
Despite ongoing efforts by researchers, medical professionals, and patients to raise awareness, stigma continues to be a reality for people living with depression. This is partly because of the many damaging myths that exist.
These misconceptions can prevent someone from recognizing the signs and symptoms of depression or from getting the help they need. Here we debunk some common depression myths.
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What Is Major Depression
A type of mood disorder, major depression, goes far beyond the typical feelings of sadness that a child might experience. Instead, major depression is a persistently sad or irritable mood that affects a childs thinking and behavior at home, in school, and with peers.
The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that more than 10 percent of adolescents ages 12-17 experience major depression in a given year. It is on the rise in both children and adolescents. With early onset, childhood and adolescence depression can predict future episodes of depression into adulthood. Early and consistent treatment can help to lessen the risk of recurrence and reduce the severity of symptoms while improving functioning and well-being.
Causes Of Major Depressive Episode In Teens
Experts have a number of theories about why major depression in teens is increasing so dramatically. Most important, they believe that teenagers may be affected by a combination of several factors.
Poor coping skills: Parents try to shield adolescents from experiencing failure and disappointment. Therefore, teens have fewer chances to build resilience. Thus, they dont learn how to cope with emotional challenges. As a result, they are more vulnerable to depression.
Social media:Social comparison is a primary source of anxiety and pressure for adolescents. Teens become depressed when they compare their lives unfavorably to the peers they follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Academic pressures: An uncertain economy and tough competition for college, grad school, and jobs increase stress for todays teens. Thus, the likelihood of a major depressive episode increases.
Too much screen time: scientists have found correlations between screen time and depression. According to researchers, adolescents have spent more time on new media screen activities over the past decade. Hence, they spend less time on beneficial unplugged activities. This may account in part for increases in depression and suicide.
A brain in development:The adolescent brain is still growing. Hence, teens have an immature prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that controls self-regulation. Consequently, they may have trouble navigating their emotions.
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