Understanding teenage depression is crucial to prevent school drop outs and suicidal attempts among teens.
Childhood depression occurs even during infancy through toddler to teens, but it is often misunderstood for irritable non compliant behavior. The early support that could come forth from parents, teachers and friends is thus lost. The results then are disastrous.
Why does teenage depression go unnoticed?
The prevailing misconceptions regarding children’s mood and behaviour detract the child health issue that is so widely prevalent.
The society holds unrealistic expectations on children’s normal behavior.
Mood swings and occasional melancholy, the parts of normal psyche are often not condoned.
Most of us fail to recognize that normal childhood development lays a lot of stress on children.
How can childhood depression be prevented?
Parents and teachers’ early intervention can prevent the irreversible consequences associated with full blown childhood depression: Bad moods, temper tantrums, peer fights, disinterest in routine activities and falling grades at school should alert the parents and teachers to look for underlying cause.
No child likes to misbehave and be unpopular with parents and teachers.
A miss behaving child is actually trying to draw your attention to something that you have failed to notice.
If a child is failing to meet your reasonable expectations, then please look hard enough for underlying psycho social upheaval. This could be the initial stage of depression.
Though obvious presentation of commonly known sickness is lacking, childhood depression is also a disease that needs affectionate caring by caring parents, teachers and friends.
Gravity of teenage depression related child health issues
Depression during tween and teen years is much more common than perceived. It affects 20 percent of teenagers by the age of 18 years and accounts for 50 percent of suicidal attempts among children and youths between the ages of 5 and 24 years.
According to latest available statistics from the U.S., teenage depression effectuated suicide is a major cause of death during teen years.
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Prevalence of teenage depression
High incidence of childhood depression during teens and increase in its severity by late adolescence gives it the name “teenage depression”.
Average incidence of childhood depression is estimated to be 2 percent with boys and girls being equally affected during the tween years.
The risk of major depression increases 2 to 4 folds after puberty and the incidence rises to 4-8 percent during teenage development.
The symptomatic presentation of depression among teenagers is noted twice as frequently in young girls as compared to the teenage boys.
Article Source: http://www.childhealth-explanation.com/teenage-depression.html
