{"id":355,"date":"2017-01-05T15:23:31","date_gmt":"2017-01-05T15:23:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mydepressionzone.com\/parents-of-depressed-teens\/?p=355"},"modified":"2017-01-07T05:10:57","modified_gmt":"2017-01-07T05:10:57","slug":"know-teen-depressed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mydepressionzone.com\/parents-of-depressed-teens\/know-teen-depressed\/","title":{"rendered":"How do I know if my teen is depressed?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"HowDepression in teens doesn’t always look like depression that is\u00a0seen in adults. Here’s a guide that you can follow to see if your teen may be suffering from what doctor’s call a disorder called “major depression”.<\/p>\n

As always, this is for informational purposes only and you should ALWAYS consult a doctor or qualified medical professional get a firm diagnosis. I always recommend getting a diagnosis from two different doctors.<\/em><\/p>\n

Major depression is a medical disorder. Here are\u00a0the criteria used by doctors to diagnose it:<\/p>\n

1) Five or more of the following symptoms have been present during the same two-week period and represent a change from previous functioning; at least one of the symptoms is either (a) depressed mood or (b) loss of interest or pleasure.<\/p>\n

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  • Depressed mood most either subjective report (e.g., feels sad or empty) or observation made by others (e.g., appears tearful). Note: In children and adolescents, can be irritable mood<\/li>\n
  • Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in all, or almost all, activities most of the day, nearly every day (as indicated by either subjective account or observation made by others).<\/li>\n
  • Significant weight loss when not dieting or weight gain (e.g., a change of more than 5 percent of body weight in a month), or decrease or increase in appetite nearly every day. Note: In children, consider failure to make expected weight gains.<\/li>\n
  • Insomnia or hypersomnia nearly every day.<\/li>\n
  • Psychomotor agitation or retardation nearly every day (observable by others, not merely subjective feelings of restlessness or being slowed down).<\/li>\n
  • Fatigue or loss of energy nearly every day.<\/li>\n
  • Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or inappropriate guilt (which may be delusional) nearly every day (not merely self- reproach or guilt about being sick).<\/li>\n
  • Diminished ability to think or concentrate, or indecisiveness, nearly every day (either by subjective account or as observed by others).<\/li>\n
  • Recurrent thoughts of death (not just fear of dying), recurrent suicidal ideation without a specific plan, or a suicide attempt or a specific plan for committing suicide.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    2) The symptoms cause clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning.<\/p>\n

    3) The symptoms are not due to the direct physiological effects of a substance (e.g., a drug of abuse, a medication) or a general medical condition (e.g., hypothyroidism).<\/p>\n

    How do I know if my teen is depressed?<\/h2>\n

    Additional symptoms specific to teens and children:<\/p>\n

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    • Persistent sad or irritable mood<\/li>\n
    • Frequent, vague, non-specific physical complaints<\/li>\n
    • Frequent absences from school or poor performance from school<\/li>\n
    • Being bored<\/li>\n
    • Alcohol or substance abuse<\/li>\n
    • Increased irritability<\/li>\n
    • Anger or hostility<\/li>\n
    • Reckless behavior<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

      ***<\/strong><\/h2>\n

      Have you been wondering: How do I know if my teen is depressed? Teen depression recovery expert Kay Walker answers all those questions in her book:\u00a0How to Help Your Depressed Teen<\/a> and The Feel Better Now Book. <\/em><\/p>\n

      Click below for more details…<\/em><\/p>\n

      <\/a><\/p>\n

      CLICK HERE<\/a><\/p>\n