We’ve all been there.

We’ve all apologized, we’ve all respected our parents that much more after looking back on all the slammed doors, eye rolls, and “smart-aleck” comments. Teenagers and parents fight, it’s the way of the world. But how do we know when these opinions, attitudes, and risky behaviors are just normal teenage angst, or something that we should truly be worried about?

How do you know the difference in Depression and moodiness?

Its a scientific fact that teens need more sleep than adults– their brains are still developing, but also, they were probably up till 4AM the night before playing Fortnite. But how do you know if they’re sleeping till 2PM because they are just a typical lazy teen, or because they are clinically depressed? How do you know that your teen won’t clean their room because they “like it that way” or because they are too depressed to have any motivation to clean it. How do you know that this break up that has your teen in the dumps won’t turn into self harm or worse, a suicide attempt. How do you know that the “grunge” look your teen has been trying out is just the new dry shampoo trend or a loss of interest or lack of will to complete basic hygiene tasks. How do you know that your teen that is obsessed with social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat aren’t losing touch with reality or lacking in personal social skills or are they just technologically savvy and a future social media director in the making.

Teenage brains are weird. 

Biologically speaking, the prefrontal cortex in teenagers are still developing, well beyond their teenage years. Because of the construction going on in the rest of the brain, teenagers usually rely on a part of the brain called the amygdala to make decisions and solve problems more than adults do. The amygdala is associated with emotions, impulses, aggression and instinctive behavior, which, you guessed it, explains the influx of wild behavior during the teenage years. So, what are some tell-tale signs of depression that cannot be chalked up to typical teen behavior?

5 ways to know the difference in depression and angst.

1. Deep Sadness- I know what you’re thinking. My teen is dramatic, everything makes him/her sad. But a deep sadness is unwavering, relentless, sadness that follows your teen around where he/she goes. This sadness does not break even for a second, he/she does not find happiness, gratefulness, or joy in anything at all.
2. Changes in Eating Habits or Weight- Again, your teenage daughter may all of a sudden be interested in the Keto diet because she heard from her friends that its a good way to lose weight before Prom. But what I am warning you to look out for is a complete restriction of food altogether, an extreme decrease in food intake, hiding food, or the complete opposite in which he/she over eats at every opportunity, eat in excess to the point of sickness, or suddenly gains or loses a significant amount of weight.
3. Plummeting Self Esteem- this is more prevalent in girls, but it could also be a sign in boys. Constantly putting oneself down, continuously expressing negative thoughts about oneself, or having a negative outlook on oneself in an obvious way that was different than before can be a concern. If your teen was once known for taking “selfies”, posting pictures of themselves on instagram, or “going live” on facebook to show off a new outfit, and now they can barely look at themselves in the mirror, it may be time to seek help.
4. Withdrawal- again, this is chronic withdrawal. Every teen’s sanctuary is their own room. There is no doubt that a nesting teen is a normal teen, however, if he/she does not come out of their room for days or weeks at a time, this is concerning. If he/she takes their meals in their room, does not go out to see friends, or ignores phone calls from any and everyone, your teen may be headed down a dark path.
5. Issues in School- Before you close this tab, hear me out. If your teen has always had issues in school, this is not necessarily a sign of depression. However, if your child has once been a straight A student, or even moderately average, and suddenly they are failing all of their classes and suspended from school for behavior, we may have a larger issues at hand. 

If you, or someone you know, is looking for a therapist for depressed teens in the Fayetteville, or Southern Metro-Atlanta area, please visit our website at doutecounselingservices.com and book today!