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Chat For Teen Depression
It's estimated that about 8% of teenagers has depression and suicide is the third leading cause of death in teenagers. Being a teenager is a vulnerable condition. The teenage years represent a very stressful transition to adulthood. With so much
peer pressure, parental pressure and other social and commercially driven pressures its almost impossible for teenagers to feel at ease with themselves. It’s a sad reflection
of the world we're in that these pressures, and therefore teen depression, continually increase. Vulnerable teenagers can feel alienated and develop low self-esteem as they have a strong tendency to see themselves through the eyes of their peers. Their behaviour is governed by allowing themselves to be defined by their peers thereby sacrificing their self-respect.
An important therapeutic refuge for depressed teens is to receive validation from a group of their peers who are in the same situation and share ideas on what helps. Here, the peer group can become a positive rather than a negative influence. Teens realise they are not alone and their sense of alienation can be replaced with a sense of belonging. This is where chat for teen depression can be valuable, providing emotional support and links to many helpful resources. Note that although drugs are effective for teen depression, they don't address the underlying causes.
Tragically, it’s estimated that only about 30% of teenagers receive any sort of treatment or intervention for their depression. This can result in suicide or irreparably blight adult lives.
It’s important as a parent to recognise the pressures that teens are under, in particular pressures that you may be imposing upon your own teen. Bear in mind that mental health is a major requirement for success in life yet our society and culture work to undermine it.
Proactive interventions are often needed for teen depression as many teens will not naturally seek help, seeing this as an acknowledgement of deficiency and a sign of weakness. As the insidious nature of teen depression becomes more apparent, help and resources for this problem will continually increase and improve. Two sites where you can find help and chat for teen depression are http://www.tscnow.com/index.php and http://dailystrength.org/support/Teens/Depression_Teen/
By John Kirkham
An important therapeutic refuge for depressed teens is to receive validation from a group of their peers who are in the same situation and share ideas on what helps. Here, the peer group can become a positive rather than a negative influence. Teens realise they are not alone and their sense of alienation can be replaced with a sense of belonging. This is where chat for teen depression can be valuable, providing emotional support and links to many helpful resources. Note that although drugs are effective for teen depression, they don't address the underlying causes.
Tragically, it’s estimated that only about 30% of teenagers receive any sort of treatment or intervention for their depression. This can result in suicide or irreparably blight adult lives.
It’s important as a parent to recognise the pressures that teens are under, in particular pressures that you may be imposing upon your own teen. Bear in mind that mental health is a major requirement for success in life yet our society and culture work to undermine it.
Proactive interventions are often needed for teen depression as many teens will not naturally seek help, seeing this as an acknowledgement of deficiency and a sign of weakness. As the insidious nature of teen depression becomes more apparent, help and resources for this problem will continually increase and improve. Two sites where you can find help and chat for teen depression are http://www.tscnow.com/index.php and http://dailystrength.org/support/Teens/Depression_Teen/
By John Kirkham
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