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Mental Health Corner
WWW.THEBJH.COM
THE BALTIMORE JEWISH HOME
JULY 7, 2022
Adolescent Depression The teenage years are difficult ones for both teens and parents. The teenagers are grappling with finding their identity in this no man’s land between childhood and adulthood. Their bodies and minds are changing which can lead to a very confusing period in their lives. The parents are pulling their hair out trying to figure out how to process their child’s occasional moodiness and defiant behavior. There is an adage, “Adolescence is a period of rapid changes. Between the ages of twelve and seventeen, a parent ages as much as twenty years!” Believe it or not, adolescence is not a mental illness! Just because your teen’s behavior is mystifying does not mean that they are suffering from something abnormal. Sometimes, however, they are suffering from a genuine bout of depression. In such a situation, you cannot afford the risk of letting depression run its course. Just to make it a little more confusing, the signs of depression in teens can be quite different from adults. In
By Rabbi Azriel Hauptman
this article, we will focus on some of the ways that depression in teens can be markedly different from depression in adults. · Social Withdrawal – When adults are depressed it is very common to see them socially withdraw and become isolated. Teenagers crave social interactions so much that it is less common to see them withdraw socially. Instead, they might withdraw from their family but still spend time with their friends. Also, they might withdraw from one peer group and join another. In such a case, this might mean that they are starting to hang out with the wrong crowd. Furthermore, a teen might withdraw from real-life interactions and spend their time socializing online. · Physical Pain vs. Emotional Pain – Generally speaking, adults understand and express their feelings and emotions much better than teenagers. Consequently, when adults are depressed they often describe it as emotional pain. Teenagers who are
depressed often are not capable of feeling their pain as emotional. Instead, they might report physical aches and pains such as headaches, stomach problems, or just a general sense of not feeling physically well. Physical exams will not reveal any medical problems. · Insomnia – Difficulty falling asleep is an extremely common symptom of adult depression. It definitely happens to teens as well, just not as frequently as in adults. Hypersomnia, which is excessive time spent sleeping occurs more frequently in adolescents and can sometimes be a symptom of depression. · Anger – When adults are depressed, it often manifests itself as a profound sense of sadness. In teens, a more common presentation of their depression is irritability and anger. These emotions are certainly common even in non-depressed teens, but they are markedly more frequent and persistent in depressed teens. · Defiance and Disrespect –
Defiance and disrespect are definitely not unheard of in the adolescent population, but if the frequency and intensity seems to be abnormal even for a teenager then it might be a sign of depression. The rule of thumb is that teenagers often act as teenagers. Occasional incidents of irritability, defiance, anger, oversleeping, and withdrawal are not necessarily anything other than normal teenage behavior. However, if you suspect that you are observing something beyond the range of normal, then it would be prudent to consult with a mental health professional to figure out a plan of action. This is a service of Relief Resources. Relief is an organization that provides mental health referrals, education, and support to the frum community. Rabbi Yisrael Slansky is director of the Baltimore branch of Relief. He can be contacted at 410-448-8356 or at yslansky@ reliefhelp.org
