With the 2026 school year halfway over for students soon the responsibility of books, homework, schedules and activities becomes too much to handle. Time is not theirs any longer. As they began to feel pressure from their teachers, coaches, employers and friends, stress is created that can cause serious depression for our teens. The two most important places in a teen’s life are home and school. This is where most trouble and conflict begins.
In 2024 3.3% of adolescents aged 12-17 attempted suicide in the last year. (SAMHSA 2024). According to the Surgeon General, a suicide occurs every two hours in our country. With depression affecting 5% of today’s teenagers, only a reported 30% of teens needing help receive intervention or treatment. 22% of teens have seriously considered attempting suicide ( American Psychological Association May 2024).
It is not unusual for young people to feel “down in the dumps” or feel sad. We as parents have all seen it, when things go wrong at home, or school, teens often overreact and feel stressed out and confused. Despite good parenting, youth ministers and guidance counselors, our teens often become depressed.
Unrealistic expectations can create a strong sense of rejection that leads to disappointment and anger. Feelings of anger and resentment combined with exaggerated guilt can lead to impulsive and self-destructive acts. Our teens are losing their sense of identity, their core values, their sense of acceptance and belonging. They are falling into the black hole of depression where they feel there is no way out.
We can help is by being aware of the signs of teen depression and the factors that can contribute. Be familiar with family, biological and personality factors that predispose a young person to depression. If you have a family history of depression, this may increase the risk of someone in your immediate family developing depression. Know your teen’s behavior and be aware of social events that can often be a sign of trouble. For instance a fight with a girlfriend or boyfriend affects every teen differently. Teen attempts at suicide are often the result of a teen breakup. Other life events such as death or divorce can have disastrous effects on your teen and cause negative thinking and negative thought patterns that may lead to stress and depression. Be cautious of broken school relationships or bullying. Stressful life events and depression often precede suicide.
Stress is characterized differently than depression. Stress is characterized as feelings of frustration, worry, sadness, withdrawal and tension. These feelings last a few hours or a few weeks. Depression is characterized as extreme feelings of sadness, isolation, withdrawal, hopelessness and is present in a period of two weeks or longer, and represents a change in normal functioning.
The core symptoms of depression are the same for children and adolescents. In adolescents, depression and depressive episodes are frequently associated with disruptive behavior disorders, attention-deficit disorders, anxiety disorders, substance abuse disorders and eating disorders. Adult depression and adolescent depression are manifested differently. Different cultures experience and communicate the symptoms of depression differently.
Most teenagers face the stress of life events that are difficult for them by finding internal strength, faith or external events to help them cope. They listen to music, attend church, go out with friends as they are trying to communicate and solve their problems. Troubled teens handle stress and depression differently by acting out in passive and aggressive ways such as sneaking out of the house, riding around in cars, drinking alcohol and smoking.
How does your teen handle stress? Become aware of the signs, behaviors and patterns that signal danger of adolescent depression, anxiety and other mental disorders through education. We as a community need to reduce the stigma associated with these illnesses so that we can better serve our youths. For suicide prevention and crisis contact coloradocrisisservices.org.
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