We have heard a lot of cases of teen depression and suicides due to the same, it's a common problem of the modern and developing world. But have you ever been able to share something that's bothering you frankly with your family? Or were you forced to keep that feeling inside you and decided to move on with it?
MYTH VERSUS FACTS
Growing up in an Indian family, most of us must have undergone the pressure of having strict parents who always behaved like the devil with two horns on its head. With that, we were well aware to not talk about our mental being with them because usually, the topic was avoided or changed by the intervention of your marks or the progress in the subject you were failing.
If ever kids try to explain how they feel, they are often shut or are scolded for the reason of their messed up schedule. The adults who are literate and know about mental well-being, ignore this aspect thinking that it's taboo and shouldn't be considered for discussion.
The pressure of acting neutral before parents and gulping their actual feelings make new teens undergo phases that are not only depressive but disturbing, which leads to self-harm and suicide.
Depression isn't a disease but a mental state, and people should understand that it cannot be cured by fixing the monotonous schedule or by waking up earlier than the individual normally does.
CAUSES OF DEPRESSION
Mental health refers to psychological, emotional, and social well-being, and should be considered as an important factor at all stages of life.
Excessive stress about work, studies, and peer pressure of doing what one is forced to leads to depression. If a child spends most of the time alone, instead of indulging with kids of their own age results in loneliness in the long term, which is often harmful to their mental development.
The constant nagging from parents and people around about any activity that the teen performs, might lead to long term trauma and fear of coming out to people, which will force them to stay hidden from society because of the fear of being judged will let them down and they'll probably start liking being alone for a time period until it becomes addictive and courses way to depression and mental instability.
Depression isn't supposed to look like, a person who is always sitting in the dark and does nothing, it has nothing to do with one's psychical appearances because that can be faked way too easily; it's about their mental state which might not be stable even when they're sitting with you, laughing and having a good time of their lives. We should never judge a person by how they look or what they do because we're absolutely unaware of what they're going through.
EARLY SIGNS OF DEPRESSION
Experiencing any such following thing might be seen as an indicating warning sign of depression:
- eating too much not eating at all
- having low or no energy
- pulling away from people and usual activities
- feeling numb or useless
- yelling or fighting, friends, and family
- sleeping too much or not at all
- having persistent thoughts and memories you can't get out of your head
- thinking of harming yourself or others
- feeling unusually confused, forgetful, on edge, angry, upset, worried, or scared
- experiencing severe mood swings
- hearing voices or believing things that are not true
