SIGNS OF DEPRESSION - Frequent sadness, tearfulness, crying Teens may show their pervasive sadness by wearing black clothes, writing poetry with morbid themes, or having a preoccupation with music that has nihilistic themes. They may cry for no apparent reason. // All I wear is black clothing and if I feel depressed, I do listen to depressing music. - Hopelessness Teens may feel that life is not worth living or worth the effort to even maintain their appearance or hygiene. They may believe that a negative situation will never change and be pessimistic about their future. // Self-Explainatory. Utter Hopelessness. - Decreased interest in activities; or inability to enjoy previously favorite activities Teens may become apathetic and drop out of clubs, sports, and other activities they once enjoyed. Not much seems fun anymore to the depressed teen. // I have social problems, feeling unconfortable around large groups of people or activities that require physical action and interaction with a series of people and are meant to be fun. - Persistent boredom; low energy Lack of motivation and lowered energy level is reflected by missed classes or not going to school. A drop in grade averages can be equated with loss of concentration and slowed thinking. // My grades have dropped considerably and I have missed out school on several occasions due to "faked" sicknesses, with the true reason being depressive moods. - Social isolation, poor communication There is a lack of connection with friends and family. Teens may avoid family gatherings and events. Teens who used to spend a lot of time with friends may now spend most of their time alone and without interests. Teens may not share their feelings with others, believing that they are alone in the world and no one is listening to them or even cares about them. // Social Problem I have. I have begun to talk with people and I'm writing my thoughts in this diary...but overall I do avoid activities with friends (parties) and/or family gatherings (if infact there is one). - Low self esteem and guilt Teens may assume blame for negative events or circumstances. They may feel like a failure and have negative views about their competence and self-worth. They feel as if they are not "good enough." // Not only have I blamed a lot of people for my problems but largely blamed myself as well. - Extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure Believing that they are unworthy, depressed teens become even more depressed with every supposed rejection or perceived lack of success. // My parents and those who get frustrated with me over time, have exactly this effect on me. The increasing depression due to "supposed rejections". - Increased irritability, anger, or hostility Depressed teens are often irritable, taking out most of their anger on their family. They may attack others by being critical, sarcastic, or abusive. They may feel they must reject their family before their family rejects them. // Again, I've been blaming a lot of my trouble on others and I've become over-reactive in situations - analysing every single detail. Unanswered E-mails, quiet moments on the phone, unanswered or ignored questions, as well as comparisments with the same sex, has been proven to be interpretid as an attack. - Difficulty with relationships Teens may suddenly have no interest in maintaining friendships. They'll stop calling and visiting their friends. // Interest in maintaining friendships was of the essence for me for quite some time, until I seemed to develop a "don't care" attitute. - Frequent complaints of physical illnesses, such as headaches and stomachaches Teens may complain about lightheadedness or dizziness, being nauseous, and back pain. Other common complaints include headaches, stomachaches, vomiting, and menstrual problems. // Headaches, lighheadedness, dizziness and stomachaches seem to be on my weekly, if not, daily routine. - Frequent absences from school or poor performance in school Children and teens who cause trouble at home or at school may actually be depressed but not know it. Because the child may not always seem sad, parents and teachers may not realize that the behavior problem is a sign of depression. // This might be the way my depression started off. With low-performance and no idea as to why. - Poor concentration Teens may have trouble concentrating on schoolwork, following a conversation, or even watching television. // Not necessarily something I witnessed, but I do seem to space out every once in a while. - A major change in eating and/or sleeping patterns Sleep disturbance may show up as all-night television watching, difficulty in getting up for school, or sleeping during the day. Loss of appetite may become anorexia or bulimia. Eating too much may result in weight gain and obesity. // Sleep disturbance is a biggy. Its a recemt thing that just developed, and I haven't sleept very good for two days. Before that, sleeping never really used to be on my agenda. - Talk of or efforts to run away from home Running away is usually a cry for help. This may be the first time the parents realize that their child has a problem and needs help. // talks: yes. effort: yes, on several occassion. - Thoughts or expressions of suicide or self-destructive behavior Teens who are depressed may say they want to be dead or may talk about suicide. Depressed children and teens are at increased risk for committing suicide. If a child or teen says, "I want to kill myself," or "I'm going to commit suicide," always take the statement seriously and seek evaluation from a child and adolescent psychiatrist or other mental health professional. People often feel uncomfortable talking about death. However, asking whether he or she is depressed or thinking about suicide can be helpful. Rather than "putting thoughts in the child's head," such a question will provide assurance that somebody cares and will give the young person the chance to talk about problems. // Don't want to go too far into detail with this, but yes. I have had suicidal problems as well as horrifying thoughts and experiences. My talks about suicide have been always taken serious by my friends, until at some point it turned to a accusation of me trying to get attention. - Alcohol and Drug Abuse Depressed teens may abuse alcohol or other drugs as a way to feel better. // Truthfully, I have abused alcohol on a few occasions, willingly and deliberatly to try and "drink" my problems away for the night. - Self-Injury Teens who have difficulty talking about their feelings may show their emotional tension, physical discomfort, pain and low self-esteem with self-injurious behaviors, such as cutting. // I cannot, to this point, confirm that I have hurt myself, but I have had a greater temptation of doing so.