Teenagers during the developmental stages of early to late adolescence will have many depressive episodes in their life experiences, influenced by the turmoil of hormones and how the hormonal system affects their decision making, mood states, thinking, attitudes and personality. Many teenagers chose each other as mates because they are similar in fashion tastes, music tastes and in terms of educational standards. They form groups and these groups begin to bond deeply emotionally with each other. Heterosexual relationships form and these place demands on the opposite sex which can be stressful on top of school pressures for coursework and assignments to be produced. The problem with adolescents is- knowing what personal standards to maintain and who to measure ones behaviour against. Teenagers need positive role models who set high standards so as they also know how to function in an adequate manner with friends.If they have parents who are always there and who love and accept them unconditionally that's good, but these family types are not as many now as ten years ago. When families are fragmented or broken up, this causes problems for the young people like you as stability features very strongly in your life together with independence.
Many young people who experience self harm or teenage depression do so because of the following: Sexual jealously, broken romance, bulllying, and alcohol abuse, drug abuse, and pressure to achieve from parents. There are any others, but these feature as the more common. Let's look at teenage depression more closely. Two types: Internal (called endogenous) as it's caused by changes in your brain chemistry growing up, and - external ( called exogenous) from outside the body, such as a loss of your partime job, loss of a parent, bullying on an Internet site or school, those sort of things. We call them a reactive depression. The first thing to do is to talk to someone who can help you and support you through the depression, your best mate /friend, confidante, parents, GP or a teacher you can trust. Childline are great for this as are Kidscape. See the emergency numbers on this site. Once you talk you will see how cool it is to live and get a new life, life is for enjoyment and trying new experiences. You are never a failure, always remember that, as you will have always had achieved in may other things in your life. Everyone has many achievements and uderachievements and we move on with our lives . If your girlfriend / boyfriend has just broken up, don't start drinking alcohol or self cutting. This is a depressive drink and will make your depression much worse. Talk it through. Email me and I will contact you quickly and we can get it sorted, even if you feel it can never be sorted as you see it as a mountain in your life. Being dumped is not a nice feeling and there is the deep hurt and raw emotions You need to tell someone how you feel about the other person who has left you. Be open about your feelings and don't be embarrassed.Its ok to cry and there is always someone new on the horizon. Losing a close friend is also a learning experience, see it in a more positive way. What did you learn from the relationship? What positive and negative outcomes were there. Perhap's its better to move on and try new experiences with other guys / girls.Teenage romances are never meant to last so lets be realistic,turn the negatives into positives. Have you thought about why you broke up and feel depressed.Can you sort it and get back together after a few weeks to clear the air? Trust and forgivenees are important features in teenage relationships, and maybe the depression was caused by a misunderstanding between you both. Maybe your expectations did not match. If so a get together for a heart to heart can work wonders and it could be up and running again!
If you are losing weight, sleep patterns are disturbed and you feel like not eating, and have depressed moods, and these symptoms continue for over two weeks see your GP immediately for a clinical assessment.
Perhaps your depression is as a direct result of bullying. Read up on these pages how to strengthen your self confidence and self esteem and assertive skills. Confront the bully and ask them to stop. Be direct and look them directly in the eye. Get a few witnesses and jot down every incidence as it happens, soon afterwards. This could be presented as evidence to parents and headmasters in school.I will send you more details on bullying and how to overcome it in the event you feel you are bullied. Do feel free to talk to me and I promise to listen and help you deal with it.My telephone contact number is on the site, and email me for a written reply.