HEALTH2WELLNESS
Recognizing Depression and Anxiety in Teens Approximately 1 in 5 teens suffer from Depression and 1 in 3 from Anxiety.
T
eenagers are at an especially high risk of developing anxiety and depression due to biological and environmental changes occurring during the teenage years. Biologically, teens experience significant hormonal changes as they mature into their adult bodies and these hormonal changes can lead to mood swings. Environmentally, teenagers face the challenges of unstable/unpredictable peer relationships, peer pressures, conflicts with parents as they try to exert independence, pressures of academic success and the realization they need to make some big decisions about the future including education, careers and learning how to support themselves. Fears of failure and struggles between independence and dependency as well as learning how to maneuver relationships and making healthy choices are key factors. While the stigma of mental illness is
32 Women2Women | Spring 2022
you could talk yourself out of an illness like diabetes. Symptoms of depression can include feeling sad often, having crying spells often without provocation, feeling hopeless, helpless or guilty without cause. Other symptoms include loss of interest in activities, social isolation, low energy/ motivation and in severe cases thoughts of death or suicide. diminishing, it still has a significant impact on teens’ willingness to talk about their feelings, to seek help and to accept help once it is offered. It is imperative to remember that mental illness is just like any other illness that a body may develop. It results from a combination of biological and environmental factors. It is not a sign of weakness nor is it something that you can “talk yourself out of ” any more than
Symptoms of anxiety can include nausea, lightheadedness, “knot in stomach,” racing thoughts, rapid heart rate, chest pain, shortness of breath and a “flight or fight” sensation. Additionally, anxiety can present as a general sense of feeling overwhelmed all the time, even with simple tasks. Some teens experience a feeling of impending doom, an inability to make decisions due to fear of making the wrong one or avoidance of stressful situations. Loss of concentration, poor memory and
