For teenagers, navigating the world can be difficult and confusing. Finding a sense of self, establishing a peer group and dealing with hormonal and bodily changes all contribute to ups and downs. Yet for teens dealing with depression, symptoms go beyond the usual struggles of teenage challenges.
Understanding teenage depression
Unfortunately, only one out of every five teenagers suffering from depression actually gets help due to their inability to recognize the symptoms, which is why parental involvement is key. Although boys and girls suffer from similar symptoms, there are notable differences.
According to the Mayo Clinic, red flags for depression in male and female teens include emotional changes ranging from sadness, loss of interest in activities and conflict with family and friends, to difficulty concentrating, making decisions and remembering things. Parents may notice changes in appetite or sleep and unexplained physical complaints. More extreme signs include risky behavior, such as drug or alcohol use, self-harm and frequent thoughts of death or suicide.
If your teen begins displaying multiple symptoms, it’s important to take their complaints seriously so that a problem does not grow so big it puts your loved ones at risk.
A closer look at depression causes and symptoms in teenage girls
Both teen boys and girls can experience symptoms of depression, but the way these symptoms express themselves will vary from gender to gender.
The first thing to note about the differences is that girls are more than twice as likely as boys to be diagnosed with depression. In one study, depression among girls was found to have caused stronger feelings of guilt, self-blame, failure and negative body image.
Over the past number of years, studies have shown trends likely to be the cause of worsening mental health among teenage girls:
- “Nearly 1-in-3 (30 percent) seriously considered attempting suicide—up nearly 60 percent from a decade ago.
- 1-in-5 (18 percent) experienced sexual violence in the past year—up 20 percent since 2017 when CDC started monitoring this measure.
- More than 1-in-10 (14 percent) had ever been forced to have sex—up 27 percent since 2019 and the first increase since CDC began monitoring this measure.”
When a teenager experiences these – and other – traumatic situations, a number of mental and physical signs of the negative impact may begin to display themselves, including:
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Frequent crying
- Changes in sleeping patterns
- Losing or gaining weight, or developing eating disorders
- Engaging in self-harming behaviors
- Showing increased risk-taking, including promiscuity and unsafe sexual behaviors
- Suffering from low self-esteem
- Struggling to concentrate on activities and lacking motivation
- Experiencing feelings of hopelessness about the future
In order to help your teen navigate any traumatic experiences, negative emotions or day-to-day challenges, it’s important to get them the counseling they need as soon as they need it.
How does depression impact teen boys?
Although depression is less common among males, teenage boys can have as severe experiences of depression as girls. The notable difference is in the way the symptoms manifest.
Depression in males may be caused by feelings of inadequacy, such as academically, socially or even on the sports field; they may experience symptoms as a result of troubles at home, including domestic violence, divorce or a transition (like a move); social anxiety and peer pressure can also be a leading cause of mood disorders in teens.
Boys may show signs of depression in a variety of ways, including:
- Changes in personality, such as outbursts, irritability and anger
- Engaging in excessively risky behavior, including driving recklessly, or irresponsible behaviors with peers
- Self-harm (although girls are more at risk for this behavior than boys)
- Increasingly violent behaviors
- Unhealthy changes in sleeping patterns
- Decreased academic performance, including dropping grades and/or attendance
- Self-medicating with substances
- Decreased concentration/focus
Additionally, males are more likely to commit suicide than females: for teens and young adults between ages 15 and 24, suicide is the second leading cause of death, and boys are four times more likely to lose their lives to suicide than girls.
For this reason, it’s crucial to respond to signs of depression in teen boys in order to get them the help they need to handle whatever emotions they are experiencing.
Getting help for teenage depression
Thankfully, treatment is readily available for teens battling depression. Talk therapy will likely benefit your teen daughter, while more activity-based therapies will likely help your son. Take the time to research treatment options in order to provide the best help possible to your child.
If you are concerned your teenage son or daughter is suffering from depression, take the next step. For more information on our programs for teens, contact us by calling 800-877-3628 to learn more.
