Depression in young people is fairly common . You can feel sad , dejected and depressed without knowing why , be more difficult to concentrate, experience more anxiety and concern and know that you are worth less than others . The outpatient child and adolescent psychiatry , BUP , offers talks with a psychologist . A deep depression can lead to preoccupation about death and suicide. It is therefore important that you or your child receives professional help as soon as possible .
Illness or just depressed ?
All feel depressed or sad at some point in life . When you are young children or suffer setbacks and crises in life , it is natural to react to feel depressed and sad . It is a natural part of life . These feelings usually pass after a time , often with the help and support from parents and friends .
Depression however is a condition that does not move by itself , within a reasonable time , and that affects all areas of life . It is rare that young children become depressed , but teenagers and adults suffer approximately the same frequency . Depression is more common in girls and women .
Why are you depressed?
The causes of depression can be many . Often, the person becomes depressed, a vulnerability in the context of adversity and stress . It can be congenital , caused by traumatic experiences early in life or because you had a hard time with , for example, much trouble and conflict in your family or with your mates .
The environment , ie where you grew up , school, family and people who are around you also have impact on how well you can take setbacks . A safe and stable family can do to a person , despite an innate vulnerability , more rarely , a depression .
Purely physical things , such as disruption of thyroid hormone production , can in rare cases, also trigger a depression .
Symptoms of depression in young
How do you know if you have a depression ? If you have any of these characters for more than a couple of weeks you may be depressed :
- You feel sad and depressed and find it easy to cry for the slightest adversity .
- You feel severe anxiety and concern .
- You find it hard to feel happy or be interested in things that usually are fun .
- You feel irritated by everything and everyone .
- You find it hard to concentrate so that schoolwork is affected .
- Self-confidence is declining and you often find yourself as worthless .
- Appetite changes . You may find it difficult to eat at all or do you feel hungry for something all the time . In children who are depressed is inadequate weight loss or weight gain usual.
- You sleep weird and disturbed easily . Some have trouble falling asleep , sleep more and more during the day and could eventually turn the clock. Sleep disorders are serious, that you feel anxiety .
- In teenagers , it is common practice to sleep a lot , but still feels tired . Minimum document can feel exhausting to carry .
- The risk is great for both girls and boys to start using alcohol or drugs .
- Guys , especially , can become aggressive and disruptive .
- You may be preoccupied with thoughts of death and suicidal thoughts and maybe even try to harm you or take your life .
Relapse
Have you ever had a depression , it may come again . It is important to be alert to signals of a new depression .
Self-care
For those of you who are young and feel dejected and depressed , it is important to talk to an adult , your parents , a teacher , a friend’s parent or someone else you can trust. It often helps to talk about their feelings and it can be a means for early detection and possibly prevent a deep depression . In addition, support will be available from care .
Your parents always have a responsibility to make you feel good and get help if needed . A method for early detection and possible prevention of depression is to talk to them about what is difficult . To be able to put words to their feelings is the best method to process the setbacks and crises .
Sleep is important for all people but especially if you are getting depressed . Try to prioritize your sleep and if it does not work you need to seek help to get good advice and treatment .
If you are a parent
Anyone who is a parent should seek professional help from outpatient child and adolescent psychiatry , BUP , or clinic if the child seems depressed and have difficulty talking about their feelings .
The following contacts are confidential and can provide further assistance : National Helpline , priest , telephone counselor and friend on duty . See links on the right.
Treatment of depression in young
Psychotherapy
Do you have a mild depression , you can get going at intervals along the so-called psychotherapeutic conversation . It may be sufficient . Often it is useful to combine so that you both individually and together with your parents may be able to get help to deal with your situation .
It is also important to treatment, knowledge about depression so that both you and your parents can see the early signs of a possible deterioration or if you would become depressed again .
Social support
In addition to psychotherapy , it is important to adapt the activities and requirements of the person who is depressed . For example, it could be considered to reduce the number of lessons in school so that it is a reasonable load for homework and school day length .
Physical activity
Regular physical activity has proven useful for many different conditions and diseases . It may be that cycling, walking , swimming and more. In adults, regular exercise, prevention of anxiety and depression new periods . One can expect that it also applies to young people . Physical activity during the day also makes it easier to sleep at night .
Pharmaceuticals
If you have a moderate or severe depression , you may need both psychotherapy and drugs ( antidepressants ) .
Evaluation in the treatment of children and young people is limited . Treatment must be done in close cooperation with you and your parents and with frequent return visits . Sometimes anxiety and concern increase at the beginning of the treatment period . There is then a risk of side effects means that you have more suicidal thoughts and possibly try to harm himself , but this tends to reduce after a few weeks . The dose escalation slowly . It may take four to six weeks before we know for sure if the medicine has any effect . It continues to be in contact throughout the treatment period . When it’s time to close so it is in agreement with a gradual tapering of the medication .
Advice for relatives
If you are a family may also need support . There you can get from a support organization . They can give you information and help you make contact with others in a similar situation . If your relative has had contact with health care , you can also get support from the staff responsible for your relative’s care .
